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Here's a look at the achievements of Volkswagen Motorsport India during the 2018 season of the Indian National Rally Championship...

The 2018 season of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) was, without doubt, an absolute thriller for the competitors and spectators alike. While we often concentrate almost entirely on the drivers who take on the challenging rally stages, we tend to overlook those who play a vital role behind the scenes, more specifically, the <a href="https://www.autox.com/motorsport-news/">motorsport</a> teams who provide and prep the rally machines.

One such team is Volkswagen Motorsport India (VMI), which extends technical assistance and parts support to all the participating Volkswagen <a href="https://www.autox.com/new-cars/">cars</a> during the INRC season. It is also claimed to be the only&nbsp;factory team that supports privateers with the&nbsp;technical expertise and spares by being present at various rounds of the championship with its race technicians and other support staff. By doing so, VMI ensures that smaller teams are able to compete on equal ground&nbsp;in the competition by providing them with the&nbsp;technical know-how of a factory team.

The 2018 season the INRC was particularly rewarding for the Pune-based team&nbsp;as its Polo and Polo R2 managed to bag 37 podium finishes and 10 victories (inclusive of all INRC categories - INRC 1, INRC 2 and INRC 3) during the entire season. Running the Volkswagen Polo, teams Arka Motorsports, Snap Racing and Team Champions gave each other a tough competition in INRC 2. Piloting the Polo for team Arka Motorsport was Karna Kadur, who clinched the INRC 2 title.

VMI also brought in a factory-prepped Polo R2 for three of the five rounds during the season. While guest drivers Vicky Chandhok and co-driver Chandramouli entered the Chennai round, Akbar Ebrahim and co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy helmed the R2 at the Coimbatore round and in its final outing, the R2 was driven by Sirish Chandran along with co-driver Aniruddha Rangnekar in Kochi. The R2 proved its worth by fetching the team three podium finishes in its three outings.

Talking about the Polo's success in the 2018 INRC season, Mr&nbsp;Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India said, '2018 has been a brilliant year for us. I am extremely happy to see the Polo being successful across categories, especially bagging the INRC 2 and INRC 3 titles. There was a lot of learning for the teams and the drivers through the year, including for us at the factory. Our Polo R2 ran superbly and grabbed a podium in each of its entry and that speaks volumes of its potential.'

'We are now all set to build rally cars for our customers across INRC 1, INRC 2 and INRC 3 categories and deliver them before the start of the season,' he added.

A successful rally season for Volkswagen Motorsport India in the FMSCI INRC 2018

The 2018 season of the INRC has been full of worthy achievements for Volkswagen Motorsport India. The team's Polo and Polo R2 rose to the challenge and bagged numerous podium finishes for the team.

Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif's unexpected exit on the last day gave Ghosh and Naik the ultimate opportunity to secure a win for team Mahindra Adventure in Round Three of the INRC 2018.&nbsp;

Well, it was Arunachal Pradesh's turn to play host to Round Three of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2018. Termed as the Rally of Arunachal, the two-day round gave spectators a one-of-a-kind opportunity to witness the kings of gravel and muddy terrain to showcase their skills on tarmac&nbsp;which was indeed a first for any round of the INRC yet. With this unique aspect, the overall setup of Round Three was straightforward: Seven Special Stages (SS1-SS7) spread across two days with each one running a distance of 14.30kms on a winding patch of National Highway 415 (between Itanagar and Hollongi). Continuing with the usual modus operandi, the competitors were divided into three vehicle classes - INRC 1, 2 and 3. The rally was flagged off on 2nd November 2018 in the august&nbsp;presence of the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Pema Khandu.

<img alt="Gill/Sherif And Ghosh/Naik" height="" src="/uploads/2018/11/Gill-and-Ghosh.jpg" width="" />

Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif, who had been dominating this year's competition with wins in both Round One and Two, fell victims to a mechanical failure (driveshaft issues) during the penultimate stage (SS6) of the Rally of Arunachal which gave their teammates, Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, a chance to post a victory in Round Three, both in the INRC 1 category as well as in the overall standings, with an overall stage time of 00:57:33.6. Prior to their misfortune in SS6, Gill and Sherif also suffered a puncture during SS2 which allowed Ghosh and Naik to post the fastest time in that stage, Notably, this was the first ever stage defeat&nbsp;conceded by Gill and Sherif in the 2018 season.

