Pune,  20 March, 2013: Pune-based rally team, Slideways Industries, is all

set to debut the Volkswagen Polo 1.6 in the Indian National Rally

Championship at the AVT Premium South India Rally in Chennai this weekend.

According to a Team Slideways press release, the Polo is the first all-new car to debut in the INRC in over six years and the first hatchback in the rally championship in over a decade. And it comes with first class pedigree, the WRC-spec Polo having just won two of the last three rounds of the World Rally Championship.

Team Slideways Industries, backed by Pune-based Pinnacle Group, will enter

two Polos in the South India Rally driven by Sirish Chandran (co-driver

Nikhil Pai) in the 1600cc class and Rohan Pawar (co-driver Nitin Jacob) in

the Junior INRC class. The cars have been built to FIA Group N regulations

by Chettinad Sporting in Coimbatore under the guidance of Team Slideways

Industries’ technical director Byram Godrej. The car is powered by a

1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that develops over 110 horsepower

thanks to revised ECU mapping and modified intake and exhaust and drives

the front wheels via the standard five-speed gearbox. The only change

permitted to the transmission as per regulations is the inclusion of a

limited slip front differential. The suspension retains the standard

layout and geometry but the dampers are high-spec three-way adjustable

units made by renowned European manufacturers Ohlins and Reiger.

The team completed an extensive test session in Coimbatore last week to

fine tune the suspension setup and check the reliability of the car. “Over

two days we drove the Polo hard and fast and despite hitting everything we

could find the car didn’t breakdown, which is a very encouraging sign for

a car that hasn’t been rallied till now”, says Sirish Chandran. “Being

able to survive such punishment is a testimony to how well built and

incredibly tough the standard road-going Polo is.”

The team also enlisted the help of seven-time national rally champion

Naren Kumar to fine tune the suspension and at the end of the test session

he declared himself happy with the performance and setup. “The suspension

is very good, nearly as good as the N+ suspension we used to run on the

Cedias”, says Naren.

Safety has been given utmost priority and the roll-cage has been designed

to the highest international safety standards while also increasing the

strength of the shell. “The Polo is an inherently tough car and the

torsional rigidity of the shell is unbelievable, so much so that this is

the first rally car I’ve worked on that doesn’t even need strut braces”,

says Byram. “On the handling and reliability front the car is now sorted,

what we need to work on is the engine but we will do that after the first

rally in Chennai. Inherently the engine is very torquey and that will help

us immensely in tight stages, particularly the hairpins where the Polo is

sure to make up time over the other cars.”

Under Group N regulations the gearbox ratios cannot be altered but the

Polo’s shorter ratios will prove to be an asset, making up for its heavier

body shell compared to other cars on the grid. Another big advantage the

Polo has is its compact dimensions and hatchback body shell which makes it

more nimble and chuckable.

“We are hugely excited to debut the Polo in the INRC”, says Rohan Pawar,

team principal, Slideways Industries. “The car is fast, reliable and

crucially exciting to watch. You can’t expect rally fans to come out and

watch cars which have long since ceased production in India; they have

nothing to relate to. With the Polo rally enthusiasts can now look forward

to a contemporary car which looks great while being driven fast and I am

sure it will be a game changer for the INRC, especially with the factory

support of Volkswagen Motorsport.”

Team Slideways Industries has received extensive support from Volkswagen

Motorsport in terms of spares, technical know-how, performance parts and

logistics support. VW Motorsport has in fact dispatched a truck-load of

spares including a spare engine and gearboxes to the South India Rally to

support not just Slideways Industries but any competitor who runs a Polo

in the INRC.

The Polo runs on 195/60 R15 ZDM2 rally tyres made my MRF Tyres which have

been developed not just in India but in the Asia Pacific Rally

Championship where MRF Tyres won the title last year. The tyres are a big

contributor to the performance and handling of the car, both on tarmac and

gravel.

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.

“We have concentrated our resources on running two Polos and making sure

both are reliable; after all to win you have to first finish”, says

Aniruddha who was instrumental in forming the team. “By round three we

hope to have all four Polos ready and by the time we get to our home rally

in Nashik I am sure the car will have made the headlines everywhere.”

Slideways Industries is also proud to welcome Maui Jim as the official eye

wear partner for the team. All the team drivers, co-drivers and technical

personnel will be seen sporting Maui Jim eyewear throughout the season and

fans following the team on its website www.SlidewaysIndustries.com, on

Facebook (www.facebook.com/SlidewaysIndustries) and Twitter

(@SlidewaysInd) will stand to win exciting merchandise throughout the

season.

IRC/INRC Calendar for 2013

Round 1: 22-24 March: MMSC Chennai (Gravel, SSS on tarmac)

Round 2: 12-14 April: Northern Motorsports, Bhuj (Gravel)

Round 3: 17-19 May: Kolkata , RRPM (Gravel)

Round 4: 07-09 June: WISA, Nashik (Tarmac)

Round 5: 25-27 October:  K1000, KMSC Bangalore (Gravel)

Round 6: 29 Nov -01 Dec: MSCC, Chikmagalur (Gravel)

ends