PoloDriver

After a promising first outing in Barcelona, the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team had reason to celebrate at the second round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the 22-23 April World RX of Portugal. Johan Kristoffersson took his Polo GTI Supercar to third place in the final in Montalnegre, behind current World RX champion Mattias Ekström and multi-World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb.

Fastest time
Setting a quick pace from the off, the 570bhp PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTIs were in fine form, and for the first time, sported different coloured roof panels for ease of being seen more clearly when in the thick of the action: Kristoffersson’s car now has a white panel, while Petter Solberg’s Polo is capped in black. The PSRX Volkswagen Sweden machines were even quick in practice, scoring a Kristoffersson-Solberg 1-2, with Kristofferrson setting a new lap record.

The weekend’s races started well for Kristoffersson, as the Swede recorded the fastest time on day one, and lead the fourth race in the first qualifying session. Ex-World RX champion Solberg finished in second, ahead of Loeb. But in the third qualifying session, while Kristoffersson finished first, he forgot to take his Joker lap, and incurred a 30-second time penalty. However, Solberg set the fastest time during the same session and led the intermediate classifications going into the second day of action with Kristoffersson second overall.

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

‘A simple mistake’
Kristoffersson said: ‘Yesterday was about as good as it could get, but in Q3 we missed the Joker and that was really frustrating and maybe that cost me the chance of a better position in the final, but these things can happen. It was a simple mistake, nothing more. In Q4 we lost out because the track wasn’t as dry. In the final, I had a plan to stay behind Petter but unfortunately he had a slow puncture on the left rear and was losing a lot of time.

‘I managed to get past him on lap three which meant I had three laps to drive as fast as I could and I successfully closed on Timmy Hansen. We’ve made some good improvements with the car since Barcelona, especially with the launch and it feels great to give Volkswagen its first podium of the season,’ said the elated Swedish rallycross star.

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg

Slow puncture
That slow puncture put paid to Solberg’s chances, but the Norwegian still managed a sixth place result: ‘My plan was to get away from the line as quickly as possible. We had the speed all weekend and the plan was for Johan to stay behind me in the beginning of the race. But I picked up a slow puncture on the left-rear and I wanted to get out on the straight to let Johan past me. It came at the worst possible moment; I slowed him down and there was nothing I could do.

‘That’s tough, but these things can happen – punctures are part of our sport. Putting that behind us, I’m so happy with the way things are moving forward with the team and to be leading the championship is fantastic when you consider where we were just before the start of the year! It’s very good for me to have Johan alongside me in the team – he did a great job of safeguarding our position today (Sunday),’ enthused Solberg.

As in Barcelona, EKS’ Mattias Ekström took the overall spoils in Portugal, his second consecutive 2017 victory. He leads Kristoffersson – now in second place – by 14 points. With 42 points, sixth-placed Montalnegre finisher Solberg is two points behind Kristoffersson. PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s consistent run in Portugal sees the team lead the overall team standings, with a nine-point lead over EKS.

The third round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship is the World RX of Hockenheim at the Hockenheimring in Germany on 6-7 May, where the rallycross series supports a weekend of German Touring Car (DTM) circuit action.

2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 58
2 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 44
3 Petter Solberg, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 42
4 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Focus RS: 30
5 Timo Scheider, Ford Fiesta RXS: 28

2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden: 86
2 EKS: 77
3 Hoonigan Racing Division: 49
5 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 49
5 MJP Racing Team Austria: 35

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com / PSRX Volkswagen Sweden]

The PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercars got off to a flying start at the first round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the World RX of Barcelona. The 570bhp Polos of Petter Solberg and Johan Kristoffersson were among the front-runners at the 1-2 April Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya event, with both cars reaching the Supercar Final.

Fastest qualifying time
As he lined up on the front row of the final, Kristoffersson had already claimed the fastest qualifying time in the first Free Practice session of the 2017 season, overtaking reigning champion Mattias Ekström. ‘That’s not a bad way to start the season for me and the team,’ smiled Kristoffersson. At the intermediate classification, US driver Ken Block was behind Kristoffersson, while the Swede’s team-mate Solberg was behind Block.

