Vision 4 Motorsports launched SIAL race car: Based on the Volkswagen Polo to race in the SIAL Racing Championship

We went to witness the launch of this autocross-spec Polo rally car developed by Vision 4 Motorsports in association with Kari Sports, at Hindustan College of Engineering in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and got to experience the car from behind the wheel as well as riding shotgun with Indian National Rally Champions, Fabid Ahmer and Raghuram Saminathan around the recce and test track to get a sense of the car’s capabilities.

SIAL, is a platform for one make autocross racing championship, wherein 2 autocross-spec VW Polo rally cars will be driven by 20 competitors. SIAL Racing and Vision 4 Motorsports is the outcome of the unified vision of Fabid Ahmer, a three-time Indian National Rally Champion, Raghuram Saminathan, Junior Indian National Rally Champion and Riyas Majeed, National Level Rally Racer. With their years of experience in the sport, this trio of rally racers are now inspiring and shaping up young drivers by bringing rallying to the entry-level access point.

These competitors have been handpicked from a total of over 900 enquiries, who were put through a rigorous selection process which narrowed the number down to 60 candidates, from Coimbatore and Cochin. Only 20 competitors have made it through the entire selection process to participate in the championship. The 20 selected drivers will be driving identical cars throughout the entire season of eight rounds, leading up to the championship finale. The winner of the championship will be awarded with a cash prize of ₹5 lakh. It is worth mentioning that this championship is orientated towards beginner-level rally drivers, to find and cultivate new talent. Since it is the collective mission of SIAL Racing and Vision 4 Motorsports to make the rally culture more accessible and affordable for the aspiring racers of today. Coimbatore is also home to Fab Rally School, led by Fabid Ahmer, to coach and refine new talent in the sport of rallying. All the racers participating in the SIAL Racing Championship will go through the Level One Rally School course and will also be inline to receive feedback and driver improvement programs during the entire season under Fab Rally School.

Fabid Ahmer and Raghuram Saminathan gave us a rundown of the car as to why the 1.2-litre VW Polo is the basis for the SIAL Racing Championship rally car. They have chosen the platform as it is more accessible and easy to handle for a beginner. Even though these cars will be tailor-made to suit entry-level drivers, they are proper, fully-built rally cars. The car features a custom fibre glass body with the exception of the driver side door, the roof is metal for safety. Further weight savings are aided by use of plexi-glass windows that have primarily contributed to an approximate weight-reduction of 150kg, making the car nimble and agile. Speaking of handling, the car is fitted with Reiger dampers – imported from Netherlands, complemented by wider wheel arches and deeper wheel wells to aid wheel travel, competition rally tyres and a rear spoiler.

On the inside, the car has been entirely stripped out to fit an FIA-spec roll cage for a stiffer chassis and safety, FIA-approved bucket seats with six-point harness, a short shifter for the five-speed manual transmission with reworked gear ratios for rallying, (a bright orange) drift handbrake, FIA-spec race steering wheel, aluminium pedals with aluminium reinforcements for the foot-well. The one and only thing that has been retained from the stock Polo is the gauge cluster.

As for the performance gains, the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated engine makes +45bhp over the stock engine map which is achieved by a mild remap on the standard ECU, custom headers and performance air-intakes. Additionally, the engine breathes better with a free-flow exhaust system that enhances the air-flow out the back and produces a proper rally car sound.

Both Fabid and Raghuram are proud of their rally Polos as they have spent the last ten years rallying, and developing this platform. They are confident about its robustness in the off-road terrain. The ease of maintenance and wide availability of spares is an added advantage for motorsport use. The champions also praise the Polo for its inherent chassis dynamics.

I took a hot-lap around the test rack to experience the car from behind the ’wheel, and all the revisions made to the Polo were instantly recognisable. Be it the low-down seating position that gave a strong sense of safety, the slick gearing with a light-weight clutch, or the nat-asp engine that pulled effortlessly and without lag. The steering felt precise, and helped me quickly reel in the car as I was veering off the track while taking on a hairpin corner. The Reiger dampers made the car fairly stable and composed even over the rubble sections of the track. The brakes were set-up with the right amount of bite in them and were positively responsive.

However, as soon as I switched over to the co-driver’s seat, with Raghuram Saminathan behind the wheel, the Vision 4 Motorsports Polo turned into a different animal altogether. He was gunning the car for the entire lap, powersliding through the technical corners, leaving big clouds of dust behind. It was a pure showcase of his driving talent as well as years of rallying and I was glad to have experienced it first-hand.

It has been fascinating to see the recent surge in the enthusiasm for motorsports in India. Especially in South India, where patrons such as Fabid Ahmer, Raghuram Saminathan and Riyas Majeed, who are also seasoned rally drivers carrying the sport forward. SIAL Racing and Fab Rally School are building a community which is open to new talent and prioritise driver’s skill over the might of a money-no-object track machine. That’s what motorsports should always be about, community building and inclusivity for the talent coming from the grassroots.