Mumbai : Volkswagen closed the registrations for the second season of the highly acclaimed Polo Cup India with a record breaking 1,598 entries. Budding racers and motorsports enthusiasts from across India have entered the race towards a chance to be part of this exciting series and maybe even become India’s next Polo Cup Champion.

Commenting on the response received, Dr. John Chacko, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited said, “We are extremely pleased with overwhelming response we have received so far in terms of the number and the quality of the entries. The immense success of the inaugural season of the Polo Cup and the response so far is proof of the latent talent and interest for the sport.”

Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Motorsports, Volkswagen India, said, “Building on the success of the first season, we will ensure that this season is going to be bigger, faster, and packed with a few surprises. Motorsports in India is in full swing with more companies joining the cause, and we at Volkswagen Motorsport are proud to be a part of it.”

The 1,598 registrations represent the incredible reach of the Polo Cup. Volkswagen received a flood of entries spanning India, across various ages and experience levels. A majority of the drivers fall in the 16 – 20 year age group and mostly are from the South or West India. Amateur drivers make up nearly 60% of the total entries received. The recently conducted Amaron Karting Challenge acted as a feeder for the initial selection of the Polo Cup India 2011. The selections were held in 9 cities namely, Goa, Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Coimbatore & Kolhapur.

The selection process will take place in three stages, the first being the recently concluded online registration. The second stage will involve a karting selection in Pune. Those selected will race in the Polo Cup cars for the final round of selection in Coimbatore. Winning teams from every city of Amaron Karting Challenge qualified directly for Final Selection to be held at Coimbatore.

As in the debut season, the Polo Cup India 2011 will present itself with a record field of contenders. 20 firmly registered young drivers aged 16 to 24 will meet on the track in Race Polo cars with identical technology that are centrally tuned and maintained by highly skilled Volkswagen India Factory mechanics. Participants will undergo a strict and rigorous selection process in order to earn a place in the driver seat of the Race Polos.

With body kits buffed and engines tuned, Volkswagen Motorsports is gearing up to kick-off an all new and fuel-injected season of the Polo Cup India this year. Soon the Race Polos’ Diesel engines, the heart of these racing machines, will roar to life thrusting their young drivers towards the coveted title of the Polo Cup Champion 2011.

The inaugural season of the Volkswagen JK Tyre Polo Cup India was a grand success right from the moment the lights turned green. The 6-leg series kicked-off in a unique street race in Pune on May 30, and continued on the race tracks in Coimbatore and Chennai. Out of a record breaking 1,100 applicants, 20 drivers were selected to compete in the series. The championship was a close race right up to the final checkered flag, when Sailesh Bolisetti, the 22-year from Vizag, edged out the 17-year old Parth Ghorpade to win the title of India’s first-ever Polo Cup Champion.

Motor sports enthusiasts interested in getting further information can log on to the website, www.polocup.in. This website will display information about the format of The Polo Cup India, race updates and driver profiles.