Volkswagen Motorsport: The all new Petrol Race Polo for Polo R Cup 2012

 

TSI Technology makes Race Polo faster and more powerful.The line-up of the 20 drivers for the upcoming season announced.

May 17, 2012, Delhi – Volkswagen Motorsport today launched the all new TSI Race Polo for Polo R Cup 2012. The line-up of 20 young drivers who will compete for the championship this year was also announced. After two successful seasons, Polo R Cup 2012 will witness a raft of changes, the most significant one being the shift from diesel to petrol engine for the Race Polo. The first race will be flagged-off on July 07, 2012 at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. Besides Coimbatore other rounds will take place in MMRT, Chennai and one round of the season will be hosted at the world class Formula 1 race track in Noida, the Buddh International Circuit.

 

In its third edition, Polo R Cup will see changes which will make this season stronger, faster and more exciting. This year’s Race Polo has been introduced with a petrol engine shifting from diesel engines used in the last two seasons. The new petrol car will help the young drivers enhance their skills with a more powerful car. The TSI Race Polo has a 1.4 litre, direct injection, 4 cylinder engine which produces 180 hp (132Kw) @ 6200 rpm. It’s a two wheel drive with maximum torque of 250 Nm @ 2000-4500 rpm. Doing away with a manual gearbox, the Race Polo 2012 is upgraded with a Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG)

 

This year, participants are slotted under 3 categories: Junior, Pro and Master. Drivers aged between 16 to 26 years and with experience limited to 8 races or less in the last 5 years (in a National Championship) will be part of Junior Category. Drivers aged between 16 to 26 years with experience of more than 8 races will be a part of the Pro Category. Master category will comprise of drivers who are 26 years or above at the time of registration. There is a change in prize money and fee structure as well. Prize money for the race winners are INR 50,000, INR 40,000 and INR 30,000 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. Fee for Junior and Pro categories is INR 7 lakhs while Master category participants’ fee is INR 14 lakhs for the entire season. Each driver has an option to refinance the fee by using their Race Polo bonnet to display their respective sponsorship branding.

 

“We are delighted to present the new TSI Race Polo 2012 along with the 20 promising drivers today. With the immense success of the inaugural Indian GP, India is establishing itself as a motorsport hub and we are happy to play our role in promoting the same. Volkswagen is committed to developing motorsport in India along with the young talent through our Polo R Cup program. We had an excellent season last year and we are looking forward to the upcoming season”, Dr. John Chacko, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited, said.

 

“After two successful seasons of Polo R Cup, we are looking forward to this year’s championship with a brand new car. It is a strategic decision for us to shift from diesel to petrol as we want to offer our drivers a more powerful racing machine. Polo R Cup program has set benchmarks in Indian motorsports by being focussed on professionalism, technology and safety. It has grown stronger year on year and has cemented its place on the Indian motorsport map”, said Prithviraj Siddappa, Head, of Motorsport, Volkswagen India

 

The line-up of 20 drivers selected for JK Tyre Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2012:

 

Sr.No	Name	City	Category	Previous Participation in Polo R Cup
1	Abdullah Alisha	Chennai	Pro	2010 and 2011
2	Sourav Bandyopadhyay	Mumbai	Pro	2010 and 2011
3	Arpit Dev	Pune	Junior	-
4	Mihir dharkar	Mumbai	Pro	2011
5	Deigo Duez (JK TYRE)	Mexico	Pro	-
6	Anthony George	Kothamangalam	Pro	2010
7	Avdumber Hede	Goa	Pro	2011
8	Tabish Khan	Delhi	Junior	-
9	Ajay Kini	Bangalore	Pro	2011
10	A. Sandeep Kumar	Chennai	Pro	2011
11	Yatin Magu	Delhi	Junior	-
12	Angad Singh Matharoo	Chandigarh	Pro	2011
13	Rahil Noorani	Mumbai	Pro	2011
14	Hanoosh S	Hyderabad	Junior	-
15	Munjal Savla	Mumbai	Pro	2010 and 2011
16	Siddharth Sharma	Delhi	Junior	-
17	Prashanth Tharani Singh	Chennai	Pro	-
18	Niranjan Todkari	Aurangabad	Pro	-
19	Donovan Vaz	Goa	Pro	2011
20	Ameya Walwalkar	Mumbai	Master	-

