A very little more than a 10 years ago, Volkswagen Motorsport introduced their solitary-make racing series in India. Considering that then, the Motorsport crew has constantly designed and great-tuned their function-built race autos to supply something quicker and extra interesting for each period of the championship. This time around, we get a style of the 2021 iteration of the Volkswagen Polo Championship automobile.
Parked along with the pit lane in a breathtaking shade of matte purple, the 2021 Polo race automobile looks the part. It sits substantially lessen to the floor than the road-heading edition, flaunts lightweight multi-spoke wheels wrapped in slick MRF racing tyres, and receives a useful, outsized spoiler bolted on its roof. These aside, really substantially all other human body panels are lifted off the common Polo on sale now. Apparently, this Polo (including the driver) suggestions the scales at 1,220kg, which is a little bit extra than the Vento Touring automobile that weighs around 1,150kg. Sirish Vissa, head of Volkswagen Motorsport, clarifies that his crew could decide for diverse components to lessen its body weight, but that would only escalate expenses, that’s why they’ve made a decision to use as many locally sourced elements as probable to retain a look at on actual and replacement expenses. The crew, nevertheless, has no option but to import specified parts like the engine, gearbox, driveshaft, brakes and electrical parts, to name a couple. As a outcome, each automobile expenses VW a jaw-dropping figure that ranges from Rs 45-50 lakh to construct.
Most locally-sourced elements employed to retain expenses in look at.
Like all other race autos, the interiors are barebones and have just the fundamental principles. So, what’s readily available is a half-slash dashboard, with the controls placed on the fascia, a sporty steering with paddle shifters, a race show, 3 pedals, a hearth extinguisher, and a race seat with a racing harness. The automobile in concentrate had a passenger seat, but the competition edition will not have 1, “so which is about 10 kilos knocked off there,” chuckles Sirish. Compared to the outgoing Ameo cup automobile, this also characteristics diverse damper settings, new springs, a diverse brake pad compound, as effectively as a stiffer roll cage.
1.8-litre turbo-petrol would make a whole of 230hp.
We got a prospect to encounter how it drives, and the way this 210hp, 1.8-litre, turbo-petrol EA888 engine performs is astonishing. This is the exact same engine that does obligation in the Ameo race automobile and the Vento touring automobile, but this 1 feels a little bit extra powerful. Ability delivery is brutal and it catapults you ahead each time you squeeze the accelerator pedal. Transmitting power to the entrance wheels is a six-velocity sequential handbook transmission, which incidentally also receives an computerized method. Every single equipment adjust is instantaneous and seriously aggressive. The unassisted steering features a definitely raw encounter, and with leech-like grip and zero human body roll, this automobile goes around corners like a very hot knife as a result of butter. As is also the circumstance with the Ameo, this 1 uses upgraded brakes from the Golf in the entrance and the road-heading Polo’s entrance discs at the rear. So, braking functionality is top rated notch, and it infuses more than enough self-confidence in the driver to brake substantially later on and substantially harder.
But the authentic conversing stage of this iteration is that this 1 is readily available with a ‘Push to Pass’ purpose, which features the driver an supplemental 20hp boost for a small burst of 10sec, bumping up the power to 230hp. The VW Motorsport crew is incorporating this ‘Push to Pass’ characteristic in their championship autos, wherein the trailing driver can bump up the boost strain for an supplemental burst of power at the push of a button, in purchase to make an overtake soon after exiting a corner or on a straight part of road during a race. In principle, it is a principle equivalent to DRS (drag reduction program) in F1. Sirish suggests that a driver can avail this characteristic a greatest of five periods in a 10-lap race, and each time a driver is employing this more than-boost purpose, the car’s hazard lights transform on to intimate other race drivers.
The Polo Championship automobile has arrive a very long way in conditions of velocity, handling harmony, braking and driver aids. Attributes like ‘Push to Pass’ will undoubtedly make this solitary-make racing series a lot extra interesting, and it will be really attention-grabbing to see its application in the races heading forward.
Narain’s Travel 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 automobile has a little bit extra horsepower than the Ameo race automobile, and it’s quite obvious in the way the Polo builds velocity,” suggests Narain. This unique automobile was working increased boost pressures than typical, that’s why Narain had obtain to all of its 230hp on the observe.
“There’s a good little bit of understeer dialled in, but I suppose when environment it up for an individual’s preference, it can be tuned in different ways. For an entry-amount experienced motorsport series, this solitary-make championship spells phenomenal worth, and serves as a fantastic studying system for drivers who aspire to get the touring automobile racing route.”
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