Volkswagen Motorsport India has expanded its presence in motorsport in the country, confirming that it will compete as a factory team in the Indian Touring Championship (ITC) category of the 2019 MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship.

Volkswagen will field three race-spec Vento cars for the championship. The carmaker had announced the development of the same in June last year. As part of the testing phase, two test cars were driven in the Turbo class of the 2018 National Championship season. The race-spec Vento is powered by a 1.8-litre TSI engine, paired with a 6-speed sequential gearbox with a manual gearshift lever; it produces 215hp peak power and 350Nm of peak torque.

The manufacturer also confirmed its driver line-up for the series, with Karthik Tharani, Ishaan Dodhiwala and Dhruv Mohite, each, bagging a seat. All three drivers are graduates from Volkswagen’s own one-make series – Mohite was crowned the Ameo cup champion last year, while Dodhiwala had won the 2016 Vento Cup and Tharani had won the 2014 Polo R Cup.

Commenting on this move into the Indian Touring Championship, Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India said: “Over the last ten years, we have been strengthening our presence in motorsport in India. Volkswagen is committed towards the cause and I am proud to announce our entry into India’s premier racing category with our very own factory team. We started developing our cars last year by participating in the Turbo class. But with the integration of the category into ITC, we are extremely happy to participate in a class that is at the pinnacle of racing in India.”

“All three drivers who represent our factory team are extremely talented and have proven their mettle through our one make series in the past. By building proper race cars for the drivers, we are also providing them an option to develop their career further,” he added.

Just recently, the Volkswagen Ameo Cup received National Championship status from the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India (FMSCI). As a result, the one-make series will now run as the ‘Ameo Class’ as part of the 2019 season of the MMSC FMSCI Indian National Championship. The opening round of this season will take place this weekend at the Kari Motor Speedway.