Volkswagen Motorsports has commenced the registration for the driver’s selection process for the 2017 Ameo Cup. The registered candidates will be put through a special selection round on December 17 and 18, at the Indi Karting Track, in Pune, which was formerly known as the Downtown Racing Track.
The one-make series will follow the same format as the Vento Cup which concluded recently. It will be a part of the MMSC-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship and will head to all the racetracks in the country, namely - the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, Kari Motor Speedway of Coimbatore and the nation’s only F1 racetrack, the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.
The 2016 season of the Vento Cup comprised 18 drivers from all around the country and has now been relinquished to make way for the 2017 Ameo Cup. The one-make series will have a grid of 20 identical spec race machines and 10 races scheduled across the year. According to reports, the Ameo Cup car will have a 1.8-litre TSI engine under the hood. There is a likelihood that the engines will be sourced from the Skoda Superb, or possibly derived from the impending Polo GTI. Transmission for the Vento was a paddle-shifting six-speed DSG, so the Ameo Cup car could be a manual or the DSG, but it won’t be a surprise if it came with a proper racing sequential gearbox.
Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, said, “Since we first introduced Motorsport in India in 2010, we have had the good fortune to see the landscape evolve by leaps and bounds, not just from a talent point of view but also in terms of the ecosystem that supports it. As we begin to prepare for the next season, we have more than one reason to be excited about the change from the Vento to the Ameo and are looking forward to the same. With registrations opening today, we are anticipating to engage with India’s young aspiring racers and find the hidden gems that will help accelerate the sport to the next level in the new year.”
Interested candidates can fill out the registration form available here.
