PoloDriver

The first round of the South African 2012 National Rally Championship kicks off the country’s rallying season this weekend (23-24 March) and the BP Volkswagen team will pull out all the stops to get ahead early. With the brand new Polo S2000 car unveiled a few weeks ago, the squad will be hoping that the stages in KwaZulu-Natal will be kind to them. Volkswagen Motorsport has six consecutive national rally championship titles to its name with the previous generation Volkswagen Polo S2000 after all.

The latest version of the super-supermini has been crafted for the single purpose of winning rallies, and is packed with the latest rallying technology. A 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine producing 270bhp/200kW driving all four wheels powers the new-for-2012 Polo S2000, pumping 184lb ft/250Nm of torque at 7200rpm, and making use of a Sadev 4/45 six-speed sequential ‘Powershift’-equipped gearbox. As well as a new car, the BP Volkswagen team have two new drivers. Hans Weijs Jnr and Bjorn Degandt are two international competitors who have experience in IRC and WRC championships.

Seasoned campaigners Lnzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson are carrying on as before, and have won the Total Rally twice before – the last time in 2006 – and are eager to claim the event for the new car. Kuun and Hodgson are also two-time winners of the national championship title, and will definitely be in the hunt for a third. Teammates Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries are in a similar position. They know the territory, they are seasoned campaigners, they have a national rally title under their belts, and they will be in full flight searching for another title.

Meanwhile, Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin have a huge challenge ahead of them in KwaZulu-Natal. They will contest the new S2000 Challenge category of national rallying – and their efforts will be backed up by the BP Volkswagen Polo Vivo S2000. The challenge that lies ahead this season is going to test them, but their rally car that has a pedigree which stretches back to include six national rally titles to help them to the end. Finally, Megan Verlaque and Hilton Auffray tackle the S1600 category with their two-wheel drive BP Volkswagen Polo Vivo in search of national rally championship honours – and the start of their first full season as a team.

Continue Reading

Just as spring finally rears its head in the UK, the aptly-named Polo Vivo Zest goes on sale in South Africa. Designed with the young at heart in mind, the latest addition to the Polo Vivo range is distinguished by a tailgate spoiler, 14-inch ‘Portland’ alloy wheels, and unique ‘Zest’ badging. Inside, there’s rainbow-patterned ‘Bunt’ seat fabric, and gunmetal dashboard inserts. The 1.4-litre 74bhp engine comes paired with a five-speed manual gearbox, while standard equipment includes driver and passenger airbags, and a digital clock and mileage trip recorder. The five-door only Polo Vivo Zest costs R122,300 and is available now.

Continue Reading

The time has come. I’m finally selling my 1994 Volkswagen Polo GT coupé that has been a constant and loyal travelling companion for the last 13 years. Bought in January 1999 when it was five years old and had 48,000 miles on the clock, I’ve enjoyed 120,000 miles since then in it, although with a 2001 Polo GTI arriving last September, unfortunately (and very reluctantly), the 75bhp Polo GT has to go. It’s covered less than 6000 miles a year over the last nine years or so, as I worked in London, and so took the train to work.

The car comes with a full service history, and where the service book hasn’t been stamped by a dealer when the car has been DIY-serviced in its later life, I’ve filled in the service stamps manually, and have the complete book pack, complete with previous tax discs and ‘Possession of your new Volkswagen’ booklet. The car has a current MoT until January 2013 (I have all if them from my ownership), and had over £800 spent on it last year when a new alternator was needed and the suspension was completely replaced.

Built in November 1993 and exported to the UK in January 1994, the car is fitted with sought-after factory front fog lights, heated washer jets, tinted glass, and Satin Silver metallic paint, all expensive new official options, specified when the car was ordered by its previous (one of three) owners. A Passat 22mm master cylinder has also been retro-fitted to improve the braking a little. The car comes with its standard steel wheels and wheel trims, as well as some spare parts which include a set of tinted rear light lenses (one is cracked, but they were originally on the car), white front indicators, darkened side repeaters, and a quarterlight window.

The bodywork is in good condition for an 18 year-old car, but there is some tidying up to be done. There is some rust just under the fuel filler flap, the bottom underside of the driver’s door needs some attention, and there is some rust starting to bubble along a small area of the tailgate edge and the front of the nearside wing near the front indicator (though this has been constant through the last 10 years or so, and hasn’t gotten much worse). The roof also has areas where lacquer has peeled, while the bonnet has a few chips.

