First race to be held on May 30, 2010 in Pune, the hometown of Volkswagen India / Mr. Joerg Mueller, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India: “Great Excitement for all at Volkswagen.” / More than 1100 registrations received for the race series
Volkswagen India will flag-off of the first ever Polo Cup India 2010 with the first race of the season to be held on May 30, 2010 in Pune, the hometown of Volkswagen India. Each race will be held over a three day weekend with practice sessions, qualifiers & final race day.
"We are counting down to the first race of the Polo Cup India 2010. There is great excitement for all at Volkswagen as we debut the Polo Cup India 2010 and the first initiative of the Volkswagen India Motorsports team. It was amazing to see so much talent from all over the country during the registration and shortlisting process. We received record registrations with more than 1100 registrations for the race series which is a big achievement for us during the debut. This reaffirms our belief and commitment to the revival of motorsports in India. We hope to take the motorsports culture in India to the next level.” expressed Mr. Joerg Mueller, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited.
The prelude will be a race in Pune, the hometown of Volkswagen India. This will be the first major 4 wheeler racing event to be held in Pune. “Pune as a city has accepted Volkswagen ever since the inauguration of the plant over a year back. We would like to express our gratitude to the city by holding the first race of the internationally acclaimed Polo Cup series in Pune,” continued Mr. Mueller
The first race will see the field of 20 contenders participate in a practice session at the circuit on Friday, May 28, 2010. The racers will be divided into 2 batches for the Practice session on Friday. Saturday, May 29, 2010 will see a Free Practice session for the drivers followed by the Qualifiers. The final grid for the races to be held on the Race day (May 30, 2010) will be decided based on the fastest laps during qualifying. On Race day, the races will open with a driver’s parade where spectators can see the final line-up of drivers. This will be followed by 2 race sessions of 20 laps each. The final podium standings will be announced with a prize distribution the same evening. This weekend format will be followed for all the remaining races of the Polo Cup India 2010.
The Polo Cup India 2010 will celebrate its world debut in the 2010 JK Tyre National Racing Championship, and will have six races in total. The first race in Pune, it will be followed by five races that will take place on the race courses in Chennai and Coimbatore. The race dates are as below:
- 17/18 July 2010 at Coimbatore (Kari Motor Speedway)
- 21/22 Aug 2010 at Chennai (Irungattukottai Race Track)
- 18/19 Sep 2010 at Chennai (Irungattukottai Race Track)
- 30/31 Oct 2010 at Chennai (Irungattukottai Race Track)
- 18/19 Dec 2010 at Chennai (Irungattukottai Race Track)
Motor sports enthusiasts interested in getting further information can log on to the website, www.polocup.in. This website will display information about the format of The Polo Cup India, race updates and driver profiles.
About Volkswagen Motorsport
Volkswagen is committed to broad-scale motor sport as in internationally staged cross-country rally racing programmes in countries including Germany, Europe and the United States apart from other countries in Asia and has a long tradition of promoting young talent. Following the legendary Formula V as of 1966 the brand, in 1976, sponsored a one-make touring car cup for the first time. Among others, the Scirocco Cup produced drivers like the subsequent Formula 1 racer Manfred Winkelhock. In 1977 the first-generation Golf GTI replaced the Scirocco as the cup vehicle and remained the popular competition car for a generation of young racers up to 1982. In 1983, the second-generation Polo followed as the cup vehicle – initially using the 88-hp normally aspirated engine version and, from 1986, the 112-hp compressor engine. At the relaunch in 1998, Volkswagen presented the Lupo, which offered top-class sport at fair prices, as well as the Volkswagen New Beetle Cup.
The year of 1998 stands for an all-new concept in the world of racing. To this day, this new concept featuring centrally fielded vehicles and car swapping among the drivers guarantees maximum equality of opportunity. In 2004 the 150-hp Polo replaced the small Lupo as the cup vehicle and the concept was subjected to further refinement. The Polo Cup’s success story is closely linked to the DTM-Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft. The premier league of touring car racing has evolved into a real crowd-puller and is envisaged as a concrete career goal by many junior racers.
