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The Polo R WRC testing programme continues. Volkswagen Motorsport finished the 2011 ADAC Rallye Deutschland on 18-21 August with two podium places. Once again using two 270bhp Škoda Fabia S2000s, Hans Weijs Jr (NL) and Bjoern Degandt (B) came second in the Super 2000 class, while German duo Christian Riedemann and Michael Wenzel finished third in class, claiming 15th place overall. ‘Our test run at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland went without the slightest problems and again provided us with many new findings. After three victories at the Dakar Rally we’ve got to re-organise ourselves in some areas and gather as much experience as possible. Our team had done a good job of preparing itself and accomplished the mission without making any mistakes,’ said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. The full Volkswagen Motorsport press release and more pictures follow.

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Current championship winner Devin Robertson extended his 37-point lead at the fifth round of the 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup last weekend, celebrating a double victory at the Aldo Scribante Race Circuit in Port Elizabeth. The fifth round of the 2011 series (also known as the Volkswagen Polo Cup South Africa) saw Robertson beat Dewald Brummer and Lee Thompson to the top step of the podium in the first race, while the South African was ahead of second-placed Thompson and third-placed Kosie Weyers.

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 3 September at the BMSC circuit, East London.

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Volkswagen Motorsport’s first foray into WRC for a fair few years didn’t quite make the impact the team had planned. Entering a pair of Škoda Fabia S2000s on the Neste Oil Rally Finland on 27-30 July, Volkswagen Motorsport is using the Czech cars as technological, mechanical, and driver testbeds, but, on the Finnish round of the 2011 World Rally Championship both cars failed to finish. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Norway) suffered a damaged radiator during stage 17 while Joonas Lindroos/Pasi Kilpeläinen (Finland) retired from the event after rolling on the eighth special stage. Volkswagen Motorsport announced in May 2011 that it is contesting the 2013 World Rally Championship with the new four-wheel drive, 300bhp Polo R WRC rally car. The full Volkswagen Motorsport Neste Rally Finland press release and gallery is posted over in our Polo R WRC pages.

Rahil Noorani won his first Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2011 race in round 2 of the championship, held over 17-18 July at Coimbatore. The 21 year-old rookie driver beat championship leader Vishnu Prasad into third place (from a ninth-place start), ahead of Ajay Kini from Bangalore. Noorani had a great start and led into the first corner ahead of Kini and Avdumbder Hede. Oshan Kothadiya from Pune fought Kini for a podium place, ultimately losing out to Prasad. Commenting on his first victory, winner Rahil Noorani said: ‘It feels great to win. I qualified on pole and the only thing on my mind was to lead into the first corner and take it from there. I stayed focussed, which helped me to win the race.’

Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, was pleased with the result: ‘Another great race to start off round 2. It was an action-packed race and it was good to see different winners on the podium. It is great to see drivers giving more attention in analysing their data to see where they can improve. This shows the drivers are enthusiastic and determined to do well in this championship. The Polo Race cars are performing greatly, and we are very happy with the performance and efficiency of their engines.’ The 2011 Volkswagen Polo Cup India 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 racing cars.

Race 2 saw many crashes, collisions and high-speed spins which saw the lead change hands a number of times. A reverse grid start saw race 1 winner Noorani roll from eighth position, with Prasad ahead in sixth. Mihir Dharkar from Mumbai took pole position, although an unfortunate spin dashed his hopes of holding onto the lead until the end of the race. The lead was passed to Kothadia, closely tailed by Prasad. A safety car outing saw Prasad close in on the leaders and on the tenth lap, he passed Kothadia to take pole and win the race. Kothadia then forced Noorani into a spin with three laps to go, but both drivers ended up on podium in second and third places respectively. Round 3 of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2011 will take place on 19-21 August at the Irungattukottai Race Track in Chennai.

[Image: Rahul Basu/zigwheels.com]

In readiness for its full-scale WRC assault in 2013, Volkswagen’s development of the Polo R WRC continues apace. News comes this week that the company has selected both German driver Christian Riedemann and Hans Weijs from the Netherlands to contest the ADAC Rallye Deutschland from 18-21 August 2011 in a pair of 270bhp Škoda Fabia WRC Super 2000s. Using the Fabia S2000s to gain development information for the Polo R WRC, Volkswagen has also entered two vehicles of the same pedigree in the Neste Oil Rally Finland, which takes place this weekend (28-30 July). As with any contested WRC rounds in which Volkswagen Motorsport is using the Fabia S2000s, the ADAC Rallye Deutschland drivers will have the chance to qualify for future runs in the four-wheel drive Polo R WRC, as part of VW’s talent assessment programme. Find the full Volkswagen Motorsport press release over in our dedicated Polo R WRC section of the website.