[ajmat]

A new year and another day!

We Mods, always await the call for the next review or event on our phones at all hours - very similar to those "Assets" in the Bourne movies awaiting details of their next kill! My call came while I was laid out on an acupuncturist's couch with 15 or so needles stuck on me. The phone beeped. I normally ignore my phone while undergoing therapy, but happened to glance at an e-mail from GTO!

"Wanna go buddy? Once in a lifetime opportunity!"

I got curious and gingerly extended my needle-encrusted hand to swipe the screen. I winced and squinted - "Ameo Cup Media Race!"

Haven't we driven it? Yes! - Read SDP's comprehensive review here (Driven: The VW Ameo Cup Race Car @ Kari Speedway (1.8L TSI, 202 BHP, 320 Nm)).

Have we raced it? No!

I was on the needle’s edge - literally! 30 minutes later, the needles were removed. I then walked to my car and read the contents of the e-mail.

It was a no brainer - a resounding and immediate "yes" without checking with "she who must be obeyed" or glossing over the fact that my daughter was coming for a visit from college after over a month (I did sadly miss her, not too sad though - read on).

[ajmat]

It was then over to the PR folks, Perfect Relations for the co-ordination of logistics.

I needed to complete the following actions
• Apply for Competition Licence at http://licence.fmsci.co.in.
• Provide our publication logos in high resolution
• Driving Gear required - helmet, closed toe shoes, inners for suit and gloves

Let's get the tough stuff out of the way and first focus on the competition licence.

This required filling up various questions on-line and uploading my driving licence and Aadhaar card, as well as an Indemnity Form:


I also needed to upload a certificate from a certified FMSCI academy that I had completed the basic training. VW told me not to worry about this, as they would deal with the FMSCI directly.

And finally, a medical certificate as per the following format:


This part gave me a lot of angst - it's no joke being a grumpy old man. As I had recently got my health check at the Manipal Hospital, I went back to them to get this certified. My blood sugar levels were a concern. Although I am termed diabetic, I exhibit none of the problems. I also suffer from a slight loss of hearing in one ear. Manipal were wonderful and within 45 minutes, they provided a certificate at no cost (I could have gone to any old doctor who could have glossed over the facts, but one does not mess around with safety).

The papers were both uploaded and dispatched on 25th January. While away in Chikmagalur for the Republic Day holiday weekend, pat came the reply, please get the latest blood sugar tests completed as also an audiometry test. These were completed and sent the morning after I returned. After that, there was no reply. These were anxious moments, as no reply means no competition licence and no licence meant no race! I must admit that I gave the PR folks a hard time on whether a GO/NO GO decision needed to be made. They assured me that I would be behind the wheel on Race Day. Later, when we reached Chennai, I found all the folks had applied for a competition licences, but were still awaiting the issue. So, as long as one had applied, all was well!

(As an aside, after completing the qualifying round) I received an email asking me to get a cardiologist's report + ECG+ heart scan + treadmill test - the works! They were claiming that folks of my age are subject to diabetes induced ophthalmic changes, not subject to Hyperglycaemia or Hypoglycaemia spell! After 3 track sessions, I was certainly okay and far too deep to even consider this! Maybe if it was a 24-hour endurance race, they might have had a point.

Meanwhile, it was time to get prepared for my driving gear as I had kept this on hold until I got clarity on the GO/NO GO decision. It was a GO. So, I gathered my stuff together.

1: Spectacles - My usual pair had a defective frame and it had been sent back to the factory. I was wearing an old pair that was barely adequate for normal sight. Fortunately, the optician had retained my lenses, so I merely bought a new frame and dropped the lenses in.

2: Inner Wear - Normally these are expected to be fireproof for actual competitors (Rs. 10,000 per set), but we just needed basic inner wear for hygiene and safety reasons. A quick visit to Jockey saw me getting a couple of sets (3 days in hot humid Chennai) of long sleeve T-shirts and cotton track pants, which I could wear under my jeans.

3: Helmet - While the ISI/Snell/ISO debate rages on, I was told to bring a normal snug fitting helmet. I was supposed to borrow a proper biking helmet, but I did not get the time to traverse Bangalore to get it. So, I took an old helmet that I had used for track days.

