Srinagar, Feb 10: Mehboob ul Hassain, an academician, has become first ever person from Jammu and Kashmir to be selected for Volkswagen, Ameo motorsport championship.
Volkswagen Motorsport India had recently announced the start of registrations for Drivers’ Selection for the 10th edition of the Volkswagen Motorsport India’s touring race car series and the third edition of the Ameo Cup Series.
The selection round were held at the Indi Karting Track in Kharadi, Pune on February 9 and 10, after which Mehboob along with 14 other drivers from across India were selected to be part of drivers that will race in this year’s mega-motorsport event in India.
Mehboob, originally a resident of Anantnag, is settled in Banihal town of Ramban where he is a school principal. “This is beginning of a dream that I have cherished since my childhood. I always loved cars and wanted to take part in racing events but family engagements kept me away from my passion so far,” Mehboob, who is in Pune, said over phone.
He said that while surfing through the internet he came across this mega-event and decided to take part in it. “Just few days ago I saw a Facebook page sharing details about another Kashmiri driver who had taken part in the event. I saw the registration was open and filled up the form and landed here on February 8,” he added.
He said that it was a great opportunity to fulfil his much-cherished dream. “Ameo cup is a great opportunity for me to learn this fascinating sport. Driving has been my passion and this is a great opportunity for me to follow it,” he said.
It should be noted that drivers from across India were selected on the basis of their performance in the karting sessions and were judged on their overall driving skills which included consistency in performance, understanding of racing lines, lap times, driving attitude and versatility. “This was my first try and thanks to Almighty Allah, I was selected,” he said.
To be hosted as part of the MMSC-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship, the race for the Ameo cup-2019 will take place on all three circuits in India including MMRT in Chennai, Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore and India’s only F1 racetrack, Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.
“He loves driving cars and always wanted to make it is profession. Now that he has got this opportunity, we believe that he will make most of it,” said Nazir Ahmad, father of Mehboob.
The Ameo Cup Car is developed exclusively by Volkswagen Motorsport in India. Powered by a 1.8-litre TSI engine, mated to a racing gearbox, the Ameo Cup racecar has been the fastest car rolled out of the Volkswagen Motorsport India workshop.
