PoloDriver

Sailesh Bolsetti was crowned the inaugural Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 champion during the final round at the Irungattukottai race track in Chennai over the weekend of 18-19 December. Bolsetti was second in the leaderboard standings before Round 6, 26 points behind potential champion Parth Ghorpade with 359 points, but a stand-out drive from the 22-year old from Vishakhapatnam. Going into the final race of the season with a 2-point deficit from Ghorpade, Bolisetti’s sixth place finish in race two was enough to take the series championship, after a mistake from Ghorpade left him struggling in 11th position.

Qualifying for the first race left Bolisetti in second place behind Vishnu Prasad in pole position, while Ghorpade was behind in third. A false start in the first race gave Ghorpade a 30-second time penalty, from which he never recovered. A tyre-to-tyre battle for the top three spots resulted in Prasad taking the top spot with a time of 00: 24: 50: 051, with Bolisetti in second place, and Ghorpade rounding out the podium. However, Ghorpade’s penalty pushed him down to ninth place, promoting fourth place Karthik Shankar to the podium.

As is customary, the grid for the second race was a reverse of race one for the first eight drivers, meaning Munjal Savla, Vikash Anand and Sahil Shelar were pushed to the front of the track. Rookie Salva maintained a good lead, but Anand and Shelar struggled to keep up during the latter half of the race, enabling Ghorpade and Prasad to overtake and chase the leader. Falling behind, Bolisetti and then Ghorpade gave way to Prasad and Shankar who tailed Savla, who was amazing the enthusiastic crowd with his consistent speed. Consistency paid off, and Salva clinched first place, with Shankar 3.145 seconds behind, and Prasad a close third.

Bolisetti meanwhile, finished sixth ahead of Ghorpade from Kolhapur, who came way down the field in eleventh. Ghorpade’s  misfortune at Chennai enhanced Bolisetti’s standing for championship title with an aggregate score of 411 points. Ghorpade had to settle for the runner-up position with a total of 403 points, while Chennai’s Prasad was third with 370 points. Commenting on the eventful first season of the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010, Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Motorsports, Volkswagen India, said: ‘I am very happy that the first Polo Cup season here in India was a great success, and I can confidently say that this years championship has proved that this our Cup series can infact produce and nurture good drivers.’

[Sources: cardekho.com and zigwheels.com. Video: Autocar India]

Parth Ghorpade from Kolhapur is the new leader of the 2010 Volkswagen Polo Cup India championship after Round 5 of the series at the Irungattukottai race track in Chennai. Earning 108 points over the weekend of 27-28 November, Ghorpade’s total now stands at 359 points. Former leader Sailesh Bolisetti is now in second place with 333 points, while Chennai driver Vishnu Prasad rounds out the top three with 277 points. Close races were the order of the day at Chennai, with Ghorpade winning the first, beating Sahil Shelar by 0.481 seconds. The second race was won by Prasad, who started in sixth place on a reverse grid.

Ghorpade has been the silent contender throughout the Volkswagen Polo Cup India’s inaugural season. The 17-year old has worked his way up the leaderboard through hard work and consistent wins, starting from sixth position after the first two rounds of the championships. Commenting on his first-place position, Ghorpade said: ‘At this point in the season, being the leader of the pack is very exciting. The last few races have been very successful for me and I hope I can keep the momentum going right till the end of the final round.’

The first season of the Volkswagen Polo Cup India has been an exciting series for both the drivers and their fans, and with only one round to go, spectators can be assured to see a fight to the finish. With a difference of only 26 points between first and second place and an even smaller difference of 7 points between third and fourth place, the results of the championship will come down to the final races of Round 6 on 18-19 December at Chennai.

Volkswagen India & JK Tyre also staged a special Ladies Race during the Round 5 of the Volkswagen Polo Cup India at Chennai, with rally driver Nawaz Sandhu thrilling spectators to win the 7-lap all-ladies race, recording a best lap time of 1:14.623, at a speed of 178.5 km/h. The 2010 Volkswagen Polo Cup India is run by Volkswagen India Motorsport in conjunction with JK Tyres. The field of 20 young racers drive identical and centrally-prepared 129bhp TDI Polo Cup cars.

