After close to two years of development and the most exhaustive factory-funded preparation in recent WRC history, Volkswagen will make their WRC competition debut this weekend, at the Rallye Monte Carlo, with their brand new Volkswagen Polo R WRC car.
The rally-going Polo WRC variant, powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine and producing in the region of 224 kW, has done around 20 000 km of testing over two years and will be hurled into battle for the first time at the traditional starting point of the WRC season by ace Finnish driver, Jari-Matti Latvala and supported by second driver, Frenchman, Sebastian Ogier.
Having watched Volkswagen go rallying in our local National Rally Championship for the first time in 2012 with a Polo S2000, we’re expecting it to be a steep learning curve for the WRC rookies. Questions do remain over the competitiveness of the Polo R WRC, which hasn’t yet run against the stopwatches. The Polo R WRC car has been given every chance of success, however, with years of methodical testing and preparation behind it to ensure the car is competitive from the get-go.
The Polo R is demonstrably more aggressive looking and purpose-built with its wide-body kit and massive rear spoiler than the equivalent Polo S2000 we’re familiar with. It weighs only around 1 175 kg and is 138 mm wider than the standard Polo production car on which it’s based.
With the Polo R WRC car, and their entire WRC effort in fact, Volkswagen aims to boost the sporting appeal of their brand. They also hope to blaze a trail for other manufacturers to want to enter or return to the WRC. Hyundai have shown their intent to go WRC rallying in the near future. This positive news has offset the loss of the Ford factory team for the 2013 WRC season, as well as the retirement of the colossal, multiple world champion winning, Sebastian Loeb.
A sport like the WRC thrives on competition and rally fans have grown weary of the familiar old cars and drivers placing in familiar positions. Refreshingly, the 2013 season has thrown up a whole new scenario and will see a new champion crowned.
Mikko Hirvonen is Citroen’s lead driver in the DS3 WRC. Spaniard, Dani Sordo, returns to Citroen after a disappointing stint with Prodrive’s Mini World Rally Team. Mads Ostberg, the Norwegian, will lead M-Sport’s campaign in a Ford Fiesta this year, without the official backing of Ford. Instead the team is funded by the Middle Eastern state Qatar, while Citroen receives backing from another U.A.E. city state, Abu Dhabi.