In the final race itself, Kristoffersson suffered a stalled start and had to eventually settle for sixth. Solberg fared better and finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a podium place: the Norwegian was was running third until Bakkerud overtook the two-time World RX champion on the first corner of the fourth lap. But, while there was no debut victory for the fledgling team, the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTIs showed incredible pace and fired a warning salvo of potential performances to come.

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson

‘Such strong pace’
Driver and team owner Solberg said: ‘I am so, so proud of what we have all achieved here. The last few months have been really crazy getting everything sorted out. But we are here and we are racing. We hoped to be on the pace and we hoped to show ourselves in a good light. It was a dream for us to have two cars in the final today and the dream came true. I’m so happy with the performance and couldn’t be happier with the team and for Johan, he showed such strong pace – he was the star driver for me.’

Kristoffersson shared his team-mate and boss’ outlook: ‘The team has put so much work in and everything is working so well from the first race. Naturally, I was a little disappointed with the final, I so wanted this result for the whole PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team – those guys worked so hard – but this is racing. The big thing is the pace we have from the car. It just makes me more determined do even better for the team at the second round.’

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg

Ekström won the overall 2017 World RX of Barcelona event, and leads the Drivers’ Championship, while Kristoffersson lies in fourth place, and Solberg one place further down the standings. PSRX Volkswagen Sweden lead the teams’ standings however, as the Volkswagen Motorsport-supported outfit scooped the most points collectively. Both PSRX Volkswagen Sweden drivers are looking forward to the next round of the championship at Montalnegre on 22-23 April: Kristoffersson and Solberg have won the World RX of Portugal event three times each!

Also at Barcelona, the opening round of the five-event 2017 FIA European Rallycross Championship (Euro RX), was won by Kristoffersson’s former team-mate Anton Marklund. The Swede took his Marklund Motorsport Polo Supercar home first ahead of Hungary’s Tamas Pal Kiss and Ireland’s Ollie O’Donovan, who finished second and third respectively.

2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 29
2 Timo Scheider, Ford Fiesta RXS: 26
3 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Focus RS: 22
4 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 21
5 Petter Solberg, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 19

2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 = PSRX Volkswagen Sweden: 40
1 = EKS: 40
3 Hoonigan Racing Division: 33
4 MJP Racing Team Austria: 30
5 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 20

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com / PSRX Volkswagen Sweden]

With the launch of the sixth-generation Polo imminent, Volkswagen has announced it plans to start testing the ‘R5’ rally version of its new supermini later this year. Coincidentally, this will most likely in September, around the time the road-going version of car makes its first public appearance at the Frankfurt motor show. The new rally challenger will be eligible for the WRC2 support category of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Four years of dominance
Focusing on customer activities after the withdrawal from top-flight WRC activities after four years of dominance with the Polo R WRC from 2013-2016, the R5 car will be built by Volkswagen Motorsport at its Hanover base. Development of the car is already underway and as well as a four-wheel drive chassis, the jointly-developed VW/Škoda 1.6-litre turbocharged engine from the successful Fabia R5 is expected to appear.

The outfit’s experience of twelve major title wins will also play a vital part in the new Polo R5’s make-up. Development of the 315bhp, four-wheel drive all-conquering Polo R WRC followed a similar path: pre-competition components were tested on a fleet of Škoda Fabia S2000s which contested the 2011 and 2012 World Rally Championships ahead of the Polo R WRC’s debut on the 2013 Monte-Carlo Rally. The current Škoda Fabia R5’s engine pumps out around 280bhp and is being further optimised for the new Polo R5, which will be available to customer teams in 2018, following a summer homologation.

Although the new car will mark Volkswagen’s return to the FIA World Rally Championship, autosport.com has reported that the Polo R5 will not be fielded by a factory team. Škoda enters its Fabia R5 in rounds of the European Rally Championship, as well as the WRC2 support series. Continuing his link with the stillborn 2017 Polo R WRC, Marcus Grönholm will continue to help develop the R5 machine.

