Angad Singh Matharoo kicks off Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2014 with a thrilling win

–Karminder Pal Singh loses win after post race penalty

Coimbatore, May 31, 2014 – The Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2014 got off to a thrilling start as Angad Singh Matharoo won the opening race ahead of Anshul Manoj Shah and Lee Keshav Gupta in an action packed Race 1 at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. Karminder Pal Singh crossed the line in 1st position but was later given a penalty for having overtaken Anshul under yellow flags.
Race 1 started off with pole position winner Karthik Tharani Singh colliding with Anshul at the beginning of lap 1. The race was red–flagged shortly after when Venkatesh Shreyas and Prabhanjan also collided towards the end of lap 1. Karthik and Anshul entered the pit lane in an attempt to fix their cars and get out before the race re–started. There was too much damage on Karthik´s car and he could not make to the restart while Anshul managed to get back on to the grid.

Lee Keshav Gupta had a great start and managed to hold on to the lead ahead of Anshul and fast starting Angad. Karminder moved up into 4th position on lap 4 and soon was on the tail of the leading trio. Anshul continued to put pressure on race leader Lee Keshav but was not close enough to pull off an overtaking move. On Lap 9, he made his move on Lee Keshav and both cars touched giving Anshul the lead and demoting Lee Keshav to 4th position. Karminder took advantage of this situation and attacked Anshul after getting past Angad. On Lap 10, Karminder went down the inside 0f Anshul into Turn 1 to take the lead of the race. As Karminder pulled away ahead, Anshul struggled to hold off Angad and Lee Keshav. Karminder finished ahead while Angad got past Anshul on the penultimate lap to take 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. A post–race investigation saw Karminder overtaking Anshul on Lap 10 under yellow flags and was given a 30 second penalty demoting him to 10th position.

Angad Singh Matharoo, who started in 9th position, was thrilled to inherit the victory and take the early lead in the championship. He commented, "It is not the best way to take the win but after a tough qualifying session I am very happy to win the race. To start 9th on the grid and then win the very first race of the season is an exhilarating feeling. After an average performance in the qualifying, I am delighted to have been able to put in 100% in the race and having won it!"

Anshul Manoj Shah finished in 2nd position and said, "At the first start, I had a big bang in Turn 1 and thought I was out of the race and had to retire to the pits. But Volkswagen mechanics were amazing and helped repair my car and I was able to get back to the grid on time. I would like to personally thank my mechanics for getting my car out in time. This is my first podium finish in Polo R Cup and I couldn’t have been more excited."

Earlier in the day Karthik Tharani Singh managed to pip Lee Keshav to pole position in a closely contested session. The top four cars were covered by less than a tenth of a second with Karminder Pal Singh and Utsav Shah starting on the second row of the grid. Karthik ´s lap of 1:14.394 was just about enough for him to finish ahead of Lee Keshav, who did a 1:14.401.

Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport, was happy to start the season in an exciting manner. He said, "This is a very nice way for me to start here as the new Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India. My team has been excellent since the beginning of the season and have worked hard behind the scenes. I hope the rest of the races are as exciting as this one. Our focus this year has been to invest in drivers and their development. What remains constant though is our endeavour of grooming of young racing talent in India from grass root level. With the inclusion of a mid–season test drive and a mid–season fitness camp we strive to increase drivers’ development. "

JK Tyre Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2014 – Race 1 Classification
1 Angad Singh Matharoo 19:27.3
2 Anshul Anshul 19:29.6
3 Lee Keshav Gupta 19:30.2
4 Gaurav Mehta 19:31.4
5 Utsav Shah 19:35.3
6 Anindith Reddy 19:36.0
7 Ishaan Dodhiwala 19:39.7
8 Bonnie Thomas 19:46.0
9 Karminder Pal Singh 19:54.5
10 Mahatru Mahadev 19:56.7
11 Amlandeep Bora 20:19.7
12 Raaj Sivaram 20:20.4
13 Rajeev Srivastava 20:20.9
14 Yatin Magu DNF
15 Amit Mete DNF
16 Venkatesh Shreyas DNF
17 Prabhanjan DNF
18 Karthik Tharani Singh DNF