Rahil Noorani, driver from Mumbai, clinched the 2013 Volkswagen Polo R Cup title after a podium finish in Race 3. Pune driver Gaurav Mehta won an action filled Race 2 of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup to win his first ever race in a competitive series. South African driver Jeffrey Kruger returned to the top step of the podium at the Buddh International Circuit in Race 3 to end the season on a high. Race 2 was red-flagged after young driver Samarth Jaiswal crashed with the car rolling multiple times. Jaiswal walked away unhurt.
Rahil Noorani commented, “Today happens to be my birthday and this is the best gift I could have given to myself. It was a very emotional moment for me. This is my third attempt and previous two times I missed out by couple of points so this is very special and I can say I am third time lucky. The engineers, mechanics and entire Volkswagen team are responsible for this so a big ‘thank you’ to all of them.”
Yatin Magu commented on his Junior title win, “I am extremely glad to win this title. I was leading before this round and despite no podiums I have been able to finish all the 3 race of this weekend at decent places. This season has been very successful for me and I look forward to more racing in the future.”
Champion of 2013 season, Rahil Noorani has been offered a seat for the whole season of JK Tyre FB 02 2014 and a guest drive at Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup 2014. Jeffrey Kruger was announced the Star of Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2013 and has been offered a Guest drive at the Volkswagen Golf R Cup 2014 in Europe. Yatin Magu has been offered a fully sponsored seat for the next season of Volkswagen Polo R Cup.
Race 2 of this round started with Angad Singh Matharoo on pole alongside New Delhi youngster Lee Keshav Gupta. Both front row drivers got overtaken at the start, allowing third placed driver Gaurav Mehta to jump into the lead as they headed into the first corner. Lee slotted into second place with fast starting Jeffrey Kruger up to second place at the end of lap 1. Jeffrey made his move on Lee on lap 2 and moved in to second place and looking to challenge Gaurav. However the lap was red-flagged on lap 4 when Samarth Jaiswal’s Race Polo made contact on the rear left and flipped multiple times at the penultimate corner. Fortunately the driver walked away unhurt. The race could not restart and Gaurav was adjudged the winner. Jeffrey finished in second place ahead of an impressive Lee who took his second podium of the season.
Race 2 winner Gaurav Mehta commented, “This is probably one of the biggest days of my life. It felt amazing to stand on the top step of the podium. I felt really proud when I heard the Indian national anthem playing for me. I wanted to prove a point after last round’s incident and I am glad I could show people that I have what it takes to win.”
Race 3 saw Jeffrey Kruger on pole position with Karthik Tharani Singh in second place. Jeffrey continued his string of great starts to keep the lead after turn 1 followed by Robyn Kruger and Rahil Noorani. Rahil got a great run on Robyn and managed to pass her on lap 3. Slow starting Karthik Tharani Singh who had slipped down to fourth place also started to put pressure on Robyn. The next lap he also made a move and made it stick as he moved into third position. Meanwhile behind them Prashanth Tharani Singh and Angad Singh Matharoo collided forcing Prashanth to go off and lose positions. Jeffrey crossed the finish line with another brilliant performance with Rahil and Karthkl taking the other two steps on the podium.
“It was another great day of racing for me. The car has been perfect all weekend so I would like to thank the entire Volkswagen team for giving me this opportunity. As I said earlier I love driving on this track and today the crowd played a big role as there were so many people cheering us on. I have had a very good experience driving in India and will take back only positives from here.” said Jeffrey Kruger
Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Motorsports, said, “We had a brilliant ending to the 2013 Volkswagen Polo R Cup. Congratulations to Rahil Noorani for winning the title as he has been the most consistent driver throughout the season. It is great to see youngsters like Gaurav winning and Lee on the podium. Our objective has always been to develop young drivers and the entire team can be extremely proud of the job that they have done. Everyone has worked really hard this year and the results show for itself.
In the Ultima Queens Cup featuring top lady drivers from Europe in Volkswagen Race Polo TDI cars, Dutch Sheila Verschuur stole the show in both the races by wining by big margins.
Race 2 of Round 3 result (provisional):
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Not classified
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Race 3 of Round 4 result (provisional):
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Not classified
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