‘Tried-and-tested’
With development of the full-fat 2017 Polo R WRC almost complete, the plug was pulled on Volkswagen Motorsport’s official works WRC programme in November, but director Sven Smeets has commented that plans for customer teams to run the 2016 version of the title-winning car are underway: ‘There is customer interest in running the tried-and-tested Polo R WRC at various rallies. Our to-do list is very full,’ he said.

That to-do list includes a focus on the Golf GTI TCR – the touring car version of the legendary hatchback which runs in the International TCR series – as well as supporting global and world rallycross series. The 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship sees the outfit lend its technical support to Petter Solberg’s PSRX team, which, with the backing of Volkswagen Sweden, is fielding a pair of 570bhp Polo GTI Supercars in the twelve-round series: one each for Solberg himself and 2016 runner-up Johan Kristoffersson.

‘There is only one target: winning.’ That was the message which came from the new PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team yesterday as the new 2017 Volkswagen Polo rallycross competition car was unveiled in Stockholm. Its new drivers, ex-World Rally and Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg (also the PSRX team owner), and Johan Kristoffersson, who came second in the 2016 FIA World Rallycross season, pulled the covers off the new machine.

This year, the familiar rallycross Polo silhouette has both a new engine, as well as a new name – the ‘GTI’ badge has been attached to the project, to encourage correlation with the production car. That’s something the Polo R World Rally Championship (WRC) car never achieved, due to the lack of a true halo road-going powerful performance model.

‘Realisation of a dream’
The Volkswagen Polo GTI Supercar is, according to its new team, ‘the realisation of a dream for PSRX and a great new beginning for Volkswagen Sweden’, the latter of which gave its backing to Marklund Motorsport last year, running a pair of Polo RX Supercars for Kristoffersson and Anton Marklund. Now however, the official involvement of Volkswagen Motorsport should up the rallycross Polo’s game considerably.

The 2017 Volkswagen Polo GTI Supercar has 570bhp and will accelerate from 0-60mph in 1.9 seconds. With a chassis developed from the 2014 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, the engine is a development of the unit from the Beetle Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) car, which has contested events in the US for the past three years.

The latest version of Volkswagen’s rallycross machine uses similar damper and transmission technology to the Polo R WRC, too, but everything in the car’s dynamic and technical make-up has been adjusted to suit the demanding FIA World Rallycross (WRX) technical regulations, which sees cars take on mixed-surface short circuit racing venues.

Guiding hand
Another carryover to the new car is that the development was carried out by Volkswagen Motorsport in Hanover, with the German engineers under the guidance from Technical Director FX Demaison, who was a guiding hand in Volkswagen’s World Rally Championship dominance from 2013 to 2016. Demaison knows Solberg well: he worked with the Norwegian at Subaru and also with Solberg’s private WRC team.

In terms of appearance, the new rallycross challenger looks to have more in common to its rallying relation, too. The wheel arches bear more than a passing resemblance to the now defunct Polo R WRC, while the new 2017 livery colours take the electric blue/pale blue stripes of the former Volkswagen Motorsport rallying machine and mixes them with the matt black of Monster Energy.

All in all, it’s an exciting combination, then. And Kristoffersson agrees: ‘I think that it is so exciting. Getting started with Petter, PSRX and Volkswagen Sweden is perfect for me. What we must do now is to take advantage of this perfect partnership, do a perfect lap and a perfect finish!’ said the 28 year-old.

Solberg meanwhile is thrilled to have official involvement from both Volkswagen Sweden and Volkswagen Motorsport. ‘This is a dream for me. We have worked for this for so long and to have finally reached the finish. I’m so happy to be working with Volkswagen Sweden and Volkswagen Motorsport this year, and now we have a real opportunity to realise a dream.’

‘A beautiful monster’
The Polo GTI Supercar may have only been built in just three months, but Solberg is confident of its chances. ‘We have tested the Volkswagen Polo GTI Supercar for some time now and every time I step out of it, I do so with a smile on my face. And then I just want to step in and run some more. It is a real monster, but it’s a beautiful monster created by the brilliant people at Volkswagen Motorsport.’