4: Balaclava and gloves - I picked these up from a bike shop nearby.

[ajmat]

After a 4.30 am start, I flew into Chennai at the same time as the Mumbai folks. As there was a WhatsApp group formed, it was easy to co-ordinate. The plan was to go to the hotel and meet at the track around 1 o'clock (in hindsight, I should have just driven down considering the hotel was 30 km towards Bangalore). To cut a long story short, confusion of hotel location and room availability meant that we made it to the track directly. The Delhi team joined us later. A quick demographic check showed that my fellow competitors were nearly half my age and most of them were avid bikers with track experience. While I had my old helmet rattling around in my checked-in luggage, these guys had proper helmet bags and proper helmets.

We assembled in the VW Motorsport room located in Tower C. Mr. Sirish Vissa - Head of VW Motorsport, addressed us first. He knows the ins and outs of running a motorsport team. Most evenings, he was full of stories about his experiences abroad and on the racetrack. His main message was that this Media Cup event was to give a perspective to the media about what the VW Cup racers go through. He also pleaded with us to use our judgement and bring the cars back in safely as they were required for an endurance race later in February.



We were then introduced to our Coach - Rayomand Banajee, who would instruct and guide us over the next few days. Our session paused for a couple of hours so that we could attend the MMST Inauguration ceremony and lunch.

In between the track tour and lunch, we decided to take a peek at the cars in the pit garage:




I zeroed in on my car:






My assigned mechanic was at my side immediately and assessed that the seat needed to be unbolted and moved back.

Post lunch, Karan, who manages the team logistics, assessed our equipment and measured us for the racing overalls. He had a checklist and went through our items for safety compliance.

Helmet - (smirk) - we will get you one - Read that Bangalore Traffic Police!
Gloves - Hmmm, we will provide them.
Balaclava - take one of ours.
Shoes - one look at my trainers - he suggests that I visit the supply truck and pick up a pair along with the helmet. They were too heavy to haul up to the tower.
Innerwear - OK.

The briefing began and Rayo began instructing us on

1: Racing theory
2: Flags - meaning and actions required when the various flags are shown
3: What to do when the safety car comes out
4: What to do if you spin off? i.e. do not move in the opposite direction and give other cars the right of way
5: Etiquette - overtaking, giving way, etc.
6: The car - the clutch - when it is used, the gearbox modes. Starting and stopping the cars, i.e. do not switch engine off, do not keep your foot on the brake

Although we could pull back into the pits when we wanted too, it was recommended that we stay out and get as much practice as we could. All cars were prepared to the same spec. Normally, the only variables are the tyre pressures and the anti-roll bar - three levels of stiffness. Tyre pressures are easy. We all decided to go for a default pressure. As for the anti-roll bar, due to the lack of time and set up (30 min/car), Rayo suggested that we stick to the one that was already fitted as it was optimised for the track. It becomes significant only in fighting for the last microsecond! We also had to preserve our tyres. Lose a tyre and it's game over. To even out the wear, before qualifying, the front and rears were switched.

Karthik, the assistant coach, is VW's highly respected chief development driver (he is also the first Polo Cup Winner), who took us through the track and racing lines:


We then had a visit from the MMST control team who actually showed us the flags and instructed us about the speed limits within the pits and parking etc. He made it clear that the stewards will not tolerate any nonsense.

Our racing suits, gloves, balaclava were delivered to the room and we got changed. Then we went to the supply truck to receive the helmet and shoes. This truck is stocked with consumables, anti-roll bar sub-assemblies, race wear and lighter service parts. This truck also had a discussion room. The Schnell 20 helmet was heavy and made the ISI helmet look like something made of papier-mâché! The shoes were really light; you could really dance in them! They were not durable enough for daily wear.

All dressed up and many laps to go!