Over the weekend of 26-27 September the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 made its debut at the Irungattukottai race track in Chennai. Championship leader Sailesh Bolisetti from Vishakapatnam, thrilled spectators to win the first race of Round 4, with local hero Vikash Anand taking second position ahead of Parth Ghorpade. Bolisetti completed the race in 25 minutes and 35 seconds to win his fourth race of the season. Pole sitter Vishnu Prasad jumped into the lead at the start and had an eight second lead over Bolisetti before he retired on lap 5. Ghorpade meanwhile put on an impressive display to win the second race, while Mumbai driver Mohammed Fahad Kutty finished in second position ahead of Imran Majid. Ghorpade completed the 3.717km race in 25:13.862 to win his second race of the season.

‘This was a really tough race and I am really happy to win here. The conditions were tough and I was not prepared to take any risks. I had to defend for the last 5 laps but am very happy with my performance today,’ Bolisetti commented on his first race win. Second placed Anand was equally pleased. ‘It feels great to come second in the inaugural race in Chennai, my hometown. It was a close battle with Sailesh and I had a chance or two to overtake him, but it didn’t work out.’ Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Motorsports, Volkswagen India said, ‘It feels good to have our first race in Chennai. The whole team has had a really tough weekend with the changing weather conditions. Hats off to the mechanics for being quick with the tyre changes and getting the cars ready on time.’

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Sailesh Bolisetti and Parth Ghorpade were the most successful drivers at the third race weekend of the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 at Coimbatore on 28 and 29 August. Bolisetti, who had celebrated two victories as early as the first race weekend, triumphed in race one and finished the second race in second place. 17-year-old Ghorpade took fifth place in the first race and in the second round captured the lead which he maintained all the way across the finish line.

Bolisetti clinched the first two races of the season back in June, and started second on the grid at for the first race of Round 3 at the Kari Motor Speedway, overtaking Vishnu Prasad on pole in the fourth lap. Completing the race in 25 minutes and 55.675 seconds, Prasad and Sahil Shelar were on his heels, finishing second and third respectively. An ecstatic Bolisetti said: ‘I got a good line and was able to pass Prasad on lap four. After a minor set back in round two, it feels great to be back on the top of the podium. I hope my luck continues to the next race and I hope to back here on the podium.’

The second race in Round 3 saw 17-year-old Parth Ghorpade from Pune take the chequered flag, improving on his third place podium finish in race one. Starting from fourth on the grid, he overtook pole-sitter Samyak Shah, completing the race in 26 minutes and 00.295 seconds. Sailesh Bolisetti, winner of race one, finished second followed by Mohd Fahad Kutty. Commenting on his win, Ghorpade said: ‘In qualifying our setup was not so good, but for the race the car felt really good. I am really happy with my performance today and to win my first Polo Cup race is a really special moment.’

Round 4 of the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 is at Irungattukotal, Chennai over the weekend of 25-26 September. The series is run by Volkswagen India Motorsport in conjunction with JK Tyres. The field of 20 young racers drive identical and centrally-prepared 129bhp TDI Polo Cup cars.

Following the historical inaugural round of the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 on 29–30 May on a street circuit in Pune, Vishnu Prasad and Karthik Shankar were the most successful drivers at the second race weekend of the new championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on 17–18 July. In the first race, 17 year-old Prasad clinched a commanding start-finish victory after starting from pole position. Sahil Shelar took second place in the 20-lap race in front of Shankar.

Great start
Vishnu had a great start and led comfortably with Sahil Shelar and Karthik Shankar close behind him. Sailesh Bolisetti made a brilliant overtaking move to pass Mohammed Fahad Kutty for 4th position on lap 11. The safety car came out on lap 12 after Suraj Bhagat stopped on track at the second corner due to a collision. It was back to racing when the safety car veered back into the pits with five laps to go. Vishnu had no trouble picking up from where he left off and crossed the chequered flag to win his first race in the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010.

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