The 12th edition of the MRF MMSC Volkswagen Polo National Racing Championship is finally underway. Due to the pandemic, the series spent a year racing virtually. Formerly known as the Polo Cup, the Volkswagen Polo NRC hosted its first round of the 2021 season. The race weekend was held at the Madras Motor Racetrack between 24th to 26th September 2021. A total of 22 drivers from India and neighbouring countries will be competing for the 2021 championship.
The first round held at the MMRT featured two races. The first race saw Bengaluru’s Aditya Swaminathan take a dominant victory. Race 1 opened with drama after Diana Pundole, the only female driver, crashed into the barricade in her efforts to avoid collision with a spinning Shreyas Dhimate. The race was restarted with the remaining 20 drivers which saw Swaminathan win. He was followed by Delhi’s Anmol Singh Sahil finishing second, and Mumbai’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay taking the P3.
Race 2 with the reverse grid saw Pune’s Pratik Sonawane who took the lead from pole-sitter, Ritesh Rai of Chennai in the opening laps. Sonawane went on to win the race. Rai finished second ahead of Ghaziabad’s Siddharth Mehdiratta who took the final podium spot for the race.
Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India said, “I am happy to be back on the track for our 12th edition of the MRF MMSC Volkswagen Polo National Racing Championship. The race weekend turned out to be eventful and power-packed as we witnessed some exhilarating performances and I would like to congratulate, both Aditya and Pratik, winners of the race 1 and 2 of round one. Like always, eagerly looking forward to the second round of the MRF MMSC Volkswagen Polo National Racing Championship 2021.”
The next round of the Volkswagen Polo National Racing Championship is scheduled to take place again at the MMRT in Chennai between December 10-12.
