PoloDriver

Now that the waters of the lake on which the 31st Wörthersee GTI Treffen sits have settled, the dry ice has cleared, and the Polo R WRC and Polo WRC Street stars of the Volkswagen stand have been packed into their trailers, here are three official VW-sanctioned videos of the three-day Austrian event, which manages to attract enthusiasts, tuners and the might of the mammoth Volkswagen Group itself. What surprises does 2013 hold?

Volkswagen Motorsport launched the Polo R Cup 2012 last week, and with it, announced a major change to the popular one-make series. Instead of 1.6-litre 128bhp TDI Polos, the championship is switching to petrol power, with new 1.4-litre, 178bhp TSI racers. Which of course means that a 1195kg Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2012 tarmac-spec racing car is powered by the same engine as the European and South African Polo GTI 6R. And Volkswagen Motorsport has been brave with the gearbox choice, as only a seven-speed DSG unit will be offered to the young racing drivers, again, like the Polo GTI road car.

The field of 20 drivers was also announced last week, all ready to contest the six-round championship which runs from July to December. Now in its third season, the Volkswagen Polo R Cup India 2012 is still sponsored by JK Tyres, and the participants will be run in three categories: Junior, Pro, and Master. Drivers of 16 to 26 years-old and with only 8 races under their belts in a national championship will be grouped in the Junior classification, while those with 8 race finishes or more in the same age bracket will be in the Pro category. Drivers over 26 years of age make up the Master group. Prize money for the race winners is INR 50,000, INR 40,000 and INR 30,000 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.

‘After two successful seasons of the Polo R Cup, we are looking forward to this year’s championship with a brand new car. It is a strategic decision for us to shift from diesel to petrol as we want to offer our young drivers a more powerful racing machine. The Polo R Cup programme has set benchmarks in Indian motorsport by being focused on professionalism, technology and safety. It has grown stronger year-on-year and has cemented its place on the Indian motorsport map’, said Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Motorsport, Volkswagen India Private Limited.

‘We are delighted to present the new 2012 TSI Race Polo along with the 20 promising drivers today. Volkswagen is committed to developing motorsport in India along with the young talent through our Polo R Cup programme. We had an excellent season last year and we are looking forward to the upcoming season’, Dr John Chacko, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited, said. The first race in the 2012 championship will be under starter’s orders on 7 July at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. Other rounds will take place at MMRT, Chennai and one round of the 2012 season will be hosted at the world-class Formula 1 race track in Noida, the Buddh International Circuit (BIC).

We’ve managed to get our hand on an early Polo BlueGT brochure, and it reveals a few more details about the technology-laden small hatchback, which is released for sale in Germany in July. Just to recap, the Polo BlueGT mixes near-GTI performance with near-BlueMotion levels of economy, thanks to its clever 1.4-litre 138bhp TSI engine, which features cylinder deactivation technology. Running in two-cylinder mode between torque outputs of 18-74lb ft and between 1250 and 4000rpm, Volkswagen states that the changeover is imperceptible. The Polo BlueGT gets to 62mph from rest in 7.9 seconds, while emitting just 108g/km of CO2, and with forecasts of over 60mpg on the combined cycle, it seems performance and economy can be bedfellows after all.

So, what else does the brochure tell us? Only four paint colours are available – Candy White, Silk Blue Metallic, Reflex Silver Metallic and Intense Black Pearl Effect – with only the former being standard at no extra cost. The seats are trimmed in ‘Blue Speed’ mesh-type cloth with while blue alcantara panels, and the multifunction steering wheel, gear lever gaiter and handbrake are wrapped in leather with ‘Grey Crystal’ stitching. Wheels are 17-inch ‘Montani’ silver alloys, although can be specified with an Anthracite finish at extra cost. We also hadn’t noticed how the rear spoiler is supported by two black aerodynamic fairings either side of the rear window – a neat, but subtle touch. The one thing this early preview brochure doesn’t include however is prices.

A 1976 Berg Cup-style Series 1 Polo racer will run at the ADAC 24-hour Classic race tomorrow at the Nürburgring. The wide-arch Polo will contest the 1300cc class at the Nordschleife event, and will be decked out in the latest Polo R WRC livery colours. Driven by the father and son pairing of Herbert and Michael Schmitz, the original Polo will be joined by the ex-Group 4, Oettinger 16V-engined 220bhp Mk 1 Golf GTI which starred at the Wörthersee GTI Festival last year, and a 1981 Group 2 Scirocco. More than 180 vintage and classic cars will fight for race positions and championship points at this year’s ADAC 24-hour Classic, which starts on Friday 18 May at 12.55pm.

Finally it’s official! Although consistently denied, there is a Polo which will be hotter than the current 178bhp GTI, and here’s the proof: the Polo WRC Street concept, unveiled today at the 31st GTI Festival in Wörthersee, Austria. Powered by a 2.0-litre engine developing 217bhp (220PS/162kW), the limited-edition Polo ‘WRC Street’ will go on sale in late 2013, after the rally-prepped Polo R WRC hits the asphalt, gravel and snow tracks, to capitalise on the motorsport model’s halo effect. Additional features of the Polo WRC Street includes a black rear spoiler and diffuser, sports suspension, multi-spoke alloy wheels, black wheel arch trims and ‘R-WRC’ graphics and badging. It certainly looks the part, and initial web reports suggest that an even hotter Polo R road-going model is also in the pipeline.

Another star of the Volkswagen stand in Reifnitz, is the Polo R WRC itself. Contesting the FIA World Rally Championship in 2013, the 1.6-litre turbocharged motorsport model is currently in development, being tested by Volkswagen’s lead driver, Sébastien Ogier. Seen in Austria as a running car, the four-wheel drive Polo R WRC develops 296bhp (300PS/220kW), and gets to 62mph from rest in 4.1 seconds. Other cars on the Volkswagen stand at the Wörthersee 2012 event which runs from 16-19 May is the production version of the Golf GTI Cabriolet, a black and red-themed Golf GTI ‘Black Dynamic’ which was built by nine Volkswagen apprentices, and the Golf GTI ‘White Concept’ with Oryx White matt paintwork.