- Multiple National Karting Champion & Driver Coach Rayomand Banajee put in the first laps in the brand new race machine at the Buddh International Circuit
Greater Noida, January 28, 2017: Volkswagen Motorsport India’s one make series, Ameo Cup 2017 is getting ready to hit the Indian circuits. The race counterpart of the ‘made-for-India’ and ‘made-in-India’ Ameo – the Ameo Cup race car – has been undergoing development at the Volkswagen Pune Plant in Chakan for the last several weeks. The race car was tested for the first time today on the sidelines of the MRF Challenge event being held at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC).
The Ameo Cup race car will now commence its journey into the motorsport arena with a long and rigorous testing process that began today. Multiple National Karting Champion & Driver Coach Raymond Banajee tested the race machine for the first time to gather crucial data for its further development. Using this data, the race car will be tuned and set up during its next phase of development.
“The last few weeks have been extremely exciting for us as we have put together the first iterations of Ameo Cup race car”, said Mr. Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, “After a lot of hard work, the race machine has started taking form we have been aiming for.”
To be hosted as part of the MMSC-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship, the one-make series of Volkswagen Ameo Cup 2017 will follow the same format as Volkswagen Motorsport India has been running for the past years. The 2017 season is scheduled to begin by mid-year.
About Volkswagen Motorsport India: Taking ahead 50 years of enriching global motorsport legacy of Volkswagen, Volkswagen Motorsport India commenced operations with the Polo Cup India in 2010. The series started off with a first- ever iconic race being held at Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi in Pune, the hometown of Volkswagen in India. The vast global expertise, coupled with rich dynamic history of the Group has enabled Volkswagen Motorsport India to progress swiftly and become the best one make series in a short span of time. The Volkswagen Polo R Cup enhanced awareness as well as underlined the technological advancement of Volkswagen in India. In 2015, Volkswagen Motorsport India shifted to Vento Cup and continued to provide a vital platform for the talented young racers to demonstrate their capabilities nationally and internationally by nurturing them. In the one-make series, all participating cars are technically identical with the same performance making it possible for only the most skilled drivers to leave an impact.
Successes in Indian Rallying: Under the Customer Sport Initiative, Volkswagen Motorsport India started providing teams and individuals running Volkswagen Polo rally cars in the Indian Rally Championship (IRC) with technical assistance and spares from 2013. The Volkswagen Polo won the 2013, 2014 and 2015 season in the Group N 1600-cc class. Further, the Volkswagen Polo went on to win the overall Indian Rally Championship across all categories in the 2016 season.
