2015 Volkswagen Vento Cup Round 1 – Sailesh and Karminder win inaugural round

After five years since its inception in 2011, the German car maker decided to shift from the Polo R Cup to Vento Cup in 2015. The all-new car and new faces in the championship meant that the 2015 Vento Cup round 1 had all the makings of an exciting weekend and it was. Sailesh Bolisetti who was making a comeback made a strong statement as he grabbed pole position for race 1 on Saturday. The young driver made full use of his pole advantage as he raced away when the lights went off to etch a comfortable lead over his rivals.  Anindith Reddy though wasn’t as lucky as a poor start meant he lost two positions in the opening lap itself. Further down the grid, Karminder Singh who qualified fifth showcased his talent as he fought his way to the top and was in second place. Reddy recovered from his poor start and after a hard fought battle passed Singh and finished the race in second place and Singh had to be content with third place. Sailesh Bolisetti had won the inaugural Polo R Cup in 2011 and coincidentally he was the first winner of Vento Cup as well.

Talking about his win, Sailesh Bolisetti, winner of Race 1 commented, “I got off to a strong start and managed to build up a strong lead till mid-way. However, in the second half of the race, I wasn’t able to brake as hard and started losing a few seconds to Anindith. Though I managed to keep my lead till the chequered flag, I am already tensed for the Race 2 tomorrow where I will be starting from the eighth spot due to reverse grid.”

Reverse grid start for the Race 2 of the Volkswagen Vento Cup meant it was Vigneshwar Devarajan on pole followed by Sahil Gahuri in second, Sidharth Balasundaram in third. Karminder Singh made a stoking start from sixth place as he climbed up to the third spot in the opening lap itself. There was high drama in second lap as Harkishan Wadia went off on the first corner and toppled causing a red flag situation. Gladly he escaped the accident unhurt and the race was restarted under safety car. Vigneshwar, who had started from pole, maintained his lead all the way till the seventh lap. But a hard charging Karminder came from the back and overtook Vignesh cleanly to take the race lead. Anindith made steady progress to grab second place by end of lap nine. Debutant Sahil, who was racing only for the second time, kept his cool throughout the race and managed to finish third and the pecking order remain unchanged till chequered flag.

Karminder Singh, winner of Race 2 said, “I wanted to stay out of any trouble at the start and so kept it cool and came out clean in the first few laps. After the race restart, I started making my moves and finally came up on the top by mid-race. From there onwards, I kept my concentration high and ensured I maintained adequate lead to take the chequered flag. I am really happy to have scored two podiums at the opening round of the Vento Cup 2015.”

The Round 2 of the Volkswagen Vento Cup will be held From September 4-6th AT Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore before action shifts to BIC track in Greater Noida for the remainder two rounds.