VW Ameo Cup Media Race
We go all out in a special challenge
There’s one factor that every sportsperson struggles with–pressure. Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy and the rest of Lose Yourself by Eminem played through in my head as I was sitting strapped tight in the one piece fibreglass OMP race seat. Chennai’s 30 plus degrees of heat can be relentless, the light breeze being the only saving grace. The 30 seconds board is flashed as the flock of mechanics and technicians vacate the track leaving behind an eerie silence. The drone of idling engines had become an omnipresent background noise through the last couple of days. These were the final few seconds of calm when suddenly, a revving Race Ameo got my attention. Five seconds to start. Launch control engaged, throttle pinned to the floor, clutch pedal ready to be released. “Don’t screw it up, don’t screw it up,” my mind repeated. One, two, three, four, five,
the start lights come on and then go out in a flash. I drop the clutch and the race is on.
That was the last time I saw red lights in front of me. Starting from pole position, the mounting pressure to get a good start, get the launch right, avoid mistakes, not be overtaken and finally win, was nerve-rack- ing. Once I got the perfect start to lead the pack of 11 journalists, only one part of that pressure was released. I had a rather aggressive Ameya Dandekar (from Carwale.com) on my tail waiting for me to make a mistake. “Don’t look into the mirror, just don’t!” An advice from a friend rang in my head as a reminder but I have to admit it was difficult not to. Dandekar wasn’t far away. I had just about fended him off at the start but the first real opportunity to overtake was fast approaching. “Brake, brake, brake, brrr...!” I overshot my braking marker, the racing slick tyres hadn’t come up to temperature neither
had the brakes. A bit of extra steering and throttle management saw all four wheels remain on the black stuff. Dandekar wasn’t as lucky. Target fixation made him mirror my mistakes and got the better of him and his second position. Now I had Ashok George (of Top Gear India) behind me but rapidly reducing to a dot in the mirror.
Nearly a year back, I had raced the VW Ameo Cup car as a guest racer in the one make championship. Not wanting to sabotage points chasing title contenders, I was in it for the experience. To say that I came back mighty impressed would be an understatement, I was raring to have a go at it again. Part Golf GTI, part race car, the Race Ameo only looks like its road-going brother. The 1.8-litre, turbocharged, 205bhp beast inside the bonnet still has a quarter of its performance capabilities reserved. Yes, an additional 130bhp can be released but the Ameo Cup is an entry-level series meant to not be intimidating for people taking baby steps towards tin-top racing. The fact that it can still make rookies clock similar times as the top-rated Indian Touring Car championship race cars is a testament to its engineering. From the quick shifting 3MO dog box, to the LSD equipped front axles, to the KW dampers, to the telemetry setup by MoTeC, everything reeks of top-notch quality and performance.
Winning is not all machine though. The bloke at the wheel is the connecting link between all the components and the car rolling on the black top. Of course, VW makes things
THE FACT THAT THE AMEO CUP CAR CAN MAKE ROOKIES CLOCK SIMILAR TIMES AS THE ITC CARS IS A TESTAMENT TO ITS ENGINEERING
easy with the auto shifts but extracting every ounce of performance still lies in the fluidity of throttle use within the limits of grip at the front.
A full weekend of racing left me with more things to learn. The importance of following set racing lines but trusting yourself to make new ones within them. It also taught me the significance of knowing the car’s limits but pushing your own and most importantly, consistency. To lead the timing charts and eventually end up on the podium, every lap has to be completed in an increasing effort to better the last lap. Mistakes need to be learnt from and driving techniques improvised, all to gain a few tenths. Every race car has a limit where performance and subsequently lap times taper off. There’s much to be learnt to reach this limit and more fun to be had when driving at that limit. This is what separates the track from the streets.
As the 2018 season of racing promises new thrills and excitement, a new breed of racers will be learning the ropes. Programmes likes the Volkswagen Ameo Cup promises top levels of racing experience, taking budding racing careers to international arenas.