[ajmat]

It was time to get oriented with the cars. During the afternoon, the Team-BHP livery had been added. That was the icing on the cake:








Forcing a 6' overweight ape through the roll cage was a challenge - at least for the first time. Getting out was even more of a circus. You had to be careful not to gash your head against the sharp tab used to keep the safety net in place:


I found out that the seat distance was fine, but the left dead pedal was so far back that it looked like I was performing some kind of yogic asana! I was more comfortable keeping my foot under the clutch. I discussed this with my mechanic and we decided to review things if I was uncomfortable after Practice 1:


The seats are really deep and hold you tight. Add the four-point harness and you are bonded to the car as the G forces will be whipping you!

Prasad - who is responsible for the cars and mechanics, gave us an orientation. We went over the controls and were clearly told not to press the fire extinguisher button unless we actually saw a fire. Do that and its game over! The mechanic went through the gear selection with me. Shift into neutral - depress the clutch, select the (-) paddle and 'thunk' the box shifts, select (-) once again, 'thunk', and you get reverse. The console in front of me had a series of menus, I opted to read speed, rpm and lap times. Then it was time to exit the pits. It was a bit disconcerting at first, looking for a shift lever to engage… maybe it's a mindset.

Practice Session 1 at 4.00 pm was looming. We had 30 minutes. The air was pensive as we put on our helmets and gloves. The gloves had nice and grippy fingertip edges that really helped in gripping and controlling the wheel:


The engines were started. Now it was time to play limbo and squeeze through the roll cage into the deep abyss of the racing seat. Many of us stalled the cars, but we quickly twigged on what was the ideal biting point and gingerly exited the pits. Short of the exit, the marshals stopped us for a check. They checked the helmets, balaclava as well as the fire extinguisher system, which was enabled (these are disabled when the car is off track):


Just out of C1, I floored it, the car roared, the straight cut gears whined and gnashed (sounded like those old military trucks seen in WW2 movies). It made me wonder why the FMSCI even bothered with me getting an audiometry test in the first place! MMST is no stranger to me. However, driving your own car with knowledge of the racing lines is a piece of cake. You know your car's dynamics and being your car, you have skin in the game and want to preserve whatever you can. You also drive your road car on track with a level of smoothness instead of being violent, since you know and care for both the car and your limits.

Driving a racecar is a different ball game. Sirish's plea to bring the car back in one piece was in my mind. I was dealing with the following variables

• Lack of knowledge of the car’s limit (I heavily underestimated this)
• Understanding the engine's power band
• Understanding the appropriate gear ratios
• Understanding the braking power
• Re-orienting with the track lines
• Re-orienting with the new track surface

The engine, although peaky, was very linear in power delivery. The gears were responsive, but violent in changing up or down.

It was a pleasure to sample pure unadulterated steering feedback. There was hardly any torque steer. The Ameo was really well planted. I started progressively, but cautiously pushing harder. I was still being overtaken, but I was focussing on the lines:


However much I pushed, the car held its line, I had not even started drifting or lifting wheels in the air as yet:


The C10 curve is the most treacherous of the lot. Within five laps, one car went head first into the tyre barrier, the yellow flags came out, but it was green after C1. The front nose was damaged. I had barely completed another 2 laps when another incident happened at the same corner. This time the crash was offset. The red flag was shown and we had to go back to the pits until instructed to resume.

VW Team watching the fun:


After 11 laps in total, the chequered flag came out and we returned to the pits. My back up team instructed me to park at a particular spot, keep the car in neutral with the handbrake on. I climbed out. The cars were quickly moved into the pit garage.

VW Motorsport did not waste any time. Cars are immediately refuelled:


All safety measures are observed:


Prasad went to each car and downloaded data from it:


Whew! I had a long way to go but it was a great beginning.

We then looked at the damaged cars. The mechanics wasted no time, they immediately removed the front end and were reassembling the bumper and putting a new radiator in. The second car had a bent chassis and so, was totalled. The poor contestant was car-less after that:


Before the sun came down, Rayo took us for a short drive in a stock Polo to show us the lines.

https://youtu.be/rft5mijgQtQ

[ajmat]

We had an 8.30 am start and a 9.45 am practice round. Before we left the hotel, we were given this to wear! One flash of the badge and all obstacles vanished. There was something cool about walking around with this badge in the paddock:


The morning began with distribution and 1:1 analysis of the data sheets. Prasad had downloaded information from the cars and printed these out. We were only addressing 6 parameters and the comparison was between the fastest car (red) and your performance (black). I was a ridiculous 30 seconds off pace! Why? Please see my sins marked in green!


