PoloDriver

The first trial outing of the special sausage will be at the Monte Carlo Rally from 14-19 January 2014, and hungry rally fans can win a VIP trip to the event in the South of France, by becoming a ‘Fan Food’ tester. Just visit the link shown in the video and apply. Who knows, maybe the Volkswagen currywurst will become the undisputed world champion of rally food, just like the Polo R is the current WRC rally car king!

Volkswagen Motorsport, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia were officially crowned 2013 WRC World Champions at a gala evening in Paris last week. The official FIA Gala saw the Frenchmen collect their trophies for their dominance in the 2013 championship. The pair clinched the title as far back as October, before the season reached its climax at Rally Wales GB. ‘I look back on an incredible year. If anybody had told us at the beginning of the season that Julien and I would end the season with nine wins and the World Championship title, I probably would have sent them straight to the team doctor. For Julien and me a dream has come true and we are both extremely proud and honoured to finally be able to hold the FIA trophy,’ Ogier remarked after receiving the much-deserved prize.

The manufacturers’ title also went to Volkswagen, with the team claiming the honours in its debut season, an amazing feat. Dr Heinz-Jakob Neußer, a member of the Volkswagen management board for technical development, accepted the trophy, while the championship-winning car, the Polo R WRC was parked on the stage, highlighting its part in the latest chapter of Volkswagen’s motorsport success. The outfit has been rewarded with other honours, too. The FIA Facebook page has voted Ogier and Ingrassia’s leap in the Polo R WRC over the notorious ‘Mickey’s Jump’ hilltop at Rally Italy as the ‘FIA Motorsport Moment of the Year 2013’. The award was voted for by rally fans.’

Ogier has also collected the the ‘Caschi d’Oro’ (‘Golden Helmet’) in Bologna, awarded by Italian motoring magazine Autosprint. Volkswagen also received an award for its outstanding achievement in this year’s World Rally Championship. Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, father of the Volkswagen WRC project and member of the Audi AG management board, accepted the prize with Ogier. The Frenchman then flew back to France to continue testing the Polo R WRC in pre-event sessions for the 2014 Monte Carlo Rally, which starts next month. Ogier, together with fellow VW drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen has been performing test drives in the French Alps. Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen, who will divide up the test work throughout the week, covered 800 kilometres during the first four days of test driving, some of which took place at altitudes of 1500 metres.

Buoyed by the success of Marklund Motorsport’s success in a Polo Supercar in the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship, experienced Swedish team Kristofferson Motorsport are planning a similar challenge in the world series next year. Running under the ‘VW Dealer Team Sweden’ name, the outfit will run two Polos according to reports surfacing today. The pair of small Volkswagens will replace the Sciroccos which the team has been running this year. Kristofferson will start small and contest its home round in Holjes and the Swedish Rallycross Championship, but are looking to mount a global assault on the series in due course.

Team owner Tommy Kristofferson said: ‘We will do the Swedish round of the World Championship of course, and more, but we need to see the calendar first. This isn’t a one-year project and the plan is to be competing in the World championship full time as soon as possible.’ No doubt sensing a halo effect from the Polo’s WRC success, commenting on the switch from coupé to small hatchback, Kristofferson said: ‘The Polo is the best choice from the marketing side, and also from the technical point of view.’ The near-600bhp VW Dealer Team Sweden Polos will have chassis built in Germany, which will also be where the first complete car will be constructed. The second fearsome car will be built at Kristofferson’s base in Sweden.

[Source: RallycrossRX/RallycrossWorld]

On his 24th birthday, Rahil Noorani was crowned the Volkswagen R-Cup India 2013 champion at the series’ final round yesterday. The Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida hosted the season finalé, where the Indian recorded third, fourth and second place finishes as he overcame his arch rival Prashanth Tharani. The first race was won by South African Polo driver Jeffrey Kruger ahead of his sister Robyn Kruger, who was a guest entrant. In the second race of the weekend, Gaurav Mehta was victorious ahead of Jeffrey Kruger and Lee Keshav Gupta. Victory in the third race was again sealed by Jeffrey Kruger with Noorani in second, and Kartik Tharani on the last step of the podium.

Volkswagen Motorsport celebrated the perfect end to a perfect World Rally Championship (WRC) season at Wales Rally GB from 14-17 November. The last round of the 2013 series saw Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia victors once more, their tenth win from 13 rounds. Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila followed the Frenchmen on the podium, while the third Polo R WRC crew, Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula came in fifth. The three-Polo team achieved the best team result of the season so far, winning 16 of the 22 special stages and claiming 41 of a possible 66 top-three spots. It rounded off a perfect debut season for the German manufacturer, with Ogier and Ingrassia having been crowned World Champions* in the driver and co-driver category at Rally France. Volkswagen Motorsport also won the manufacturers’ title in Spain with help from Latvala and Antitila.

The Rally GB result was Volkswagen’s best since entering the championship at the start of the year. Ogier and Ingrassia came out in top on nine stages, while Latvala and Anttila triumphed five times. Mikkelsen and Markkula meanwhile took two stage wins. Rally GB outs tough demands on both man and machine, and the mechanics were only allowed to service the cars each morning and after the final stage in the evening. Mud, deep water crossings and the notoriously tricky Welsh forests made the stages live up to their fearsome reputation, with 10 of the 22 specials making their return. Only two stages – ‘Chirk Castle’ and ‘Great Orme’ – were held on asphalt.

It really was a fairy-tale debut season for Volkswagen Motorsport. The 315bhp four-wheel drive Polo R WRC was in development for a year, and officially unveiled in 2013 trim in December 2012 in Monaco. Volkswagen Motorsport scored victories in Sweden, Mexico, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Finland, Australia, France, Spain and Great Britain – not bad for a team which had only predicted podiums at the start of the season! In Wales, Ogier clocked the fastest qualifying time, with Latvala and Mikkelsen fourth and ninth quickest respectively. After the dark opening stages on Thursday night, Ogier led the event, with Latvala in third place. Mikkelsen and co-driver Markkula were three places further down the field in sixth position.

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