A small more than a decade ago, Volkswagen Motorsport launched their one-make racing series in India. Considering that then, the Motorsport crew has continuously developed and high-quality-tuned their purpose-constructed race vehicles to offer anything quicker and far more fascinating for just about every year of the championship. This time close to, we get a taste of the 2021 iteration of the Volkswagen Polo Championship motor vehicle.
Parked together with the pit lane in a stunning shade of matte pink, the 2021 Polo race motor vehicle looks the portion. It sits considerably reduce to the floor than the road-going variation, flaunts lightweight multi-spoke wheels wrapped in slick MRF racing tyres, and will get a purposeful, outsized spoiler bolted on its roof. These apart, fairly considerably all other human body panels are lifted off the normal Polo on sale right now. Apparently, this Polo (which include the driver) recommendations the scales at 1,220kg, which is a little bit far more than the Vento Touring motor vehicle that weighs roughly 1,150kg. Sirish Vissa, head of Volkswagen Motorsport, clarifies that his crew could decide for distinctive elements to lessen its pounds, but that would only escalate charges, therefore they’ve resolved to use as quite a few regionally sourced areas as feasible to maintain a examine on precise and substitution charges. The crew, even so, has no alternative but to import specific factors like the motor, gearbox, driveshaft, brakes and electrical factors, to identify a couple of. As a final result, just about every motor vehicle charges VW a jaw-dropping determine that ranges from Rs forty five-50 lakh to make.
Highest regionally-sourced areas made use of to maintain charges in examine.
Like all other race vehicles, the interiors are barebones and have just the basic principles. So, what is obtainable is a 50 percent-minimize dashboard, with the controls placed on the fascia, a sporty steering with paddle shifters, a race show, three pedals, a hearth extinguisher, and a race seat with a racing harness. The motor vehicle in concentrate experienced a passenger seat, but the opposition variation will not have a single, “so that’s about ten kilos knocked off there,” chuckles Sirish. As opposed to the outgoing Ameo cup motor vehicle, this also characteristics distinctive damper settings, new springs, a distinctive brake pad compound, as effectively as a stiffer roll cage.
1.eight-litre turbo-petrol helps make a full of 230hp.
We received a prospect to working experience how it drives, and the way this 210hp, 1.eight-litre, turbo-petrol EA888 motor performs is astonishing. This is the exact motor that does responsibility in the Ameo race motor vehicle and the Vento touring motor vehicle, but this a single feels a little bit far more powerful. Electrical power supply is brutal and it catapults you in advance just about every time you squeeze the accelerator pedal. Transmitting electrical power to the front wheels is a 6-pace sequential handbook transmission, which by the way also will get an automatic mode. Every single equipment transform is instantaneous and seriously aggressive. The unassisted steering provides a truly uncooked working experience, and with leech-like grip and zero human body roll, this motor vehicle goes close to corners like a hot knife by way of butter. As is also the circumstance with the Ameo, this a single takes advantage of upgraded brakes from the Golf in the front and the road-going Polo’s front discs at the rear. So, braking overall performance is top rated notch, and it infuses enough self confidence in the driver to brake considerably later and considerably more challenging.
But the authentic chatting point of this iteration is that this a single is obtainable with a ‘Push to Pass’ purpose, which provides the driver an additional 20hp enhance for a brief burst of 10sec, bumping up the electrical power to 230hp. The VW Motorsport crew is incorporating this ‘Push to Pass’ feature in their championship vehicles, whereby the trailing driver can bump up the enhance tension for an additional burst of electrical power at the press of a button, in get to make an overtake soon after exiting a corner or on a straight segment of road during a race. In theory, it is a notion equivalent to DRS (drag reduction system) in F1. Sirish says that a driver can avail this feature a greatest of 5 instances in a ten-lap race, and just about every time a driver is employing this more than-enhance purpose, the car’s hazard lights switch on to intimate other race drivers.
The Polo Championship motor vehicle has come a lengthy way in terms of pace, dealing with balance, braking and driver aids. Options like ‘Push to Pass’ will undoubtedly make this one-make racing series a whole lot far more fascinating, and it will be extremely fascinating to see its software in the races going ahead.
Narain’s Drive Impressions
Narain Karthikeyan lapped the MMRT in 1m54.59s in the 2021 race Polo, beating the 2018 Ameo cup car’s time of 1m54.88s. “This motor vehicle has a little bit far more horsepower than the Ameo race motor vehicle, and it is fairly obvious in the way the Polo builds pace,” says Narain. This individual motor vehicle was running higher enhance pressures than normal, therefore Narain experienced accessibility to all of its 230hp on the track.
“There’s a honest little bit of understeer dialled in, but I suppose when environment it up for an individual’s desire, it can be tuned differently. For an entry-amount expert motorsport series, this one-make championship spells phenomenal price, and serves as a wonderful discovering system for drivers who aspire to get the touring motor vehicle racing route.”
Also see:
Tata Altroz iTurbo vs Hyundai i20 Turbo vs Volkswagen Polo TSI comparison video clip
Volkswagen Polo TSI, Vento TSI now priced from Rs 6.ninety nine lakh, Rs eight.69 lakh
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