PoloDriver

Volkswagen Motorsport’s Polo R WRC campaign became a little more prepped at the weekend, as a successful Rally de Espagna test was enjoyed by the factory team who plan to run Polo R WRCs in 2013. Once again, Škoda Fabia S2000s were used to gain experience in top flight rallying. Two teams took part – Germans Christian Riedemann and Michael Wenzel and Spaniards Yeray Lemes and Rogelio Peñate. Lemes and Peñate claimed fourth place in class and 14th overall, while Riedemann and Wenzel crossed the finish ramp in Salou eighth in class and 20th in the overall rankings. Volkswagen will continue its WRC preparations at the Wales Rally GB from 10-13 November. German Sepp Wiegand will drive with Dakar Rally-winning co-driver Timo Gottschalk while the Dutchman Kevin Abbring will line-up with co-driver Lara Vanneste. The full Volkswagen Motorsport press release follows.

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South African Engen Volkswagen Cup drivers Kosie Weyers and Devin Robertson were victorious at the latest rounds of the series at the fast Killarney circuit in Cape Town on 1 October. Weyers won ahead of both Lee Thompson and Robertson in the first race, while in the second, championship leader Robertson was the front runner. Weyers had to settle for the second spot on the podium ahead of Kyle Barnes.

The 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing VW Polo Cup single-series championships run in both Europe and India. Just as in those series, the one-make format particularly highlights a wealth of new young driving talent. In the Engen championship, as many as thirty drivers regularly take to the track in technically-identical, 2.0-litre, 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars. The next two rounds of the 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup are scheduled for 5 November at the Zwartkops circuit, Pretoria.

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The Polo R WRC is being shown at the Johannesburg International Motor Show – which runs from 6-16 October – by Volkswagen South Africa, which is celebrating its 60th birthday in 2011. The 2013 rally challenger being displayed at the Johannesburg Expo Centre event is the styling mock-up, unveiled by Volkswagen Motorsport on the eve of the Rally d’Italia Sardegna back in May. And, excitingly, it has been revealed that the new Polo S2000 rally car will debut in 2012, and will share most of its visual cues with the Polo R WRC. From 2013, Volkswagen will contest the World Rally Championship with the Polo R WRC.

‘The new technical regulations of the World Rally Championship (WRC) perfectly suits Volkswagen’s philosophy with respect to the development of production vehicles,’ said Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Management Board of the Volkswagen Brand, Development Division. The new set of rules determines 1.6-litre turbo engines with direct injection. This is in line with Volkswagen’s strategy of downsizing engines – a philosophy that has been pioneered with small-volume, turbocharged but highly efficient powertrains. ‘The timing of the WRC debut is ideal for Volkswagen. The task of engineering a vehicle that is competitive and capable of winning at a large number of challenges holds great appeal,’ Dr Hackenberg continued.

The centrepiece of the Volkswagen Polo R WRC will be a 1.6-litre TSI engine with direct injection and turbo-charging that will achieve a power output of 220kW (295bhp) with a maximum torque of 350Nm (258lb ft). In accordance with the regulations, the four-cylinder powerplant will have its air intake reduced by a 33-millimetre air restrictor. To transmit the engine’s power to the wheels a sequential gearbox is planned, but substantial driving assistance systems are prohibited by WRC rules. The aim is to reasonably cap development costs.

The Polo R WRC will be fitted with a safety cage, four-wheel drive and an aerodynamically-optimised exterior. According to the regulations the minimum dry weight will be 1200kg. In the World Rally Championship the technical concept of a world rally car has to be based on the body shell of a production vehicle. At Volkswagen, ‘R’ is associated with models with superior dynamics, compelling performance data and sportiness. The entire ‘R’ model package is offered at outstanding value for money. Other new VWs being displayed in Johannesburg include the eco BlueMotion range, which has a Polo-based variant.

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The fourth race weekend of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup India 2011 at the Irungattukottai Race Track, Chennai on 16-18 September 2011 handed two drivers victory. In the first round, Oshan Kothadiya took the chequered flag, with Munjal Savla coming second, while Rahil Noorani finished third. Noorani emerged victorious in the second race, ahead of Angad Singh Matharoo and Avdumber Hede. Although he crossed the line first, championship leader Prasad suffered a 30-second time penalty for failing to observe safety car regulations, snatching his pole place from him. The next rounds of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup India 2011 are once again at the 3.7km Irungattukottai Race Track, Chennai on 14-16 October. The series is run by Volkswagen India Motorsport in conjunction with JK Tyres. The field of 20 young racers drive identical and centrally-prepared 129bhp TDI Polo R Cup cars.

It’s Friday, so here’s something fun. Having just bought our 2001 Volkswagen Polo GTI 6N2, our thoughts have often turned to the Super 1600 GTI version which took to the rally stages of the UK that same year. With pumped-up wheelarches and a larger rear spoiler, it looked the business, especially when we saw it in Ashford, UK, for the Rally of Kent stages of the Volkswagen Polo Rally Challenge, a one-make series especially for 130bhp VW Motorsport-prepared Group N-spec rallying Polos. That car’s not been seen for years, but here’s the next best thing: a tarmac racer built for hillclimbing. Thomas Klingelberger’s Polo 6N2 kit car apparently runs an original 1.6-litre VW Motorsport engine (related to the Super 1600 GTI’s we wonder?), and looks fantastic with its extended front bodywork and skimming-the-ground stance. Goes quickly, too…