Volkswagen Polo R Cup India driver Munjal Savla stole the show at the Colombo Night Races 2012. Munjal, who was also the pole sitter, made no mistake and used his 3 years of Race Polo driving experience to the fullest. He was followed by the Polo R Cup India 2012, Pro-category champion from Chennai, A. Sandeep Kumar and 2012 JK Tyre National Karting Champion from Mumbai, Ameya Bafna. Early day break and time constraints resulted in few races being cancelled including Race 2 of Volkswagen Polo.
Last night saw the Qualifying session being dominated by Munjal. Qualifying was restricted to 3 timed laps owing to time restrictions, forcing the drivers to adapt quickly and put in hot laps right from the start with no room for error. Munjal set the pace and set the fastest lap time of 2:05.71 minutes. Ameya was almost a second slower and joined Munjal on the front row at the 2nd position. Sandeep and Angad Singh Matharoo were at 3rd and 4th position respectively.
In the race, Munjal capitalized on his pole position and took a good lead. He pushed his Race Polo to the maximum, never having to look back. He led throughout the race to take an easy victory. Sandeep, starting from 3rd position on the grid, had a great start and made an early move in lap 1 to move up a position ahead of Ameya. Sandeep and Ameya had a good battle between them in the first few laps for the 2nd spot but later Sandeep managed to pull away from the young karting champion to finish 2nd on the podium while Ameya had to settle at the 3rd position.
Munjal was ecstatic on his incredible win. He said, “Winning here for second time in a row feels amazing. Winning the pole position by a second made me confident of winning the race. Though I started with a few mistakes in lap 1, I managed to keep my lead and made no further errors. My driving experience here last year really helped me to be at the top of my game. Street racing is absolutely fun and driving in front of a super-charged crowd is a hair-raising experience. I hope we get to do this more often.”
“The Colombo Night Race last year is a memorable experience and this year it was incredible with drivers enjoying this experience thoroughly! It requires special fitness on both physical and mental level to be driving under flood lights on a street circuit but the racers adapted quickly to the situation. Our drivers proved their mettle by bringing out excellent results here in Colombo and we are proud of them,” said Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India. He further added, “We are grateful to Carlton Motor Sports Club, Asian Motor Racing Club (AMRC) and Sri Lanka Motor Cycle Club (SLMCC) for the support and coordination. We look forward to continue this association in the years to come.”
Qualifying Grid:
Car no: 78 Munjal Savla
Car no: 80 Ameya Bafna
Car no: 77 A. Sandeep Kumar
Car no: 76 Angad Singh Matharoo
Car no: 73 Romani De Silva
Car no: 79 Saurav Bandyopadhay
Car no: 71 Upulwan Serasinghe
Car no: 72 Rohitha Rajapakshe
Car no: 70 Sumanapala Mannapperuma
Car no: 75 Niranjan Todkari
Results of the Race:
Car no: 78 Munjal Savla (Mumbai)
Car no: 77 Sandeep Kumar (Chennai)
Car no: 80 Ameya Bafna (Mumbai)
Car no: 73 Romani De Silva (Sri Lanka)
Car no: 71 Upulwan Serasinghe (Sri Lanka)
Car no: 72 Rohitha Rajapakshe (Sri Lanka)
Car no: 75 Niranjan Todkari (Aurangabad)
Car no: 70 Sumanapala Mannapperuma (Sri Lanka)
Car no: 79 Saurav Bandyopadhay (Mumbai)
Did Not Finish
Car no: 76 Angad Singh Matharoo (Chandigarh)
Motor sports enthusiasts interested in getting further information can log on to the website, www.polocup.in. This website displays information about Polo R Cup format, race updates and driver profiles. Follow Polo R Cup on www.facebook.com/vwpolocupIndia.