Overall, though, the car is still one of the best and most original, unmolested examples of this great little VW. A previous concours winner, it is a regular Volkswagen event attendee, and is well-known on the show circuit, having promoted both the VW Polo Register and PoloDriver.com in its time with me. Ideally, I’d like it to go to an enthusiast and be looked after, as it enters the twilight of its life. Email rich@polodriver.com for further information and contact details. No timewasters, please. £1100 or any sensible offers.

Details

• 1994 Volkswagen Polo GT coupé
• 168,000 miles
• Manual five-speed gearbox
• 75bhp, 1272cc engine with multipoint fuel injection
• MoT until January 2013
• Tax until end June 2013

UPDATE, 12 APRIL 2012: the car has now been sold.

Continue Reading

Rally Mexico, the third round of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), saw Volkswagen Motorsport come home eighth overall, gaining valuable experience for its Polo R WRC programme. Last weekend, the all-French pairing of Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia finished ahead of three more powerful WRC cars, scoring their first four championship points. The Dutch/Belgian duo of Kevin Abbring and Frédéric Miclotte weren’t quite so fortunate, retiring in the 16th special stage due to technical problems.

‘The extremely stony gravel tracks at an altitude of over 2000m make the Mexico Rally one of the most demanding rallies for “man and material”,’ said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. ‘We’ve gathered conclusive measurements for the development of the Polo R WRC, and Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia did a very good job. It’s a shame that Kevin Abbring and Frédéric Miclotte suffered misfortune as they’d been running at a nice, fast past up to that point. The enthusiasm of the Mexican rally fans is fantastic. And it’s a fantastic feeling to note that the Volkswagen brand has many loyal fans in Mexico.’

Rally Mexico delivered spectacular rallying on 22 special stages and 380 timed kilometres around the city of Leon. Starting in the front-runners, Ogier struggled with the difficult conditions. ‘When you’re always among the first drivers to go out, there’s still a particularly large amount of gravel on the track,’ he said. ‘In addition, the power difference compared with turbo engines is even greater here at extremely high altitudes. On the whole, though, I’m pleased because I can give the Volkswagen Motorsport team its first championship points. And in 2013 we’ll be even further at the front with the new Polo R WRC.’

Continue Reading

The first round of the South African 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup almost didn’t get started at all at Zwartkops last weekend (3-4 March). The opening lap of the first race saw the safety car out on the track after a massive accident, with six cars being unable to run once the race had been restarted. Once underway, it was defending champion Devin Robertson who led the rest of the field and took the chequered flag, moving up three places from his fourth-place starting position.

Bryan Morgan in the Franke car came in behind Robertson, while 15 year-old Kelvin van der Linde finished in third. However, a three-place penalty was handed to Robertson after contact with Jordan Pepper’s Polo, so his podium spot was short-lived, with Morgan and van der Linde each moving up a place. There was more joy to come for van der Linde, though, as he clinched victory in race two, and second position overall for the day’s races. Van der Linde was one of two drivers who stayed on the podium at the end of each race. Morgan’s second place in race one was followed by a third in race two – and overall victory for the opening round of the 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup season.

Brother and sister Jeffrey and Robyn Kruger had reason to celebrate, too, with Robyn taking fourth place in race one, and seventh in race two, putting her in third position overall for the day. Jeffrey meanwhile, took second place in race two, helping to give the pair their best race weekend ever, and a great start for their new sponsor, IndyOil. Normally a magazine journalist for Car, Sudhir Matai started his season well, claiming fourth place in the Masters category, despite spinning his Polo Vivo in the second race. Mark Silverwood and Mandla Madakane both popped their Engen Volkswagen Cup cherries at Zwartkops, bringing their Polo Vivos home ninth and twelfth respectively.

The 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing VW Polo Cup single-series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those Volkswagen-moderated series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen championship, as many as thirty drivers regularly take to the race tracks in technically-identical, 2.0-litre, 234bhp VW Polo Vivo racing cars.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Devin Robertson (1: Big Boss Auto/Sparco)
2 Bryan Morgan (5: Franke)
3 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo)

Race 2
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo)
2 Jeffrey Kruger (6: IndyOil)
3 Bryan Morgan (5: Franke)

Overall standings
1 Bryan Morgan (5: Franke)
2 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo)
3 Robyn Kruger (9: IndyOil)

Masters Championship overall standings
1 Justin Taylor (M3: VW Techniques)
2 Dino Manelis (M13: Big Boss Auto/ GTI)
3 Francois van Tonder (M12)

Continue Reading