PoloDriver

Over the weekend of 10-11 May, P G Andersson drove a Marklund Motorsport-prepared Polo RX Supercar in the Swedish RallyX round. Scoring a second fastest time in the first heat, he went on to place fifth in the second heat, putting him in third overall. Unfortunately, that was where his run of good luck ended.

A further good performance in the third heat made sure he qualified foe the semi-final. But, a problem with a crankshaft sensor out him in second place. Still, this enabled him to make and drive the final, but with only a maximum 5000rpm limit. His drive ended on the third lap with a front-wheel puncture, resulting in a sixth place finish.

As with previous years, Stanford Hall 2014 opened the show season for many. A show with a traditional, laid-back atmosphere and a mixture of both old and new, air-cooled and water-cooled Volkswagens, weather rarely gets the better of it, and it was the same this year. The bright and sunny May Bank Holiday weather brought out myriad Volkswagen Group cars, all immaculately turned out. Here are a few of our favourites.

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Former WRC winner and Belgian rally driver François Duval will drive a Polo RX Supercar at this year’s World RX of Belgium. Confirmed last week, Duval will pilot another Polo prepared by Marklund Motorsport, who currently run cars for Anton Marklund and Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikinnen in the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship.

Duval will compete in the World RX of Belgium on 12-13 July alongside Marklund and Heikinnen, with support from the Belgian VW Club and Gordon and Ramaekers. The Belgian driver has previous form, winning the country’s round of the European Rallycross Championship in 2010. The third 560bhp Marlund Motorsport-prepared Polo RX will wear Duval’s number 30 (rendering of possible livery pictured above).

‘I am delighted to confirm my involvement with the Swedish Marklund Motorsport team for Belgium,’ said 33-year-old Duval. ‘I’ve worked on this project with my partners for some time and I’m happy that the Belgian VW Club have now given me the extra boost needed to allow this deal to happen.’

Atte Varsta, Head of Marketing & Communications for Marklund Motorsport, added: ‘We are delighted about this opportunity to offer a Volkswagen Polo RX Supercar to François Duval for the Belgian round. Belgium is a country full of motor enthusiasts and they must be happy to see him drive on home soil. François’ wealth of experience in both rallying and rallycross will help him succeed at Mettet.’

[Image: Belgian VW Club / autosport.be]

Apprentices at Volkswagen’s Pune factory in India have built a firefighting car as part of their final year Dual Apprenticeship Programme. The Volkswagen Academy India students made the car for the Fire and Safety Department of the Volkswagen India plant.

Fourteen young people used parts from a Vento (Polo saloon) and CrossPolo to make the project car. Numeous modifications were made. The basic design of the Vento was used, but a pick-up body style was fabricated from the B-pillar rearwards.

The tailgate was built with its hinges at the bottom to facilitate easy loading and unloading of items from the rear storage space. Approximately 160 parts of the car were created especially for the project. Powering the firefighting Polo is a 1.6-litre TDI engine.

The Pilot Hall team at Volkswagen’s Pune factory – which is responsible for experimental projects – mentored the apprentices throughout the process of building the car. The project gave the apprentices a unique opportunity to have hands-on experience with the activities associated with building a vehicle.

Volkswagen Academy India started its three-year Dual Apprenticeship Programme in 2011. A mechatronics course that educates the students in various disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, electronics and IT, the first batch of students are now their final year.

As a part of their syllabus, the apprentices had to undertake a practical project. To keep the focus on manufacturing, it was decided by the apprentices to build a low-budget car. The firefighting Polo will be used for daily inspection around the factory as well as the movement of material by the Fire and Safety Department.

K T Vijayan, Head of Volkswagen Academy, Volkswagen India Private Limited said: ‘The well-accomplished project of building the firefighting car shows the diversity of education our academy students receive and the course’s unique approach towards practical learning.’

April 2014 was another successful month for Volkswagen’s Polo in the UK sales charts. As the first drives of the refreshed model are published, buyers are still flocking to buy the current car. Last month 3449 Polos were sold according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That puts VW’s evergreen supermini in eighth place in the top 10.

The SMMT reports that new car registrations rose 8.2 per cent in April to 176,820 units, the 26th consecutive month of growth. Volumes for the year-to-date reached 864,942, an increase of 12.5 per cent. Therefore, the SMMT has revised its 2014 market forecast from 2.3 million to more than 2.4 million registrations.

The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during April 2014 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 10,250 (49,490, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 6772 (31,531, 2nd)
3 Volkswagen Golf: 5302 (24,462, 4th)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 3949 (27,788, 3rd

5 Audi A3: 3754 (15,337, 8th)

6 Nissan Qashqai: 3753 (16,690, 7th)
7 Vauxhall Astra: 3562 (21,027, 5th)

8 Volkswagen Polo: 3449 (17,080, 6th)

9 Nissan Juke: 3053

10 Fiat 500: 2928 (14,613, 9th)

(The 2014 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the BMW 3 Series with 13,523 units sold.)