Sandeep Kumar has a tough international debut

Volkswagen Polo R-Cup 2012 winner Sandeep Kumar who made his international debut in the Volkswagen Scirocco Cup at Hockenheim in Germany, finished 12th in the juniors category and 19th overall in the first race. The Indian driver had to battle it out with 18 other drivers in the Juniors and Pro categories.

Starting from the 19th spot on the grid Sandeep did manage overtaking a few drivers to move up to 15th, but a minor error made him slip down the order again and made him finish where he had started from. The circuit was a steep learning curve for him and the ‘push-to-pass’ technology was also new to him (Read : Interview with Sandeep Kumar).

On his tough international debut Sandeep said, “It was a great weekend with a lot of learning which I will like to carry forward to my next races. I made a few mistakes and didn’t use the push-to-pass wisely. The wet weather also gave me an opportunity to judge the abilities of the Scirocco R-Cup race car in tricky conditions.”

Accompanying him in the race was legendary DTM racer Nicola Larini, who won the race and other Formula 1 and DTM talent such as Eric van de Pole, Jan Lammers and Martin Donnelly. On a tough grid like that, lack of experience was a big factor in determining his performance.

The next two races of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup 2013 will take place at the famous Austrian circuit, Spielberg from May 31 to June 2, 2013 alongside the DTM race. With the current finish Sandeep has secured nine points for himself in the Juniors category.