Vicky Chandhok comes back to competitive rallying

Vicky Chandhok is back! The motorsport veteran will be competing at the first round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2018 on April 27. He will be piloting a Volkswagen Polo R2 rally car, along with co-pilot Chandramouli from Bengaluru. Vicky returns to competitive rallying after a 17-year hiatus. His last outing in competitive motorsport was in 2000 when he drove in the South India Rally.

While Karun Chandhok may be an inspiration for many motorsport enthusiasts in this generation, Vicky Chandhok, who began his motorsport career in 1972 and is also Karun’s father, was the inspiration for the previous generation. The veteran driver, who has won numerous accolades in the world of motorsport and has 28 years of experience in various formats of motorsport like Formula Fords, Formula Indians, Formula 3 and Formula 2 cars. He has also won numerous rallies as a driver, like the Himalayan Rally, the Rallye D’ Endurance, the South India Rally in Chennai, the Popular Rally in Kerala and the Charminar Challenge in Hyderabad.

Off the track, Vicky has been a delegate to the FIA World Motor Sports Council and president of the Indian ASN – the FMSCI in the past. He is a permanent trustee of the Madras Motor Sports Trust that runs the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) and is now actively involved in the FIA APRC series. He is also a jury member of the Times Auto Awards in partnership with evo India and Fast Bikes India.

On his comeback to competitive rallying, the senior Chandhok said, “I am truly excited to be back rallying competitively after a break of over 17 years. The competition has surely evolved since the last time I rallied and I want to test myself against the best in the country. After test driving the Volkswagen Polo R2 earlier this year in Chennai, I was convinced that it is the perfect drive for me to make my comeback. Volkswagen Motorsport has had a rich legacy of rallying worldwide and in India and are known to craft some wonderful and competitive rally cars.”

On the Polo R2 rally car and Vicky making a comeback, Sirish Vissa, head of Volkswagen Motorsport India said, “Alongside the development of our Ameo Cup cars for the upcoming season, the team has also been working simultaneously on the development of the Volkswagen Polo R2 rally car. The R2 rally car has gone through extensive testing and we are excited to see how well the car will perform this season. It is an honour for us that Vicky will be in the driving seat of our rally spec Volkswagen Polo R2 and we are excited to see how the car, driver and navigator all come together!”

It will be a treat to watch for many, as the veteran driver locks horns with many a younger driver this season.