The 2018 season of the Volkswagen Ameo Cup gets underway at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore, this weekend of June 22-24, 2018. Of the 20 drivers on the grid this year, 13 are fresh faces, while the remaining seven have driven in Volkswagen championships, previously. There are also two female drivers on the grid this year.
To prepare themselves for the season, all drivers underwent a fitness camp organised by Volkswagen, as well as pre-season testing at KMS. Driver coaches Rayomand Banajee and Karthik Tharani were hands-on during the test, helping the Cup drivers extract the most from their limited track time.
Two practice sessions for the drivers have been scheduled for Friday, June 22, before a qualifying session on Saturday morning; followed by a race, each, on Saturday and Sunday. The season will incorporate 10 races across a span of four weekends; the next two rounds will be held at the Madras Motor Race Track, before the season finale at the Buddh International Circuit.
Volkswagen has been one of the pioneers of four-wheeled one-make racing in India with its introduction of the Polo Cup, way back in 2010. 2015 brought about its change to the Vento cup; and since last year, we have been watching the Ameo Cup. Volkswagen has also competed in the Indian Rally Championship, fielding a Polo rally car. They won the 1,600cc class consecutively, in 2013 and 2014.