Dodhiwala becomes last VW Vento Cup champ

Ishaan Dodhiwala will go down as the last Volkswagen Vento Cup champion as VW plans for a change of machinery for next year.

The final round of the Volkswagen Vento Cup season was the first this year that was not held at the Madras Motor Race Track and, based on media reports, the last race of the series period. The Vento is to give way to the Ameo, which will be modified for the one-make cup series that has been running in India since 2010.

Ishaan Dodhiwala clinched the title by winning one of the two races and finishing second to finally pip the experienced Karminder Singh who was found in a foul mood on the first day. Complaining of “no power” and sulking on account of fuel issues that robbed the Vento Cup cars of some power, Singh was hoping to finish the season on a high note at least.

His mood was a bit better at the end of the weekend as he could at least walk away from the season with a win to his credit. It was an odd thing to complain about though, as the issues with fuel quality affected every driver. Not to mention Singh, in his many attempts to win VW’s cup series, has often –literally – rubbed drivers the wrong way.

A cool head would be advisable for the quick-tempered Singh who has also remained active in the Euro JK16 series and the JK FB02 series that preceded it.

Trailing Dodhiwala by 11 seconds at the end of the first race of the weekend left Singh seething as Asditya Vijay Pawar took third ahead of guest driver Rishaad Mody. With an 11th place finish, that soon became tenth – owing to Mody’s guest status – Jeet Jhabakh was able to secure a scholarship for next year’s cup series on account of sealing the junior driver’s crown.

The final race of the weekend began with Niranjan Todkari starting on pole position alongside guest racer Affan Sadat from Bangladesh on the first row. However, both were unable to hold their position going into the second lap. Gowdham Murugan, who had started fourth on the grid, moved up positions and went on to lead followed by Singh, Mody and title contender Ishaan in tow.

On lap five, Amit Mete lost control of his car and went on to hit the barricades forcing the Safety Car to come out. Amit emerged from the car unhurt but could not continue in the race due to the severity of damages to his car.

At the end of the safety car period, Singh and Dodhiwala were left to battle for the first position while D’Souza was putting pressure on Mody for third. Dodhiwala attempted an unsuccessful move on Karminder at turn four on the last lap. The positions remained the same as the drivers drove past the chequered flag with Singh and Dodhiwala in first and second and Mody in third.

While the Vento Cup was short lived, it added a new dimension to VW’s cup racing program with the shorter wheelbase hatchback Polo being replaced by a car with a little more weight, longer wheelbase and more high-speed stability. Managing that weight proved to be a challenge for many of the drivers, especially given the limited tyre supply over a weekend.

Managing a lot with a little is the best way for racing newbies to get their feet wet and so far VW’s cup racing series sure seems to have shown a more responsible, although no less competitive way to race touring cars as compared to what has normally existed in the country.

Both in terms of racing discipline as well sportsmanship, more senior touring car drivers in India have a lot to learn from VW’s circuit racing program. Not to mention it beats the sight of banged up and ancient cars that do nothing to increase the appeal of what should be a vibrant and popular racing discipline.