<img alt="Ghosh and Naik - Rally of Arunachal 2018" height="" src="/uploads/2018/11/vlcsnap-2018-11-05-15h34m25s532.png" width="" />

However, Ghosh and Naik did not have a smooth journey either. The duo&nbsp;finished SS1 in 9th place which was against all expectations. Apparently, their Super XUV was not firing on all cylinders because of which they suffered a significant power loss. However, they had the car fixed before SS2. They then went on to gain the top spot on the leaderboard by the end of SS6 and were able to defend their lead in SS7 which gave them their first victory of the 2018 season. In terms of the teams competing, despite the leaderboard swap in Round Three, the silverware still went home with Mahindra Adventure.

<img alt="Phalguna Urs and Srikanth" height="" src="/uploads/2018/11/Phalguna-Urs-Srikanth.jpg" width="" />

Behind the first-placed Mahindra duo by just 5.9 seconds, with an overall stage time of 00:57:39.5, Phalguna Urs and Srikanth of team Snap Racing secured an overall second place but, they managed to sweep the silverware in the INRC 2 category. Dean Mascarenhas and Shruptha Padival, ironically, of Team Champions, were crowned champions in the INRC 3 category which meant an overall third place finish for the duo.

<img alt="Prize Ceremony Rally Of Arunachal 2018" height="" src="/uploads/2018/11/Prize-ceremony-Rally-of-Arunachal.jpg" width="" />

With Round Three done and dusted, the 2018 season of the INRC is still left with two more rounds to go, which will take place in December 2018.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

RESULTS:&nbsp;

Overall Round Standings

1. Amittrajit Ghosh | Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure; 00:57:33.6) 
2. Phalguna Urs | Srikanth (Snap Racing; 00:57:39.5) 
3. Dean Mascarenhas | Shruptha Padival (Team Champions; 00:57:57.7)

INRC 1

1. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure; 00:57:33.6) 2. Lokesh Gowda / Venu Ramesh Kumar (Team Champions; 01:07:20.8)&nbsp;

INRC 2

1. Phalguna Urs / Srikanth (Snap Racing; 00:57:39.5) 
2. Karna Kadur / PVS Murthy (Arka Motorsports; 00:58:37.0) 
3. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Y Bhatt (Arka Motorsports; 00:58:55.2)

INRC 3&nbsp;

1. Dean Mascarenhas / Shruptha Padival (Team Champions; 00:57:57.7) 
2. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falkon Motorsports; 01:05:17.0) 
3. Phurpa Tsering / Chow Tiktha (Phurpa Tsering; 01:14:57.9)

INRC 2018 Round 3: Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik bag a dominant win at the Rally of Arunachal

Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif's unexpected exit on the last day gave Ghosh and Naik the ultimate opportunity to secure a win for team Mahindra Adventure in Round Three of the INRC 2018.

Raghul Rangasamy converted his first pole of the season into a commanding victory in the MRF F1600 class as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship got underway at the MMRT in Chennai. The other two podium positions were bagged by Sandeep Kumar and Nirmal Uma Shanker, who finished second and third, respectively. Raghul and Sandeep were separated by a gap of just 2.1 seconds when they crossed the finish line.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<img alt="Sandeep Kumar in Car #6" height="" src="/uploads/2018/08/39409495-1063988583757986-12289099729731584-n.jpg" width="" />

The racer from Mamallapuram moved past championship leader Ashwin Datta, who, unlike his dominating round one performance, was unable to improve upon his starting position and finished a distant eighth. With two more races remaining in this round, Rangasamy has 109 points to Datta’s 100. The championship winner, at the end of the season, earns a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States, due this winter.

<img alt="Ashwin Datta in Car #7" height="" src="/uploads/2018/08/39453746-1063988597091318-8306847499314790400-n.jpg" width="" />

Summing up his win, Rangasamy said,''I started thinking what I would say at the post-race interview and stuff like that. As my thoughts wandered, so did the pace. Suddenly, I saw Sandeep Kumar catching up and it woke me up! I am absolutely exhausted! I am not a gym person like others drivers. I reacted a bit late to the lights at the start, but otherwise, it was a good launch and I quickly built up a big lead.''

Raghul Rangasamy emerges victorious in round four of the MRF F1600

Raghul Rangasamy has been able to put an end to Ashwin Datta's dominating performance in the MRF F1600 racing series.

Inrc 2018

A successful rally season for Volkswagen Motorsport India in the FMSCI INRC 2018

INRC 2018 Round 3: Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik bag a dominant win at the Rally of Arunachal

Raghul Rangasamy emerges victorious in round four of the MRF F1600

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