12 new & aspiring racing drivers selected for Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016; The new ones will join eight drivers from previous seasons for the 2016 championship

Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016 Driver Selection finals_3

  • Over 560 aspiring racers from across the country registered for the selection process to participate in the Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016
  • The final round of driver selection process concluded in Pune at Indi Karting Track where top 12 were selected out of 62 finalists
  • Four drivers from New Delhi make it to the final grid of 20 for the Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016 season

Volkswagen Motorsport India concluded the driver selection process for its upcoming season of Vento Cup in Pune last week. The selection process gathered an overwhelming response receiving over 560 entries from across the country and lasted for over 45 days. Out of these 560 entries, 62 racers made it to the final round of the selection process and were invited to Pune’s Indi Karting Track for a two-day final selection process. After being judged on various criteria such as fitness, driving skills, grasping and learning ability and discipline, final 12 were selected for the Vento Cup 2016 season.

Eight drivers from previous seasons of Volkswagen Motorsport India’s Vento Cup and Polo Cup will complete the grid of 20 along with the 12 new drivers. The grid comprises of 20 drivers in all who hail from 11 different cities. The final drivers of the 2016 season will now undergo a Fitness Camp and a Pre-Season Testing before the first competitive round of the year.

Mr. Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, commented “Every year we receive a number of entries from aspiring racers showing their willingness to participate in the Vento Cup. It has been Volkswagen Motorsport India’s goal to develop and nurture young talent since its inception in 2009 and we are happy that we are able to coach so many drivers every year and provide them with a strong and robust platform like the Vento Cup.” He further added, “This year too we witnessed some very talented individuals who are willing to learn the skills of racing and make their mark in Motorsport. We have selected 12 new drivers this year who will join eight drivers from our previous seasons and battle for championship honours. Interestingly 17 drivers are up to the age of 26 years, which is good because they are the young ones whom we really want to groom.”

Volkswagen Motorsport India will run its premium one-make touring car racing series Vento Cup as a part of the 2016 MMSC FMSCI Indian Racing Championship. The 2016 season will comprise of a total of four rounds across three race tracks in India – Kari Motor Speedway,

Coimbatore; Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai and Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida. The season will commence from June 2016.

The following drivers will form the grid of the Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016*:

Sr. No. Name Age City
1 Aditya Mhatre 22 Mumbai
2 Amit Mete 27 Aurangabad
3 Arfath Mohammed 19 Chennai
4 Arunshowry Vallabhaneni 21 New Delhi
5 Eswar Bolisetti 20 Visakhapatanam
6 Gowdham Murugan 26 Coimbatore
7 Harjee Wadia 17 New Delhi
8 Harshavardhan Saravanan 19 Chennai
9 Hatim Shabbir 20 Chennai
10 Ishaan Dodhiwala 25 Hyderabad
11 Ishan Bhardwaj 24 New Delhi
12 Keith Desouza 22 Goa
13 Mohamed Jamil 24 Pudukkottai
14 Nachappa Sivanesan 29 Chennai
15 Neha Dabas 25 New Delhi
16 Niranjan Todkari 22 Pune
17 Pradeep Rao 26 Mumbai
18 Rashad Khan 19 Pune
19 Sailesh Bolisetti 27 Visakhapatanam
20 Venkatraj Ellendula 20 Secunderabad