“ProMechanic”: the new talent search by Volkswagen Coaching and Volkswagen Motorsport

A close-up experience of motorsport – for the Volkswagen apprentices Nina Immermann from Emden, Tom Richter from Wolfsburg and Max Bürger from Zwickau this dream will turn into reality.

The future vehicle mechatronics specialists will share some of the responsibility of fielding and servicing the racing vehicles in the new Volkswagen Scirocco R Cup. They are the winners of the new ProMechanic competition that was organised for the first time by Volkswagen Motorsport and Volkswagen Coaching. “We want to give our young car enthusiasts opportunities to prove themselves in the world of motorsport,” say Kris Nissen, Volkswagen Motorsport Director, and Jürgen Haase, General Manager of Volkswagen Coaching. “In the Scirocco R Cup they can demonstrate their talent in a highly qualified environment.”

Whereas the winners of the ProMechanic competition have been determined, the 2011 ProTalent selection process is still underway. The winner will receive a slot in the field of the 2011 Scirocco R Cup. Whether as a race mechanic or a racing driver, the winners can definitely expect excitement and challenges galore.

“The performance level was impressive,” says Martin Nobbe from Volkswagen Coaching who accompanied and tested the five ProMechanic candidates. At the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben they proved their diagnostic skills. The candidates had to find and repair simulated problems on a racing car. The team of race mechanics which takes care of the vehicles in the Scirocco R Cup headed by Hans Top as well as Martin Nobbe and Mirko Sellner from Volkswagen Coaching evaluated their technical performance.

The next item on the agenda of the one female and two male “ProMechanics” will be a three-day introductory training course at Oschersleben where they will be working on the brand new Racing Scirocco for the first time. The really serious action will start at the end of April at the Hockenheimring when the starting signal will be given for the 2010 Scirocco R Cup which enables an 80-per cent reduction of CO2 emissions thanks to bio-CNG power and thus sets new standards.

Successful “ProTalent” competition will be continued

The fourth edition of ProTalent promises to be a thrilling competition as well. The winner will receive a slot in the field of the 2011 Scirocco R Cup. The competition targets all Volkswagen apprentices as well as university students enrolled in practical training programmes between the ages of 17 and 24. Over the next few weeks they will be able to prove their skills on driving simulators at Volkswagen’s locations in Braunschweig, Emden, Hanover, Kassel, Salzgitter and Wolfsburg as well as at the Volkswagen Educational Institute in Zwickau and Chemnitz. For the 35 best entrants the competition will continue in May when driving a racing car, coordination exercises, specific and general physical fitness as well as a media training unit and tests in the driving simulator will be on the agenda.

The five top runners among the candidates will have the opportunity to catch a whiff of motorsport air during this racing season and be present during at least one full race weekend. In addition, they will receive further training. The candidate who is best suited for meeting the demands of the motorsport world will be determined at the end of this season, in October. Afterwards, he or she will have the chance to really put the pedal to the metal in the field of 30 contenders for Volkswagen Motorsport and Volkswagen Coaching next year. The selection process, which has been intensified compared with the first three competitions of this kind, is designed to ensure the best possible driver selection as well as optimal preparation of the candidates.

2010 Volkswagen Scirocco R Cup Calendar
23/24 Apr Hockenheimring (D)
04/05 Jun EuroSpeedway Lausitz (D)
02/03 Jul Norisring (D)
06–08 Aug Nürburgring (D)*
03/04 Sep Brands Hatch (GB)
17–19 Sep Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (D)*
15/16 Oct Hockenheimring (D)
*Two races, otherwise one race on Saturday.

- Volkswagen Motorsport

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