Pune: Round 2 of the MMSC Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016 concluded at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) near Chennai last month under extreme weather conditions. So far this season has witnessed a variety of podium finishers including guest racers in the recent round. The battle for the Vento Cup only promises to be more exciting as we pass this mid-way mark in the 2016 season.

The Race 3 of the season observed a new face on the podium – Niranjan Todkari along with Keith Desouza and Karminder Pal Singh. Although, Niranjan started on pole position with an impressive lap time in Qualifying, he was unable to capitalise on the same losing his position to Keith. Karminder finished third to complete the podium on day two of the Vento Cup Round 2 after starting sixth on the grid. With extremely hot conditions continuing on day two of the race weekend, the Race 4 of Vento Cup started at noon making it even more challenging for the racers. With the reverse grid in play for the race, Chinese guest driver Li Huiwei and his compatriot He XiXi were in the first row of the start grid followed by Ishaan Dodhiwala in third position and another guest driver Sirish Chandran in fourth place. The race unfolded with a number of overtakes with Ishaan finally taking the win followed by two guest racers Li Huiwei and Sirish Chandran.

The last race of the weekend begun under slightly better conditions and it turned out to be the cleanest one. With second best qualifying considered for the start grid, Niranjan Todkari took pole position once again for the weekend and managed to take a solid victory this time around without any mistakes. This was the first win for Niranjan in the 2016 season having slightly missed the top spot earlier this weekend. Two podium finishes ensured Niranjan’s entry to top 5 of the table adding him to the list of top contenders for the Vento Cup 2016. Keith Desouza and Ishaan Dodhiwala also managed second podium of the weekend with second and third place in Race 5.

Ishaan Dodhiwala continues to lead the table with 240 points after a near-flawless racing through Round 2. Karminder Pal Singh stands second with 228 points followed very closely by Keith Desouza who holds 222 points. After an impressive two podium finishes at the weekend Nirajan Todkari now stands fourth with 182 points. Jeet Jhabakh stands fifth in the overall standings with 154 points. Jeet has performed the best amongst the Junior Drivers in every race and has thus clinched maximum points in their tally which puts him in the strongest contention for the title of Junior Drivers.

Reflecting on the current Vento Cup 2016 standings Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India commented “The first two rounds of the Vento Cup 2016 had number of winners on the podium making the season exciting so far. After crossing the halfway mark in the 2016 season it is encouraging to see a marginal points’ gap amongst the top three racers, this further promises for the upcoming round to be nail biting and thrilling one. The maturity of the racers in the Vento Cup 2016 is noteworthy – the second round was under extreme conditions and the racers kept their cool on the race track.”