2016 Volkswagen Vento Cup: 12 rookies finalised for this season
The selection process for the 2016 edition of the Vento Cup concluded recently and 12 new drivers have been finalised. This year, Volkswagen Motorsport India received a total of 560 entries from around the country. The selection process lasted 45 days, by the end of which, 62 entries made it to the final round at the Indi Karting Track in Pune. This number was furtherÃÂ reduced to 12 after the two-day selection process, which tested drivers on fitness, driving skill, learning ability and discipline. These 12 rookiesÃÂ will be joined on the grid by eight others who've driven in theÃÂ previous Vento Cup and Polo Cup championships. All 20 drivers will now take part in a fitness camp and pre-season testing before Round 1 which is scheduled for June, 2016.
At the end of 2015, MMSC won the bid to host the Vento Cup as a part of the FMSCI National Racing Championship from 2016-2018. The 2016 Vento Cup will consist ofàfour rounds that will now be held across three racetracks âÂ" the Kari Motor Speedway, MMRT and BIC. The Vento Cup carsàwill now wear MRF racing slicks, new decals and willàuse a slightly reworked suspension system.
"Every year we receive a number of entries from aspiring racers showing their willingness to participate in the Vento Cup. It has been Volkswagen Motorsport India's goal to develop and nurture young talent since its inception in 2009 and we are happy that we are able to coach so many drivers every year and provide them with a strong and robust platform like the Vento Cup," said Sirish Vissa, head of Volkswagen Motorsport India.
"Interestingly 17 drivers are up to the age of 26 years, which is good because they are the young ones whom we really want to groom," he added.
Name | |
1 | Aditya Mhatre |
2 | Amit Mete |
3 | Arfath Mohammed |
4 | Arunshowry Vallabhaneni |
5 | Eswar Bolisetti |
6 | Gowdham Murugan |
7 | Harjee Wadia |
8 | Harshavardhan Saravanan |
9 | Hatim Shabbir |
10 | Ishaan Dodhiwala |
11 | Ishan Bhardwaj |
12 | Keith Desouza |
13 | Mohamed Jamil |
14 | Nachappa Sivanesan |
15 | Neha Dabas |
16 | Niranjan Todkari |
17 | Pradeep Rao |
18 | Rashad Khan |
19 | Sailesh Bolisetti |
20 | Venkatraj Ellendula |
Age | |
1 | 22 |
2 | 27 |
3 | 19 |
4 | 21 |
5 | 20 |
6 | 26 |
7 | 17 |
8 | 19 |
9 | 20 |
10 | 25 |
11 | 24 |
12 | 22 |
13 | 24 |
14 | 29 |
15 | 25 |
16 | 22 |
17 | 26 |
18 | 19 |
19 | 27 |
20 | 20 |
City | |
1 | Mumbai |
2 | AurangabadÃÂ |
3 | Chennai |
4 | New Delhi |
5 | Visakhapatanam |
6 | CoimbatoreÃÂ |
7 | New Delhi |
8 | Chennai |
9 | Chennai |
10 | Hyderabad |
11 | New Delhi |
12 | Goa |
13 | Pudukkottai |
14 | Chennai |
15 | New Delhi |
16 | Pune |
17 | Mumbai |
18 | Pune |
19 | Visakhapatanam |
20 | Secunderabad |