 

Comparison between TDI and TSI:

 

Version	TDI	TSI
Engine type	1.6L R4 common Rail diesel engine	1.4L, 4-cylinder inline turbo (Turbo + supercharger)
Fuel Supply System	Common Rail	Direct Injection
Max. Power output	95 Kw (130 HPS) @ 4400 rpm	132 Kw (180 HPS) @ 6200 rpm
Max. Torque	250 Nm @ 1500-2500 rpm	250 Nm @ 2000-4500 rpm
Transmission	6- Speed manual gearbox	6 Speed automatic – sequential  DQ  250
Differential	Open differential	Limited Slip, Differential
Clutch	Racing single dry clutch	Wet Dual Clutch
Gearbox Control	Manual floor shifter	Paddle Shift on Steering Wheel
Brake	Uprated braking sys w/o ABS	Uprated braking sys with ABS
Weight w/ driver and fluids	1,175 Kgs	1,195 Kgs
Fuel Tank	45 lts	45 lts
Fuel	Standard diesel	Standard 97 Oct
Exhaust	Catalytic Convertor	Catalytic Convertor

 

Calendar for JK Tyre Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2012:

 

·         Fitness Camp                 June 04-05, 2012        Lonavala         Della Adventure

·         Round 1                         July 06-08, 2012         Coimbatore     KMS

·         Round 2                         July 27-29, 2012         Coimbatore     KMS

·         Round 3                         Aug 24-26, 2012         Chennai           MMRT

·         Round 4                         Sep 14-16, 2012         Chennai           MMRT

·         Round 5                         Oct 12-14, 2012          Chennai           MMRT

·         Round 6                         Nov 30-Dec 02           Noida               JPSI   

 

Motor sports enthusiasts interested in getting further information can log on to the website, www.polocup.in. This website displays information about Polo R Cup format, race updates and driver profiles. Follow Polo R Cup on www.facebook.com/vwpolocupIndia

 

About Volkswagen Motorsport

In more than 40 years of motorsport history Volkswagen has been setting standards primarily in three areas: The brand celebrated exploits in touring car racing, formula racing and rally racing.

The brand’s history in motorsport started in 1966, in formula racing. Formula V – “V” stood for Volkswagen – became an important career step for drivers like Keke Rosberg or Niki Lauda. With 58 hp and the robust technology of the Beetle it offered favourably priced entry and high-quality racing for young drivers. Later, one-make cups like Formula König powered by Volkswagen and Formula Volkswagen built upon this line and consistently followed through on the one-make cup idea with standard chassis. In 2008 Formula ADAC powered by Volkswagen started to continue this tradition. In comparison with other manufacturers Volkswagen set the pace on the formula stage as well. Between 1979 and 1994 Volkswagen, as a Formula 3 engine manufacturer, won 55 international titles, including seven in Germany. Since September 2007 Volkswagen has been competing in the Formula 3 Euro Series, since 2008 in the German Formula 3 Cup and since 2009 in the British Formula 3, and with success: 2009 saw the title wins in the ­German and British Championships, and 2010 in all three series. At the prestigious Formula 3 finale in Macau in ­November 2009 and 2010 Edoardo Mortara celebrated wins “powered by Volkswagen”.

Successes in rally sport

While the first off-road excursions date back all the way to the 1970s, Volkswagen has been systematically promoting young talent since 1980. For half a decade, the Golf Rally Cup offered optimum opportunities to young drivers. Concurrently, Volkswagen in the 1986 World Rally Championship clinched the title win in Group A with the Golf and driver Kenneth Eriksson. In cross-country rally sport the brand achieved its first big exploit by winning the 1980 Dakar Rally. From 2009 to 2011 Volkswagen became the first manufacturer to win the legendary rallye with a car powered by a Diesel engine.

 

Attractive one-make cups in touring car racing

In more than three decades Volkswagen has shaped the touring car scene as well. The Scirocco Cup, as the first one-make cup from 1976 onwards, produced a subsequent Formula 1 driver, Manfred Winkelhock. It was followed by the Golf Cup and the Lupo/Polo Cup from which numerous talented drivers managed to ascend to higher-level series. Currently, the Scirocco R-Cup is causing a sensation.