According to recent reports, Volkswagen India is all set to bring the Race of Champions (ROC) to India. The inaugural Indian Race of Champions (IROC) will be conducted in Pune, Maharashtra on June 02, 2012.
Incepted in the year 1998, the ROC has been an annual feature of the motor racing calendar. In 2011, the event was hosted in Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, when Sebastian Ogier, who represented the Volkswagen WRC racing team on the track, secured the first position and was given the title of 'Champion of Champions'. He competed against various reputed F1, WRC and saloon car drivers, such as Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Tom Kristensen. Cars like VW Scirocco, Fabia S2000 rally car and Audi R8 LMS of the Volkswagen Group raced in last year's event.
The Indian version of the ROC will be an equally high profile event and will be conducted indoors under floodlit conditions. As per the norms, the cars will race on two parallel tracks and a crossover bridge. Models sold by Volkswagen Group, which includes brands like Audi, VW and Skoda, are expected to race in the IROC. All cars will be modified to make them suitable for the race and will be fitted with competition-level roll cages and safety harnesses.
In the event, drivers will be divided into three categories, namely current Indian and International pros, legend racers and current and former Polo Cup India racers. Each category will have 10 racers, though the final line-up has not been declared yet. Considering the audience-friendly nature of the tournament, it is expected that Volkswagen India will not face any challenges in making the inaugural event a success in the country.
Reportedly, the format of the Indian version of the event will differ from that of the international editions. It is expected that the racers will be limited to just one model for each round in the former, while they could use multiple cars for each knockout in the latter. This means that racers cannot use separate cars for different legs of the tournament and will be restricted to one model only.