Throttle - The biggest problem was that I was not flooring the racecar, I was treating it like a road car and trying to balance the car using the throttle.

Braking - I was braking too early and not enough. The brakes had enough power to wipe out speed if required. I needed to trust them more.

Gears - I was not in the right gear a lot of the time - Rayo suggested that I keep the car in auto and focus on the throttle / brakes.

This resulted in a lower average speed. However, my lines were spot on except for the last curve.

Actions - Keep car in auto and focus on throttle and brakes.

While we only dealt with 6 parameters, the actual Ameo Cup drivers deal with a lot more. They are given the data and provided comprehensive software to graphically map over 20+ parameters at any point of the track, i.e. the map of the track will be on screen and you can track the actual position and parameters at any point in time.

With these inputs in mind, it was time to hit the track once again. This time, I let the transmission do its own thing. I focussed on progressively going faster into corners, hitting the brakes later and harder. One car spun off after C7, but was recoverable. I took the opportunity to try the launch control system in a demarcated area in the pit lane. Switch to launch control, depress clutch, select first and floor the throttle and the car will idle at ~ 3,000 rpm until you release the clutch. It worked.

Practice lap over. Here is the result!


Having refined my lines and acting on Rayo's inputs, I shaved 13 seconds of my time! Good, but could be much better. What needed to be done?

The lines were near perfect, but I really needed to be aggressive on my throttle and braking. The main issue was that I was a bit too cautious around the curves.

Some random track pictures:








Next was the qualifying round, which was scheduled an hour after lunch. Prior to that, Rayo gave us a refresher about the flags and set some rules on overtaking dos and don'ts. In the interim, we watched the qualifying of the MRF F2000 series and the Indian Touring Car races. The latter still comprises of old Esteems, Honda Citys, one Zen on steroids and a couple of old Jazzes - no current generation cars, as they require an investment for development and racing. The budgets and the lack of a manufacturer limit this. Boy, were those Esteems fast!

[ajmat]

Now came the first part of the real thing - qualifying! No more practice. Based on the order of the timings, we were let out in order of our current timings. Adrenalin was flowing. Abhik Das (Car 19) held his own, but two contenders were involved in an incident. One tried blocking the other's car during an overtaking maneuver in a corner. This resulted in panel damage to both cars:






One of them needed to be sent to Pune for a section replacement after the race. VW ensures that all cars are uniform in quality and appearance. The respective drivers were later summoned and reprimanded by the stewards. It could have been worse - they could have been awarded a pit lane start or a financial penalty. See the incident at 21.30 at this link.

Another car spun off at the notorious C10, but managed to save itself. Alas, due to the frequency of yellow flags, we only got 7 laps in. My average speed was down by 10%, but I shaved another 2 seconds off my lap time. We then returned for another briefing. This covered grid positioning and a much required refresh on overtaking. We were then given our qualifying data sheets. I still had to work on unthrottling the throttle!


It was then decided to bring the taxi out and show us how it's done! We were told to report to the pit with our helmets. Two Ameo taxis were brought out - These were identical to our cars except that they had a passenger seat. Rayo and Karthik were to take us each for one lap. It was touch and go as the minibuses were on the track picking up staff as well as the TV crews were collecting the cameras. It was nearing 6:00 pm and the light was fading. The safety car went out and returned with the all clear!

I belted up and Rayo showed me reality. It's not about smoothness and tenderness. Rayo was really pushing into the corners, braking hard violently and aggressively turning onto the apex. It was as if the sides of the seats were slapping me into reality. I now understood why the seats have bolsters and how the harness holds you in place. My helmet braced by the upper section of the seat made me feel like the Starman in Elon Musk’s rocket. Rayo was using left foot braking techniques to brake later and aggressively. This technique was a little too late to learn at twilight. That lap brought out the reality on how it was done. It was time for the next passenger.