The Norwegian continued: ‘I want to say a very, very big thank you to all the sponsors who made this year possible. All the efforts made during the pre-season will be awarded in 2017, I do not doubt for a moment. Johan and I will work as a team. I’ve known John a long time now, and we fully trust each other. We will work as a team and this year we compete on a totally equal terms.’

Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets said: ‘We are looking forward to seeing the Polo GTI Supercar in its natural environment. We have worked very hard with PSRX and Volkswagen Sweden to get the Polo GTI Supercar completed in a relatively short time. Now that the car is ready and tested, we are all looking forward to the first race in Barcelona. We all want to see how Petter, Johan and our Polo fare against a very strong field in a very exciting championship.’

We look forward to watching the invigorated rallycross Polo in action, too. A taster of what we can expect is shown in the car unveiling video below. Better-looking, more powerful and perhaps more thoroughly developed than ever before, the 2017 Volkswagen Polo GTI Supercar appears set to mount an impressive challenge when the first round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship – the World RX of Barcelona – gets underway on 31 March to 2 April at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

2017 VOLKSWAGEN POLO GTI WRX SUPERCAR
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Type: turbocharged and inter-cooled in line four cylinder, mounted transversely
Displacement: 2,000cc
Power output: 570bhp
Torque: 650Nm/479lb ft
Bore/stroke: 86 x 86mm
Air restrictor: 45mm (FIA regulation)
Engine control unit: Bosch

POWER TRANSMISSION
Gearbox: sequential six speed racing transmission
Final drive: permanent four-wheel drive with fixed drive between front and rear axles, front and rear multi-plate limited slip differentials
Clutch: hydraulically-actuated triple disc carbon

SUSPENSION
Front/rear: MacPherson struts, lower control arms, ZF dampers
Suspension travel: 240mm
Steering: servo-assisted rack and pinion
Braking system: vented 325mm front and rear brake discs, four-piston aluminium brake calipers
Wheels: 8.5 x 17-inch
Tyres: 225 x 640 R17 Cooper

BODYWORK
Build: FIA-controlled reinforced steel body

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length/width/height: 4,000/1,820/1,452mm
Track width: 1,600mm
Wheelbase: 2,490mm
Minimum weight: 1,300kg

PERFORMANCE
Acceleration: 0-100kph/0-60mph in approx 1.9 seconds
Top speed: up to 200kph/124mph

Hot on the heels of the announcement that second placed 2016 World Rallycross Championship driver Johan Kristoffersson and ex-World Rally Champion Petter Holberg are teaming up to contest the 2017 series in a pair of Polo RX Supercars, comes this week’s news that Britain’s Guy Wilks will also run a similar car.

Highly successful 2016 machine
Two-time British Rally Champion and ex-WRC driver Wilks will contest all 12 rounds of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship in a Polo RX Supercar, which just happens to be ‘Elsa’, Kristoffersson’s highly successful 2016 machine. Wilks has previous rallycross form, too, having competed in selected 2015 and 2016 rounds of the series.

The Englishman will be entered as an independent, supported by energy drink LOCO, whose branding will mean Wilks’ Polo should be easy to spot both on and off the track when the first round of the 2017 World Rallycross Championship, the World RX of Barcelona, gets underway on 31 March at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.

‘Something I’ve always wished for’
‘To get an opportunity to do a full World Championship is something I’ve always wished for,’ explained an elated Wilks. ‘To compete in a car that finished second last year adds pressure but it is the ingredient that can make it realistic for me mix it at the top, even though the bar in World RX is getting raised year on year.

‘I want to thank LOCO energy drink and Marc Blackburn for this opportunity – he saw me drive at Lydden and Loheac in 2015 and believed in me from the start. I’m going to give it absolutely everything and we want to put ourselves up against the best. There’s still a lot of work to do but 2017 is going to be an awesome journey!’ added the 36 year-old from County Durham.

‘A talent behind the wheel’
Paul Bellamy, World RX Managing Director for IMG, concluded: ‘Guy is very familiar with rallycross – he’s regularly commentated alongside Andrew Coley on our TV show. There’s no denying he’s a talent behind the wheel and proved this when he reached the final on his rallycross debut at Lydden Hill back in 2015.’