Volkswagen India has been contributing towards Indian motorsport over the years, foraying into track racing as well as rally racing in India. As a part of its track racing programme, Volkswagen started with the Polo Cup which later evolved into the Vento Cup. We now have the VW Ameo Cup and VW Motorsport has built an Indian-bred race car is said to be the fastest yet.
The Ameo Cup race car is based on the VW Ameo compact sedan that was introduced in the passenger car market last year. The Indian division of VW Motorsports have taken this everyday stubby sedan and shoved into it one of the best that VW has got – the 1.8-litre TSI engine from the GTI.
The turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine develops just over 200bhp of power, which is about 10 per cent more than the GTI, thanks to the newly mapped ECU and free-flow intakes and exhaust. It runs a custom suspension setup and special track slicks that will provide maximum grip. Instead of the dual-clutch automatic, you have a six-speed sequential unit with steering mounted paddle shifters working through a Sachs racing clutch and a limited slip differential.
The Ameo Cup car is almost 5 seconds faster than the Vento Cup car and will ensure that the drivers undergo higher G forces around the corners. The bigger brakes with racing ABS help it stop faster while the FMSCI certified roll cage, racing seats and the 6-point harness make sure the driver is safe all the time.
The Ameo Cup 2017 season is scheduled to start in the month of June at Kari Motor Speedway near Coimbatore followed by a couple of rounds at Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai and one round at Buddh International Circuit (BIC) near Greater Noida.
