Team Slideways to debut Volkswagen Polo 1.6 in INRC

Indian National Rally Championship is back and Pune-based rally team, Slideways industries, has its eyes on the crown as it is all set to debut the Volkswagen Polo 1.6 in the championship at the AVT premium south India rally in Chennai. It’s been over ten years since a hatchback has raced in the INRC and over six years since an all new car participated in the rally and Volkswagen Polo 1.6 has just changed that fact.

Team Slideways Industries, which are backed by Pune-based Pinnacle group, will enter two Polos in the rally. The one in the junior INRC class will be driven by Rohan Pawar (co-driver Nitin Jacob) and the Polo in the 1600cc class will be driven by Sirish Chandran (co-driver Nikhil Pai). The cars which come equipped with a 1.6 litre four cylinder petrol engine develop over 110PS thanks to a remapped ECU, modified intake and exhausts. The front wheels are driven by a standard five speed gearbox and the only change permitted by the rules is the inclusion of a limited slip differential. The high spec dampers which are adjustable are manufactured by the European manufacturer Ohlins and Reiger. The cars which confirm to all the rules and regulations laid out by the FIA are built by Chettinad sporting in Coimbatore.

The cars have undergone an extensive test session in Coimbatore to check for any reliability issues and to fine tune the suspension setup. The roll cage of the car has been designed as per the international regulations as safety has been given the utmost priority. Since the car’s body shell is the toughest in the class, it’s heavier and that issue has been sorted out by the cars shorter ratios. Also, due to its size and compact dimensions, the car is much more nimble to chuck around corners.

Team Slideways industries have not only received extensive support from Volkswagen Motorsport in terms of spares, technical know-how and logistics but have also been provided with truck loads of spares including spare
engines and gearboxes for them as well as any team that races a Polo in the INRC. The team will also run two Balenos, for Byram Godrej (co-driver Prajval Pai) and Aniruddha Rangnekar (co-driver Harrish Kumar) in the 1600
class.

The Polo runs on MRF tyres sized 195/60 R15 which have been developed in India for rally specific purpose. Team Slideways Industries are concentrating on prepping up two Polos for now and by round three, they aim to race four Polos in their home rally in Nashik. With Polo being the newest kid on the block at the INRC in a very long time, it will be an interesting watch for the rally enthusiasts as well as the viewers and it might as well prove to be the trump card for INRC.

By Team Overdrive
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