Avdumber Hede on Pole Position for the Inaugural Race of Polo R Cup 2012

The all new TSI Race Polo clocks 1:15.474, almost 2 seconds faster than last year's best lap time, 1:17.305

Coimbatore, July 7, 2012: Last year's second runner-up Avdumber Hede put an impressive lap to clinch pole position for the first race of the third season of the 2012 Polo R Cup at the Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore. The Goan driver clocked a quick time of 1:15.474 on the 2.2 km track and will be joined by A. Sandeep Kumar from Chennai on the front row, with a lap time of 1:15.680. Anthony George from Kothamangalam and Deigo Duez from Mexico will start in third and fourth positions respectively.

The newly introduced petrol TSI Race Polo made an exciting debut with drivers getting a first taste of their 2012 challengers. The TSI Race Polo is almost 2 seconds faster compared to last year's Round One on the same track where Vishnu Prasad had clocked a time of 1:17.305. This year's Polo R Cup will see 8 drivers making their debut in the third season of the championship.

Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Motorsports, said, "This is a big moment for us as the new petrol TSI Race Polo took to the track. The whole team has been working very hard to ensure the cars are ready for the inaugural race. We are confident that this season will be even more thrilling as the cars are even closer than last year's".

After claiming Pole Position, Avdumber Hede said, "It feels great to start the season off on such a great note. My plan was to go out and do a few laps to get more comfortable with the new petrol TSI Race Polo. I am looking forward to convert this lead into a race win, which however will not be easy as the drivers around me are also looking very quick".

A.Sandeep Kumar from Chennai, second on the grid, said, "I was confident as I did well during the pre-season test and practice sessions. I missed pole by two-tenths of a second but I am hoping to convert my front row start into a win. I am looking forward to an exciting race tomorrow".

Note:
Comp 19: 5 grid penalty for change of engine

The Polo R Cup 2012 will have six race weekends, which is similar to previous year's schedule. The season has begun with the current round and will be on till November of this year. Besides Coimbatore, race will take place on Chennai and Noida tracks, as per calendar below:

· Round 2 July 27-29, 2012 Coimbatore KMS
· Round 3 Aug 24-25, 2012 Chennai MMRT
· Round 4 Sep 15-16, 2012 Chennai MMRT
· Round 5 Nov 30-Dec 02, 2012 Noida JPSI
· Round 6 Dec 14-16, 2012 Chennai MMRT

Thanks to its proven concept of promoting young talent abroad, the Polo Cup enjoys the reputation of being an ideal stepping stone to enter professional racing. Building on its success of two great seasons since its inception in 2010, Volkswagen Motorsport hopes to make the Polo R Cup this year an exciting and challenging season in the Indian Motorsports calendar.