PoloDriver

Team Slideways Industries scored three podium positions at round three of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, the Rally Rally of Coimbatore on 20-21 July. Supported by Volkswagen Motorsport India and JK Tyres, the Pune-based squad saw victories in the both the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) and Junior Indian National Rally Championship (JINRC) classes. Former PWRC champion and multiple APRC champion Karamjit Singh put in a flawless run with his co-driver Jagdev Singh over the weekend to secure his second consecutive win in the IRC class with an overall time of 1 hour, 42 minutes and 12.1 seconds.

In the Group N 1600cc class, Byram Godrej and co-driver Prajwal Pai experienced brake issues early on Saturday and ended the day in second place. He was back in stunning form on Sunday morning, though, and enjoyed a terrific run in the rally’s two special stages. Making up over a minute, the pair overhauled their overnight lead, sealing their first win in the 1600cc class with an overall time of 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 44.9 seconds. ‘It is hard to believe that the Volkswagen Polo is only three rallies old given the amount of performance it offers,’ said Byram.

Vikram Mathias and R Chandramouli meanwhile, driving their first rally for Slideways Industries, were in a comfortable lead of the class on day one but went off on the penultimate stage. Sirish Chandran and co-driver Nikhil Pai who scored the Polo’s first victory in the INRC earlier in the year suffered a forgettable weekend with a mechanical problem putting them out of contention on the very first special stage of the event.

It was better news for Team Principal Rohan Pawar and his co-driver Arjun Mehta, who secured another podium finish in the JINRC class, with an overall time of 1 hour, 56 minutes, and 29.2 seconds. Pawar fought with fellow Team Slideways Industries driver Aniruddha Rangnekar, but ultimately went faster that Rangnekar on the second day of the event to clinch first place. ‘I am extremely happy with the team’s and my own performance. Having veteran drivers like Karamjit Singh and Vikram Mathias in the team have bolstered everyone’s spirits and of course our Technical Director Byram Godrej has done an excellent job in preparing and setting up the cars,’ said an elated Pawar.

The Rally of Coimbatore was held alongside the first rounds of the Volkswagen Polo R-Cup India 2013. With the Kari Motor Speedway being the base for both, enthusiasts and spectators were treated to witnessing India’s best racing and rally drivers in action together at the same time. The rally Polos of Team Slideways Industries – which have performed excellently in the Volkswagen Polo R-Cup India on track for the past three years – had no trouble negotiating the tight corners of the track-based special stage after sliding around the gravel stages of the rally.

Team Slideways Industries now heads back to Pune to develop the squad of Polos further with support from Volkswagen Motorsport India, ahead of round four of the championship, the K1000 Rally at Bangalore.