The Volkswagen Polo R Cup is now in its third season and it is back with a bang. The cars are all new and fast, the drivers are experienced and this makes for a very exciting cocktail which is sure to throw up some surprises.
The Volkswagen Polo R Cup made its debut in 2010 and has been a very successful series for Indian racing. It is a one make series which makes it extremely competitive and the onus is completely on the driver to perform and produce a result. For the 2012 season VW has ditched the old 1.6L TDI diesel powered cars and brought in the stonking 1.4L TSI petrol motor in its highest state of tune. The car now makes 180 BHP which is a full 50 BHP more than the previous car. Also, the transmission is now a 6-speed DSG (dual clutch) automatic. The already powerful brakes are now beefed up to take care of the extra speed and now sports ABS too. (Albeit in race tune).
This year, participants are slotted under 3 categories viz. 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. (They are not eligible for Championship winning prize)
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.
Given the above information it is obvious that the cost of doing the Polo R Cup has gone up exponentially in the past 3 seasons. But even at this cost, I personally believe that the Polo R Cup is still a value for money proposition. One gets international grade equipment and an opportunity to really show one's skill because the cars are all equal. Also, the main prize for winning the championship has been a drive in the VW Scirocco R Cup since the past 2 years and that is indeed a very big prize.
Here's what Mr. Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Motorsport, Volkswagen India had to say about the new cars:
Quote:
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.
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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. Diego 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 (Thats me: jalsa777 :))
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
From the above line-up, it is apparent that the 2012 is the most competitive season in the series' history. 3 drivers have been a part of the Polo Cup since 2010 and thus carry a wealth of experience with them. 6 of the top 8 drivers from the last season are competing. Joining them are 2 veterans, viz. Ameya Walawalkar and Diego Duez. Ameya is the current Indian National Racing Champion and has multiple karting titles to his name while Diego has already taken part in the Volkswagen Jetta Cup USA and various other touring car series.
Specifications of the 2012 Polo R Cup car:- Engine: 1.4L TSI. (Turbocharged + Supercharged) This is the same engine which powers the SEAT Ibiza Cupra, VW Polo GTI and the Skoda Fabia RS.
- Power: 180 BHP @ 6200 rpm
- Torque: 250 Nm @ 2000-4500 rpm
- Transmission: 6-speed automatic (semi-auto mode)
- Differential: Limited Slip type
- Brakes: AP Racing front callipers and discs, rear discs. With ABS
- Kerb weight: 1195 kg
- Fuel: 45 litre tank. Standard 97 octane petrol.
The 2012 Race Calender:- Round 1, July 06-08, Coimbatore KMS
- Round 2, July 27-29, Coimbatore KMS
- Round 3, Aug 24-26, Chennai MMRT
- Round 4, Sep 14-16, Chennai MMRT
- Round 5, Oct 12-14, Chennai MMRT
- Round 6, Nov 30-Dec 02, Noida JPSI
Enjoy the Pictures:
Polo WRC headlamps. These were just for the showcar, the race cars will have the normal Polo headlamps:
The engine is very tightly packed:
A proper spoiler that actually works:
Multiple adjustment opportunities. But the drivers are not allowed to alter the settings, the race engineer will decide the optimum setting for each track and all cars will be set-up accordingly:
Brakes are larger than in 2010 and 2012. We also expect newer rims from Round 2 onwards:
Shifter paddles:
The in-car display has shift-lights and a gear position indicator. It also shows various other parameters like temperatures, lap-times, speed, RPM, etc.:
If VW plans to sell these headlights in the accessory market, they will surely find a lot of buyers:
This car has Euro spec interiors, hence silver accents on the headlight knob:
Also on the Air-conditioning knobs. (No, the race car does not get air-conditioning, but only a blower)
DSG transmission on a petrol. This is obviously the old wet type clutch transmission but I'm wondering how it will hold up. Race launches and constant shifting at high revs. What changes have been to the DSG to cope with this?
On normal roads the transmission isn't robust so how will it withstand this type of abuse.
1.4TSI is rated for max of 170BHP. looks like even that has been upgraded.
VW get this car into the road going version!!! Drooool.
What happens to the race car after the season? Are they given to the participants? can we buy it?
@jalsa777-looking forward to race by race experiences from you thorughout the season. Try and include as many videos and pictures as possible. They make for a very interesting read.
I wish FMSCI had a rule like the old WRC or DTM, minimum 500 road cars to be made and sold :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ecenandu
(Post 2818664)
Heard from Alisha Abdulla that you guys had a go at the new car on Budhh circuit. Whats your initial impression of the car?
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Hey, yeah we drove the cars on the Buddh International Circuit. It was a short test of only 8 laps but all those 8 laps were super fun.
Initial Impressions: Engine:
180 bhp means its a 50 bhp jump over the diesel cars we drove in 2010 and 2011. I was fully expecting that i will be glued to my seat under hard acceleration, but that was not to be. Don't get me wrong, the car is fast indeed, but its not as violent as expected. It pulls cleanly and the torque spread is very even, there is no spike in the curve and thus the acceleration is so smooth and linear that you really don't feel how fast it actually is.
Gearbox:
This is the stock gearbox from the European polo with the same ratios as used on the road. the bulk of the action happens in the 3rd and 4th gears, with only corner 3 requiring a shift down to 2nd. We have pedals behind the steering wheel with which we can control the gears. There is a noticable delay between command and execution and thus it needs some getting used to. But the box itself is super. The shifts are plenty quick and engine braking when downshifting is awesome. A shift in the middle of a corner does not upset the car at all and thus a slightly different driving style is required to take advantage of this.
The 'D' mode is the semi-auto mode where-in the car will not shift at all and the driver has to put in all the commands while the 'S' mode is the full auto mode but with manual over-ride possible.
Brakes:
Now, this is where the real fun begins. The brakes are...let me put it this way, MASSIVE :D
The front discs are now bigger and it really makes a difference. Couple this with a racing ABS and you can late unbelievably late. I mean, so late that I was literally scared every time I approached turn 4 (the one after the long straight) It's almost like hitting a wall! :Shockked: Couple that with the awesome gearbox and engine braking and you almost brake just metres before your turn-in point. And that is when one needs to slow down from 195 kmph approx.!
I am sure there is a lot of time to be found under braking and will be working on that come next race weekend.
Handling
Its neutral. Period.
The car has lost all of the edginess of the previous car (which in turn was a very stable car) and it almost seems that VW have made a fool-proof car!
Its kind of simple; brake hard -> turn -> accelerate hard - No Drama.
The car has no tendency to get its rear out even when turning while braking. The understeer is also quite muted. Under acceleration, the Limited Slip Differential keeps wheel-spin in check and thus there is no torque steer.
That's about it for now. Will know more about the car over a few more practice sessions and races.
And, for the record, we were doing a lap time of approximately 2 min 36 sec.
Thanks for confirming, nandu.
On automatics, its usually, the other way round. D= drive and S= Semi-auto/Sport
