Volkswagen Vento Cup Race Car for 2015 Revealed

Volkswagen India has taken the wraps off the Vento Cup race car. The Vento Cup is a one-make car racing series that will kick off later this year as a replacement to the Polo Cup here. The race-spec Polo hatchback has now been replaced by a race-tuned Vento sedan. The Vento race car gains 1.4 liter TSI turbo petrol engine that borrows from the Jetta sedan.

From here on, the differences get starker. The Vento in race trim sees the engine get a up tune to 177 Bhp of peak power while peak torque hits the 250 Nm mark. The 1.4 liter TSI motor’s higher state of tune will require the usage of high octane petrol. The same engine, on the Jetta makes 122 Bhp-200 Nm.

A 6 speed twin clutch DSG automatic gearbox sends torque to the front wheels. In terms of other changes, a full fledged roll cage with a six point harness, racing seat, a completely stripped out interiors to cut down on weight and minimalist equipment is what the Vento cup racer will feature.

Considerably lighter than the stock Vento sedan that is sold in India and significantly more powerful, the one-make series race car is expected to be much faster in terms of acceleration and top speed. Volkswagen has plans of launching high performance variants of the Polo hatchback in India. It remains to be seen if the Vento gets a similar treatment.

The Vento cup car will be raced at three levels, Junior, Master and Pro. Taking part in the Junior series will set one back by 8 lakh rupees, while the Master series will see a fee of 12 lakh rupees. Competing in the Pro category is the most expensive of the lot, at 14 lakh rupees. The mandatory safety deposit and taxes are exclusive of the participation fee, which just covers the cost of hiring the race car and track charges.

The German automaker’s racing arm, Volkswagen Racing, has begun accepting entries for the Vento Cup’s 2015 edition. For the actual race series, 24 drivers will be shortlisted after intense selection rounds. To register for the Vento Cup of 2014, click here.