Polo R WRC makes its first public appearance at VW Winter Night event
Fresh from its recent class victory at Rally Sweden, Volkswagen Motorsport gave the much-awaited Polo R WRC rally car its first official public outing at the weekend. The ‘reveal’ took place at winter sports resort Ellmau in Austria at Volkswagen’s Winter Night event, with driver Sébastien Ogier piloting the near-300bhp four-wheel drive Polo around the ice and snow-covered track. Carlos Sainz, who has also had a hand in developing Volkswagen’s 2013 rally challenger, appeared in a Race Touareg.
In related Polo R WRC news, wrc.com reports that the first tests of the ‘proper’ car were completed last week. Volkswagen Motorsport ran the car in Norway, with Ogier and Dieter Depping sharing the driving, close to the Rally Sweden stages, where Ogier had competed only a few days earlier. Completing the 1000km test programme with no reported faults, the team focused on transmission and suspension components, and compared the results to the Škoda Fabia S2000 cars, VW currently runs in the 2012 World Rally Championship (WRC). The official WRC website states that the Volkswagen Motorsport testing circus moves to Spain later this week, with the focus on gravel.
[Source: German Car Scene]
