PoloDriver

Tasmin Pepper became the first female winner of the Engen Volkswagen Cup on 4 August, when she stormed the field at the Phaksia Freeway, South Africa. The 23 year-old delivered a winning drive in her Polo Vivo from fourth place on the grid. She took race one’s chequered flag ahead of Kosie Weyers and Mathew Hodges. In the second race, Dewald Brummer emerged victorious, with Durban-based Shaun la Reservee coming in second. Luck was out for Pepper, though – a gearbox problem meant she finished fourth. The next round of the championship is in Zwartkops, Pretoria on 31 August.

The 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing Volkswagen Polo Cup single-make racing series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those official Volkswagen series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen series, as many as 35 drivers regularly race in technically identical, 2.0-litre 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars. For 2013, the Engen Volkswagen Cup cars are powered by the new Engen Primax fuel.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Tasmin Pepper (31: PG Glass)
2 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)
3 Mathew Hodges (12: ITR)

Race 2
1 Dewald Brummer (22: UMP/Horne Hydraulics/MAD Racing)
2 Shaun la Reservee (15: Alpine Motors)

GAZ has released a height-adjustable suspension kit for the 1990-1994 Polo G40 (we presume that the kit is also suitable for earlier pre-facelift Mk 2 cars). Suitable for ‘fast road’ and track use, the GAZ damper units allow damping adjustment while in situ, courtesy of easily-accessible adjuster knobs. Ride height can be adjusted by -25 to +65mm. The coilovers are provided for all four corners of the car, but donor front struts are required as axle components are reconditions and then transferred to the new kit.

The units boast a coarse acme form thread, and each one is plated in black zinc to minimise corrosion. High-quality springs are also included, and rates can be altered on request to suit customers requirements. Chrome silicone springs are also available as an option. Before leaving the factory, all units are individually tested and are covered by a 2-year warranty. The recommended retail price for the GAZ GHA coilover kit is £723.45 plus VAT. Visit the GAZ website for more detailed information.

Despite a faltering start, Volkswagen Motorsport and Sébastien Ogier won Rally Finland, which took place from 2-4 August. It was Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia’s fifth win of the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship, and the first time the French pair have emerged victorious at the Finnish event. They have extended their lead at the top of the drivers’ championship leaderboard by 90 points. Luck wasn’t quite so forthcoming for Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila on their home event, as their Polo R WRC suffered suspension damage on the first day. Starting day two running to Rally 2 regulations due to their retirement the day before, the pairing finished the event in 17th place. Their team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula finished tenth. The win in Jyväskylä was the sixth triumph for a Polo R WRC in eight rallies.

Qualifying started well, with Ogier and Ingrassia posting the second fastest times. The 324km-long Rally Finland opened with a three-way battle between Ogier and Ingrassia, and Ford drivers Thierry Neuville and Mads Østberg. The Frenchmen were 5.2 seconds behind Neuville, while Mikkelsen and Markkula were six places behind their team-mates. Latvala and Anttila unfortunately hit a rock at the side of the road, damaging the rear left suspension of their 315bhp Polo R WRC. Managing to limp through two stages, they had to call it day. The Volkswagen Motorsport service team worked though the night however, so the Finnish duo restarted the forest event on Friday morning under Rally 2 regulations.

Day two saw Ogier and Ingrassia take the lead, winning seven of the day’s nine special stages and leading Neuville by 38.1 seconds. Mikkelsen and Markkula were forced to retire after a duel for fifth place with Citroën’s Kris Meeke, again due to suspension damage. Latvala’s and Markkula’s Rally Finland got progressively better, though, with the no 7 Polo R WRC being one of the fastest cars on the event. The Finns finished in the top three on six of the day’s nine stages. On the final day, Ogier and Latvala scored three bonus World Championship points, courtesy of second and third positions on the Power Stage. Prior to the Rally Finland, Volkswagen had won every Power Stage held this season.

Ogier also put in good times on the incredible “Ouninpohja” stage. With jumps of up to 60 metres in length, the classic stage on the fastest rally in the WRC, Ogier clinched the first run, with a lead of 2.6 seconds, which was stretched to 4.6 seconds. The 130km/h-fast Frenchman now holds the stage record, too, with a time of 15 minutes and 8.9 seconds. Ogier and Ingrassia will now go into Volkswagen’s home event at Rally Germany (22–25 August) with a purely mathematical chance of winning both the driver and co-driver competitions: should they increase their lead over their rivals by 22 points to 112, they would be out of reach of the chasing pack and guaranteed the titles. Since its debut at the Rally Monte Carlo in January 2013, the Polo R WRC has amassed 81 out of a possible 143 stage wins.

Ogier was justifiably pleased with his result: ‘It is impossible to describe how I feel! This win here in Finland is a dream come true for me. And to win in Sweden as well this year – it is a great feeling to win these two rallies this year ahead of the Nordic guys like Mads Østberg, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala. With a lead of over 30 seconds from the first two days, I did not want to take too many risks today. Only on the “Ouninpohja” special stage did I really push myself to the limit, as that stage is simply fantastic. For me, it was the first time in a World Rally Car and the speed with the Polo R WRC left me speechless. You pulse starts to race, you are full of adrenalin, and you enjoy every jump and every metre. My lead in the World Rally Championship has increased, but I am not concentrating on that today – I just want to enjoy the win with my team now. Without our well-oiled team, I would not be on the top step.’

2013 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, FINLAND: FINAL RESULTS

1 Sébastien Ogier/Julian Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen: 2h 43m 10.4s

2 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Ford: + 36.6s
3 Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (N/S), Ford: +57.6s
4 Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN/FIN), Citroën: +1m 21.6s

5 Daniel Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (E/E), Citroën: + 6m 06.5s

2013 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Sébastien Ogier: 181

2 Jari-Matti Latvala: 91

3 Thierry Neuville: 91

4 Mikko Hirvonen: 73

5 Daniel Sordo: 69

2013 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP,
MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Volkswagen Motorsport: 251

2 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT: 196

3 Qatar M-Sport WRT: 112
4 Qatar WRT: 107

5 Jipocar Czech National Team: 39

According to the latest figures released by NAAMSA, the Polo Vivo was once again the top-selling car in South Africa. A total of 3574 Polo Vivos found new homes in July 2013. Yet again, its younger brother, the Polo 6R followed it, with 2618 units sold putting it in second place. The new Golf GTI also added to Volkswagen Group South Africa’s success – 477 examples were sold in its first month to market. Total Golf sales in South Africa last month were 908. When all brands were tallied up, Volkswagen Group South Africa sold 10,613 units in July, capturing a 24.4 per cent market share.

‘The market results reflected the on-going positive demand for new vehicles. They were further boosted by a relatively higher number of selling days in July as well as the rental car demand which accounted for 15.4% of the passenger car market,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director Sales and Marketing at Volkswagen Group South Africa.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R111,900 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R161,100 for the top 1.6 Polo Maxx, the 2013 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the four-door Polo Sedan.

One year’s free insurance is available to retail customers** purchasing most Polo models on Volkswagen Financial Services’ Solutions (PCP) package over three years and 30,000 miles. Available until 30 September, all cars bought on Solutions will be entitled to a three-year, 30,000-mile service plan for £199. All prospective owners must be over 21 while the free insurance offer will be restricted to over 25s for higher-powered BlueGT and GTI models. Full details of insurance terms and conditions can be found at www.insurewithvolkswagen.co.uk/polo. There is also a £1000 deposit contribution, while the Solutions rate of interest is 6.4 per cent APR representative (retail sales only). ** Free insurance is not available in Northern Ireland, however customers will receive a deposit contribution in lieu.