Volkswagen Motorsport India launches its ultimate e- racing experience by digitalizing its one-make series as the Volkswagen Virtual Racing Championship

• The first ever Indian Motorsport Championship to be digitally accessible: Volkswagen Virtual Racing Championship (VW-VRC) will offer a unique experience to racers and fans to hone their racing skills from the safety of their own homes via simulators and provide them a close-up of the high driving standards of real racing
• Replicating virtually the on-ground experience of the ‘one-make series’: VW-VRC will comprise of 5 rounds with 2 races per round enabling 26 contenders to compete, with an additional participation of 2 guest racers in each event.
• Assured participation in Volkswagen Polo Championship 2021 for the winner: Championship winner to get a sponsored drive from Volkswagen Motorsport India in the forthcoming Volkswagen Polo Championship 2021, subject to criterion

For years, Volkswagen’s one-make series has been synonymous with a fun-to-drive experience on the race track. This year, with the Polo Cup, the VMI team will be replicating the high driving standards and thrill through a virtual racing championship. Volkswagen Motorsport India will monitor the championship through race controls with officials to adjudicate on unsportsmanlike driving. Additionally, driver coaching and data enabled training will be conducted for interested contenders, who will have access to data from the game to help them analyze and improve their driving skills.

Aligned to the real racing format, VW-VRC will include five rounds with two races per round. Each round will further consist of three practice sessions for racers, one qualifying session and two races. The grid for the first race will be formed basis the qualifying session, while the grid for the second race will be based on the top 12 contenders finishing in the first race, being reversed for the start of the second race. Further, the format for points system for the VW-VRC will remain as the real world Polo Championship.

Commenting on the launch of Volkswagen Virtual Racing Championship, Mr. Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India said, “At Volkswagen, pushing boundaries has always been in our DNA and we are proud to be the first Indian Championship to be accessible virtually. As the only global OEM in India with a history of running a one-make series for over a decade, it is our passion for the sport that has enabled us to innovate, make motorsport mainstream by introducing its virtual format to overcome the present challenging times.” 

Speaking on the launch of Volkswagen VRC, Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India said, “We are extremely excited to bring the thrilling experience of our flagship one-make Polo Cup series on a virtual platform through Volkswagen VRC. Keeping in mind the current scenario, we believe that the initiative will encourage young talents to showcase and hone their racing skills. This is a positive step for us as we aim to make motorsport racing accessible to all the aspiring racers and provide a platform to spot and nurture young talents into furthering their racing career.”

The selection process in the championship will be straight and simple for 26 racers. With no restrictions in the initial selection, interested participants can register by simply downloading the game. They can participate either using a keyboard (PC/laptop) or PlayStation. Basic training for all the participants will be conducted by the Volkswagen Motorsport India through webinars which will provide participants the opportunity for a few hours of practice sessions, followed by a chance to set their fastest lap time during a recorded session. One round of eliminations will be conducted basis the participants’ performance. 

The final contenders for Volkswagen VRC will be the 10 fastest racers each from the Keyboard and PlayStation editions as well as the top six from the Pro-Class of the Indian e-Racing Championship. 

The online registration for Volkswagen VRC begins from 10th August until 9th September, 2020, and will be followed by a stage 1 selection process on 19th September 2020.
Link to register

About Volkswagen Motorsport India
Building on more than 50 years of enriching global motorsport legacy of Volkswagen, Volkswagen Motorsport India commenced operations with the Polo Cup India in 2010. The vast global expertise, coupled with rich dynamic history of the Group has enabled Volkswagen Motorsport India to progress swiftly and become the best one make series in a short span of time. The Volkswagen Polo R Cup enhanced awareness as well as underlined the technological advancement of Volkswagen in India. In 2015, Volkswagen Motorsport India shifted to Vento Cup and continued to provide a vital platform for the talented young racers to demonstrate their capabilities nationally and internationally by nurturing them. In the one-make series, all participating cars are technically identical with the same performance making it possible for only the most skilled drivers to leave an impact. Since 2017, Volkswagen Motorsport India has been running the Ameo Cup in the same format with a car that has been completely developed and built with local talent at Volkswagen plant in Pune. Successes in Indian Rallying: Under the Customer Sport Initiative, Volkswagen Motorsport India started providing teams and individuals running Volkswagen Polo rally cars in the Indian Rally Championship (IRC) with technical assistance and spares support from 2013. The Volkswagen Polo since then has won several championships and it has become popular in national rallying to the extent that more than half the competing grid in 2019 comprised of Volkswagen Polo cars.