2019 Volkswagen Ameo Cup & Touring Car Series Driver Registrations Open

Volkswagen Motorsport India has announced the start of registrations for Drivers' Selection for the tenth edition of the touring car series and third edition of the Ameo Cup Series. The one-make championships are intended to select regular individuals with a skill behind the wheel and transform them into race car drivers. The driver selection round will be held at the Indi Karting Track in Kharadi, Pune, where the drivers will be selected based on their performance in the karting sessions. Drivers will have showcase consistency in performance, understanding of racing lines, lap times, driving attitude and versatility as part of the selection process. For those looking to register, the last date is February 3, 2019.

Speaking on finding new drivers, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, Sirish Vissa said, “2019 is a special year for Volkswagen Motorsport in India. We are entering our tenth year and looking back, I feel a sense of pride in the journey that we have covered be it in terms of the progress we have made in infrastructure to the work we have done in raising awareness about motorsport in the country and supporting amateur and seasoned talent alike. We have had some great races last season and I look forward to another year of superb talent and racing season.”

The Volkswagen Ameo Cup car is based on the road-going Ameo subcompact sedan

Volkswagen has had a number of one-make championships in the past based on their road going versions. This includes the Polo Cup, Vento Cup and now the Ameo Cup. Last year, Volkswagen India's motorsport division also built the Vento touring car that met the new Indian Touring Car (ITC) regulations and competed in the series as well. 2019 though will be the Vento Touring car's first full season.

The Volkswagen touring series and Ameo Cup are part of the MMSC-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship with races taking place at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai, Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore and the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) near Delhi. The Volkswagen Ameo Cup car has been exclusively developed in India and is by all means the fastest subcompact sedan out there.

The Ameo Cup car uses a 1.8-litre TSI engine that makes in excess of 200 bhp and is paired with a sequential racing gearbox. The car has been upgraded with a roll cage, while all the joints have been reinforced for additional safety. That said, the Ameo Cup car has been developed keeping rookie drivers in mind, which makes it easy for new drivers to get acquainted with the race car.

The Volkswagen Ameo Cup championship format witnesses 20 machines that are identical to each other, which gives the new drivers a level playing field to compete on track. There are 10 races scheduled every season spread across the three race tracks.