The driver selection process for the upcoming season of Vento Cup concluded in Pune last week. The 45 days selection process was conducted by Volkswagen Motorsport India and garnered 560 entries from across the country. Out of the 560 entries, 62 racers qualified for the final round and were invited to Pune’s Indi Karting Track for the final selection process. The finalists were judged on various criteria like fitness, driving skills, grasping and learning ability and discipline. Finally 12 participants of the finalists lot were selected for the Vento Cup 2016 season that is scheduled to commence from June 2016.
Volkswagen Motorsport India will run it one-make touring car racing series Vento Cup as a part of the 2016 MMSC FMSCI Indian Racing Championship. A grid of 20 drivers including eight drivers from previous seasons of Volkswagen Motorsport India’s Vento Cup/Polo Cup and 12 new drivers will compete in the event. These 20 drivers will compete with each other in four rounds across three race tracks in India – Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore; Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai and Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida. The final drivers of the 2016 season will now undergo a Fitness Camp and a Pre-Season Testing before the first competitive round of the year.
On the occasion, Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, commented that every year the event receives a number of entries from aspiring racers showing their willingness to participate in the Vento Cup. It has been Volkswagen Motorsport India’s goal to develop and nurture young talent since its inception in 2009 and the company is able to coach so many drivers every year and provide them with a strong and robust platform like the Vento Cup. He further added, this year too Volkswagen Motorsport India witnessed some very talented individuals who are willing to learn the skills of racing and make their mark in Motorsport. 12 new drivers are selected this year and they will join eight drivers from the previous seasons and battle for championship honours. Interestingly 17 drivers are up to the age of 26 years.
The following drivers will form the grid of the Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016*:
| Sr. No. | Name | Age | City |
| 1 | Aditya Mhatre | 22 | Mumbai |
| 2 | Amit Mete | 27 | Aurangabad |
| 3 | Arfath Mohammed | 19 | Chennai |
| 4 | Arunshowry Vallabhaneni | 21 | New Delhi |
| 5 | Eswar Bolisetti | 20 | Visakhapatanam |
| 6 | Gowdham Murugan | 26 | Coimbatore |
| 7 | Harjee Wadia | 17 | New Delhi |
| 8 | Harshavardhan Saravanan | 19 | Chennai |
| 9 | Hatim Shabbir | 20 | Chennai |
| 10 | Ishaan Dodhiwala | 25 | Hyderabad |
| 11 | Ishan Bhardwaj | 24 | New Delhi |
| 12 | Keith Desouza | 22 | Goa |
| 13 | Mohamed Jamil | 24 | Pudukkottai |
| 14 | Nachappa Sivanesan | 29 | Chennai |
| 15 | Neha Dabas | 25 | New Delhi |
| 16 | Niranjan Todkari | 22 | Pune |
| 17 | Pradeep Rao | 26 | Mumbai |
| 18 | Rashad Khan | 19 | Pune |
| 19 | Sailesh Bolisetti | 27 | Visakhapatanam |
| 20 | Venkatraj Ellendula | 20 | Secunderabad |
*The list of drivers is provisional and subject to changing under certain circumstances