The Coffee Day Rally which is the fifth and last round of INRC 2013 season will be held at Chikmagalur from 19th December to 21st December 2013. The starting grid at the Coffee Day Rally will witness as many as 11 Volkswagen Polo rally cars as more and more privateers make a shift to the German car owing to its competitive potential and technical and spares support offered by Volkswagen Motorsport India. These 11 cars will include the Polo R2 that is being developed by Volkswagen Motorsport India at the factory level and which will make its official debut in 2014 season.
As the Indian National Rally Championship 2013 season draws closer to end of season, Volkswagen Motorsport India prepares to do its final test and take feedback from its Polo R2 that will be running the full competitive season next year. The Polo R2 made its first appearance at the previous round of K1000 Rally in Bangalore. Along with the Polo R2, the factory-developed Group N car will also be running in Chikmagalur. In total, the Coffee Day Rally at Chikmagalur will witness a total of 11 Volkswagen Polo rally cars competing in three categories – IRC, INRC1600 and JINRC
The Chikmagalur rally has been sponsored by Coffee Day in association with Volkswagen, organized by Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) and hosted by The Serai Resorts, Chikmagalur This year, the Special Stages of Coffee Day Rally at Chikmagalur will run on newly created dirt routes through the premises of Amalgamated Bean Coffee (ABC) Trading Company. The Super Special Stage will be held at Amber Valley Residential School, Chikmagalur. The total Special Stage distance of the rally will be 113.50 km and liaison distance would be 171.20 km. The Coffee Day Rally is a candidate event for the 2014 Asia Cup and will be observed by FIA Observer, Mr. Nanthan of Malaysia and the logistics will be examined by Mr. Murray Brown of New Zealand.
Mr. Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, said, “Coffee Day Rally is one of the iconic rallies in the country and it’s a great pleasure to be associated with it this year. This rally, which is very challenging rally for the cars and drivers, is no wonder a contender for hosting a round of the Asia Cup for the 2014 season. Karamjit Singh, driving in Volkswagen Motorsport-developed Polo R2 did a great job at K1000 and we expect him to help us develop the car further this time. From the team perspective, our customer team Slideways Industries is leading the championship and I would like to wish them as well as all other participants all the best for the last rally of the season.”
Mr. Venkatesh, Director, Coffee Day Hotels and Resorts, said “The Coffee Day Rally has become a tradition and year after year people from all over the country arrive in Chikmagalur to witness world class rally drivers compete against one another in demanding conditions. This year too we expect over 7000 spectators to be present for the rally. At Coffee Day we are very passionate about motorsports and hope to see India become a force to reckon with in the international circuit in the next few years. This year, for the first time, the Coffee Day Championship Rally – 2013 will run in four Coffee Day estates spread over 2500 acres namely Chetanahalli, Kumaragode, Chandrapore and Jagrimane, ” he added.