After three laps, this is how the brakes looked:


We timed Rayo and Karthik driving under limited visibility and they were under the 1 minute 55 seconds mark. Once everyone had completed their rounds, it was time to head back.

[ajmat]

Since our race was scheduled at 11.30 am, we woke up at a leisurely pace and reached the track by 9.30 am. This time, the briefing was about Grid Starting and Positioning. The process would be as follows:

• After the pit lane opens, we take a warm-up round and are ushered into our respective grid position.
  
• The marshals would indicate the respective grid rows.
  
• The VW crew would guide us and ensure that the front wheels are exactly on the yellow line within grid markings.
  
• We were then told to identify lines of reference as after the formation lap, no one would guide us and if we start after the yellow line, we would incur a drive through penalty.

We watched the preceding MRF F2000 race grid formation & start and at 11.00 am, we got ready. The mood was pensive and the cars had already been started:


At 11.10 am, the pit lane opened and we gingerly began our warm-up lap and drove around to our respective grid positions. The VW folks reminded us to take some reference points. I used the alignment between the fire extinguisher nozzle and the MRF Man on one side and one of the squares of the safety net and a track sign on the other.

Placards mentioning the number of laps were displayed and then the 10 minute sign was shown.

Sirish and Rayo quickly went around to each car and wished us all the best:


The 1 minute sign was shown. Sirish climbed up to the stand to wave us on our formation lap:


It is a nervy feeling, being watched, assessed and to be on TV. As we could not overtake, I focused on the lines, none of the F1 tyre warming squiggly driving stuff (we were told that it was not necessary). I returned to my grid position, checked the reference points and was spot on:


The 30 second sign went up, I selected launch control, depressed the clutch, engaged the gear, depressed the throttle, but the engine revs did not rise! Damn, the car had gone into neutral. I quickly got it into first when the green lights came on and floored it. I must have lost a second:


Then, I drove in anger. From being fairly neutral when pushed, the Ameo turned into a wildcat when whipped into corners. I was really getting into it, I had nothing to lose and pushed hard. I did catch up with the car in front but kept getting outpaced when accelerating out. The throttle and auto shifts were holding me back. However, this was not the time to experiment and I decided to minimise my losses:


Lap 2 saw me pushing a bit too hard and I felt the tyres scrub badly so I eased off, I just kept getting aggressive and improving on myself. I shaved another 2 seconds off my lap time meanwhile. After that, it was like a car park in the front - 5 contenders bunched up together fighting hard for the podium. I found that the auto-mode was hampering my acceleration on the straights. Being a short race, I was not in a position to take a risk and switch to manual.

Before I knew it, it was over. The chequered flag was waved (how you wish they dropped the flag or lost it)! I made the most of the cool down lap to push the car until C7 and then powered down to return to the pits:




You can see the full race at

this link

.

Life is too short!

The VW Motorsport team were pretty chuffed. The leaders were 2 seconds off the Ameo Cup champions, no one got lapped and the cars returned safely. We all had benefited and had responded well to their instructions.

The winners - 1st: Abik Das, 2nd: Akshay George and 3rd: Ameya Dandekar:


We returned to the team room and returned our gear. We then enjoyed a hearty lunch in the MRF hospitality area. I spotted Narain Karthikeyan there. The adrenalin had drained us and we all wanted to relax at the hotel. As for the experience, it beats a track day. Instead of having a go and being lucky, you are forced to analyse, refine and try harder. You might have talent, but it takes a lot of practice to apply it. We only dealt with 6 parameters and that absorbed us for the entire weekend. We never got much time to see the other races or examine the cars. The engagement was full on. Believe me, the gentleman racer is myth.

A once in a lifetime experience, but we wished we had 9 lives!

