PoloDriver

The Rally of South Africa took its toll on the field of racers over the weekend of 29-30 May. Only 23 finishers crossed the line at Ermelo, with the BP Volkswagen Polo S2000 of Jan Habig and Ralph Pitchford in a hard fought second place, just 0.7 seconds behind the leaders Johnny Gemmell and Drew Sturrock and their Toyota Auris. A fantastic result considering that, at the end of the first day, the VW pair were over 1 minute and 48 seconds off the leaders and 79 seconds adrift of the eventual rally winners.

The second day proved more profitable, with the gap to the front of the pack narrowed to 46.8 seconds by the end of stage one. After six stages it was down to 38.0, and by stage eight had dropped further to 25 seconds. A further fall to 14.3 seconds had happened by the end of stage nine, while at the end of stage 10 it was up to 19.2 seconds, setting the scene for a nailbiting finish. No-one was quite sure who had actually claimed the rally victory until the cars pulled up at the podium. Analysing the list of fastest stage times, Habig and Pitchford claimed three stage wins.

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Announced back in February, the latest incarnation of the CrossPolo (Dune in the UK) has gone on sale in South Africa, one of the first markets to get the new car. That might have something to do with the local nature of the model; Volkswagen South Africa is the sole arm of the German company to manufacture and export the car for right and left-hand drive markets, with output coming from VW’s Uitenhage factory.

Like its predecessors, the 2010 CrossPolo gets a fashionable range of colours (Magma Orange making a welcome return and joining Terra Beige Metallic), 15mm of extra ride height, and unique body styling with 17” ‘Budapest’ alloy wheels. Prices start at R198,500 for the 1.6 Comfortline with 104bhp, while the TDI model with the same output and trim costs R224,500. Click here for more detailed specifications. The full, official Volkswagen South Africa press release follows along with more images.

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Tying in neatly with its 2010 Polo GTI vs SEAT Ibiza Bocanegra twin test, Auto Express has put an immaculate 1991 Polo G40 through its paces on the same Welsh roads as the modern in-house rivals. Owned by Volkswagen Classic in Germany, the Nineties Polo even has a very apt ‘WOB-PO-40’ licence plate. The Polo G40 became a top-flight mainstay in the Polo range in 1991, following small volume production runs on the continent in the mid-1980s. Sharing supercharging as a means of propulsion (the new Polo GTI also has a turbocharger), the 113bhp ‘coupé’ weighed a flyweight 830kg and could crack 60mph from rest in only 8.1 seconds. Rawer than the latest model, read how the UK motoring magazine seemed to enjoy the driving experience.

[Image: Nathan Morgan/Auto Express]

The latest issue of UK car news weekly Auto Express goes one better than its recent 2010 Polo GTI first drive by pitting VW’s latest performance newcomer against the SEAT Ibiza Bocanegra. Possibly the hot Polo’s most obvious rival, its Spanish rival packs the same 178bhp punch, provided by the same 1.4-litre TSI engine and coupled to the same seven-speed, paddle-operated DSG gearbox. Unsurprisingly, both sprint from 0 to 62mph in 6.9 seconds, but the Ibiza is only £17,245 compared to the Polo’s basic price of £18,275. Which car wins? We’ll leave you to head over here to read the twin test and find out the answer.

[Image: Nathan Morgan/Auto Express]

Volkswagen Polo Cup South Africa title defender Mathew Hodges was the big winner of the second race weekend of the 2010 championship. Hodges was victorious on the 4.246-kilometre circuit at Kyalami, near Johannesburg in both rounds. Devin Robertson crossed the finish line as the runner-up of the first round, while Miguel Pasqualli came in third. Pasqualli was also on the podium for the second round, coming in behind Hodges. Bryan Morgan made up the top three, finishing race two in third place. The 2010 Volkswagen Polo Cup South Africa series is similar to the other racing Polo championships run in Europe and India. Just as in those series, the one-make format highlights new young driving talent. As many as 30 drivers regularly take to the track in technically identical cars, full grids ensure close-fought races.