Volkswagen Vento Cup Track Experience

The free flow exhaust system is a treat to every petrolhead’s ears

The DSG gearbox is super quick giving instant downshifts and upshifts with a click of the paddle shifts. Before entering the back straight, downshift a couple of gears and the kickback sound from the free flow exhaust is amazing. Coming to the straight I went full out with the throttle, the RPM needle spins like crazy hitting the 7000 RPM limiter in a blink. The screaming note of the engine and exhaust is very satisfying and it is loud even inside the cabin, further pumping your adrenaline along with the mental acceleration. Towards the end of the straight I managed to hit the 190 km/hr top speed of the Race Vento.

Hard on the brakes at the end of the back straight and it just blows your mind the way it sheds speed. It is equipped with 334 mm self-ventilated discs at the front and 232 mm discs at the rear with uprated calipers. That along with the slicks make the brakes super effective and you can brake very late before entering a corner. While taking the corner hard, the slick tyres provided excellent grip and the performance focussed suspension setup offers fantastic handling.

The suspension setup includes McPherson Struts at the front and Torsion Beam axle at the rear, both come with Bump & Rebound Adjustable Sachs Dampers and Modified Kinematics. This setup simply changes the dynamics of the Vento altogether. There is a limited slip differential too and VW has managed to shed a lot of weight, the Race Vento weighs 1225 kgs while the regular 1.2 TSI Vento weighs 1720 kgs. So there is literally no body roll while cornering and the car feels very nimble and light, making it super fun on the track.

Getting the taste of Motorsport from behind the wheel is quite a rare experience. Driving the Race Vento on the BIC made me realise the great potential this German sedan has on offer. After having driven the road going Vento multiple times, the extreme performance oriented character of the race specced machine took my breath away. If you really have the moolah and are passionate enough to make your career in the world of Motorsport, this can be a big stepping stone for you. Volkswagen has come up with Ameo Cup now and you can register in three categories – Junior, Pro and Master. The participation fee for the current seasons starts at Rs. 8.50 lakhs. And yes, you need to be really fit having a strong stamina to be able to fit in those race seats and drive around the track for multiple hours relentlessly.