[ajmat]

I cannot end without thanking the various mechanics, technicians and the logistics crew who keep everything together:


Each technician oversees 4 cars. Under him, a mechanic looks after two cars. The mechanics are very attentive when the driver is around and seek all the required feedback:


They guide you in after the race and power down the car for you:


They waste no time assessing the car condition and immediately rectify things even if it takes all night. Orders for parts are generated and sent to Pune before we have even left the pits:


• Ameo Cup drivers are expected to complete a requirement form documenting tyre pressure, anti-roll bar settings, etc. before each race
• The crew are well stocked and carry an inventory of "vulnerable sub-assemblies"
• Each Ameo has a seam welded body shell. Each car takes 5 days to build from scratch. The factory keeps 3 such shells as inventory and can be painted with the desired colour within a day and shipped out. Assuming all sub-assemblies are in place, final assembly takes 5 hours

They also transport their inventory from the trucks to the pits uniquely:

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Indian Motorsport. Thanks for sharing!

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by ajmat

After three laps, this is how the brakes looked:
Attachment 1730550

This is why they ask to put the car in neutral with hand brake ON and not to keep the brakes pressed as it will warp the rotor and transfer pad material onto the disk.

Originally Posted by ajmat

Attachment 1730549

Lug bolts on road car and studs on race car. Wheel studs are far easier to handle while changing wheels.

Originally Posted by ajmat

They also transport their inventory from the trucks to the pits uniquely:
Attachment 1730613

Attachment 1730614

Is that a VW Ameorok

[Lone Ranger]

Great review Ajmat, made me feel like I was a part of the event. Was very happy to see the car sporting Team Bhp stickers! PR savvy firms are grasping the impact an unbiased, impartial forum has on the community. In this age of sponsored and 'advertorial' advertising, team bhp is a breath of fresh air! I am not a VW fan by any means, but hats off to the way they seem to have organized the event, making sure safety was paramount at all times.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by ajmat

We then looked at the damaged cars. The mechanics wasted no time, they immediately removed the front end and were reassembling the bumper and putting a new radiator in. The second car had a bent chassis and so, was totalled. The poor contestant was car-less after that:
Attachment 1730546

Before the sun came down, Rayo took us for a short drive in a stock Polo to show us the lines.

HI Ajmat,

Didnt know you were there. Otherwise would have said hello to you at some point.

Had the "pleasure" of bringing both the damaged cars back to the pits (as Head of Recovery). Infact part of my body can be seen in the picture of the damaged car you have posted.

Best Regards & Drive Safe

Ram

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Lone Ranger

I am not a VW fan by any means, but hats off to the way they seem to have organized the event, making sure safety was paramount at all times.

All I can say is that they are meticulous, if they extend this to service, they can win by a big margin!

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

Had the "pleasure" of bringing both the damaged cars back to the pits (as Head of Recovery). Infact part of my body can be seen in the picture of the damaged car you have posted.


Ram

Shame, would have loved to have met you!

Originally Posted by Sankar

Is that a VW Ameorok

It is a Vento modified - wonder if it was a salvaged from a previous race Vento

[deetjohn]

Lucky you ajmat! What an experience. And thanks for sharing this lovely report. Was really nice going through it.

And the whole thing looks like clockwork - VW is leaving no stone unturned. They must be blowing a lot of money and effort on this. Too sad they aren't getting any new cars for our market anytime soon. Would love to see the likes of VW Up and all - both on track and off it.

Originally Posted by ajmat

It is a Vento modified - wonder if it was a salvaged from a previous race Vento

From the taillight, it looks like a face-lifted Vento. I guess Vento cup cars were older. Guess knowing the motor under the hood will help. My guess is that its a diesel Vento since its for cargo.

A proper liner on the floor and a better gate would have made it look better though.

[hemanth.anand]

Lucky! One in a lifetime opportunity for sure! That must have been the most satisfying weekend. Thanks for penning down your experiences of something that we might not get to experience

All I can say is that they are meticulous, if they extend this to service, they can win by a big margin!

Can't agree with you more on this.

One noob question:
You have written that you tried launch control by depressing the clutch pedal, selecting 1st gear in neutral and revving hard. The photo of the pedals also looks like there were 3 pedals.
But you also write that you were in auto and concentrated more on lines and throttle than on the gears. And there was a mention of left foot braking by Rayo.
Was it a MT or an AT?