The final race of the weekend saw Dhruv Mohite consolidate his lead in the 2018 Volkswagen Ameo Cup championship as the series completes its penultimate round in Chennai. Mohite won Race 3 with a comfortable lead of 7.2 seconds, as Saurav Bandyopadhyay finished a distant second. Taking his second podium of the day and of the season too, was Shubhomoy Ball as he finished third. With eight races complete, the championship moves into its final round that will be held at the Buddh International Circuit in October this year.
Also Read: Shubhomoy Ball Wins Race 2 In 2018 Volkswagen Ameo Cup Round 3
Dhruv started the race on pole and was comfortably in the lead right from the start. With this being the last race of the weekend, the drivers had consumed all tyres and running on used tyres that hindered their pace. Nevertheless, Mohite extended his lead by nearly 1.5 seconds with every lap over the course of the race. Saurav, who was recovering from a DNF and a damaged car at the end of Race 2, pushed hard to maintain his position behind Mohite. The Thane-based driver faced issues with his brake sensor but had built a considerable lead over the rest of the field. Standing second in the championship standings, the podium finish still puts him in contention for the title in the final round.
Also Read: Dhruv Mohite Wins Race 1 Of Volkswagen Ameo Cup Round 3
The big progress though came from Shubhomoy Ball, fresh of his first-ever win. The driver was on P5 on the grid, but a good start allowed him to pass Pratik Sonawane and Anmol Singh at C1 to move up to P3. From thereon, Ball defended the position, and eventually built a buffer of 3-4 seconds by the finish line.
The Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) played home to a fantastic Race 3 with no unwanted incidents reported. The action, however, will be shifting to the BIC for the final round. This is the first time in the two seasons that the Volkswagen Ameo Cup will be going to the BIC. That does put the drivers in a spot with no prior references to fall back on. That said, this will also be a golden opportunity for the current drivers to set a benchmark.
The BIC is an F1 track and will allow the cars to compete more fiercely and at higher speeds. This will be for the first time that the Ameo Cup cars will be breach the 200 kmph mark while racing, finally bringing that rear wing into play for additional downforce.
