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Volkswagen Motorsport GmbH, the Hanover-based outfit behind the four World Rally Championship title-winning Polo R WRC, and the current Polo GTI R5, is being integrated into Volkswagen AG. The 169-strong workforce will be offered employment at Volkswagen AG, as the company ceases all motorsport activities and realigns itself with the age of electromobility.

Successful run
Production of the sixth-generation Polo-based GTI R5 will finish at the end of 2020, though spare parts will be ‘ensured in the long term’ to service teams who run the 270bhp four-wheel drive machines in national and international championships. An end to the Polo’s successful run which began in 2013, it sadly spells the final curtain on the Polo’s officially backed role in motorsport.

In addition to the quartet of World Rally Championship titles Volkswagen Motorsport scored with the Polo R WRC from 2013-2016, the Polo RX won a trio of rallycross world championship titles in 2017, 2018 and 2020, most notably through a pairing with Petter Solberg. Up-and-coming driver Johan Kristoffersson also formed an unbeatable and winning bond with the rallycross Polo.

VW states it is “pooling its strengths for the transformation into the mobile electric age” as part of its wide-ranging refocus. ‘The Volkswagen brand is on the way to becoming the leading provider of sustainable electromobility,’ stated Dr Frank Welsch, Volkswagen brand Board Member for Development.

‘We are pooling our strengths and have decided to discontinue our own motorsport activities for the Volkswagen brand. The workforce will subsequently be integrated into Volkswagen AG.’ Welsch also explained that the ‘in-depth technical expertise’ of the Volkswagen Motorsport employees and the knowledge gained from the ID R electric racing car project will feed into the development of the incoming ID range of cars.

‘Significant sporting successes’
‘The Volkswagen Motorsport GmbH team has had significant sporting successes for the brand over the decades. My sincere thanks go to all employees for the many victories, titles and records around the world and their personal commitment,’ said Wilfried von Rath, Volkswagen brand Member of the Board of Management, adding that the Hanover workforce will be offered employment at Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, and will be integrated into the company over the coming months.

As well as the components for the Polo GTI R5, spares for the Golf GTI TCR will also be safe in the long term. The 335bhp track machine secured a pair of TCR International titles in 2016 and 2017. Both machines are customer sports propositions, Volkswagen Motorsport not running any ‘factory-backed’ teams itself.

Five-decade history
Volkswagen Motorsport’s history goes back five decades, starting with Formula Vee in the 1960s and 1970s. Subsequent participation in Formula 3, national and World Rally Championships (with both second and third-generation Golf GTIs, as well as the Polo R WRC), circuit racing series and three Dakar Rally events show it was a company to be reckoned with in the world of motorsport.

More recently, the electric ID R single-seater successfully showcased Volkswagen Motorsport’s technical skill. The EV racer holds five international records, including the overall fastest hill climb times at Pikes Peak and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, as well as the quickest electric car lap on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.

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Double world rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson will return to the series in 2020, in a Polo GTI RX. The Swede won consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018 with a Polo GTI RX as part of Petter Solberg’s PSRX Volkswagen Team Sweden squad, and returns with his sights set on a third championship victory.

Kristoffersson campaigned selected rallying events in the Volkswagen Motorsport Polo GTI R5 during 2019, and also enjoyed competing in the World Touring Car Championship (WCTR). ‘It has been a hectic period… There have been many alternatives, but right now I feel really satisfied. Rallycross is very close to my heart. All our energy and focus is now on World RX,’ he said. In 2020, his 600bhp Polo GTI RX will wear Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS livery.

He may have been away from the sport, but that doesn’t mean Kristoffersson hasn’t been following the action. ‘I have caught up with some of the races I missed and my conclusion is that our opponents took steps forward during 2019. I have learnt from both rally and racing. That mix is what makes rallycross,’ he said. ‘I’m really looking forward to this season and it is a bit special to do it with Kristoffersson Motorsport. When we entered rallycross in 2014, we set a three-year plan to become world champions.’

‘A very competent squad’
Head of the squad Tommy Kristoffersson knows the challenges the team face in 2020: ‘To run a family team in the world championship is really above our heads, but thanks to great support from our main partners, the Volkswagen dealers in Sweden and BAUHAUS, we felt it was worth giving it a go,’ he said. ‘We hope to score good results early on, giving us a chance for extra support for the later part of the season. Of course, this puts pressure on our team, but I feel assured we have a very competent squad.’

‘Rallycross is surrounded by emotions and the organisers have found a great concept for the events. With a double world champion behind the wheel, the pressure is on. Of course we will be there aiming to win, but anyone involved in this business knows it’s not that easy. After all, we’re a private team and the resources are limited, not even close to 2017 and 2018. Also, the car will be based in Arvika, not in Hannover, even though we will be buying services from Volkswagen Motorsport,’ Kristoffersson senior said.

Johan Kristoffersson’s super-Polo won’t be the only small Volkswagen on the 2020 RX tracks. Norwegian Sondre Evjen will also drive a Kristoffersson Motorsport-built Polo in the European Rallycross Championship (Euro RX) as he did in 2019, and compatriot Thomas Bryntesson has confirmed that he will also drive a Polo Supercar in Euro RX, run by his own team TBRX. Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand will also pilot a Hedstroms Motorsport-run Polo. The Czech Republic’s Ales Fucik, is also behind the wheel of a Polo, for the KRTZ Motorsport ACCR team. Philip Gehrman from Sweden is also in a Polo, campaigned by Bridgestone and First Stop Motorsport.

First rounds postponed
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic currently sweeping the globe, the first two rounds of the 2020 series, the World RX of Catalunya-Barcelona (18-19 April) and the World RX of Portugal (2-4 May), have been postponed. Check the FIA World Rallycross website for updated information regarding rescheduled dates.

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A third Volkswagen Polo GTI Supercar will be making an appearance at round eleven of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the World RX of Germany, with VW test driver Dieter Depping sitting behind the wheel. The three-time German rally champion will make his world rallycross debut in the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden-run car at the Estering circuit on 30 September to 1 October.

The 51 year-old will contest the Buxtehude races alongside PSRX team owner and ex-WRC champion Petter Solberg and current World Rallycross Championship leading driver Johan Kristoffersson. The first time former Dakar driver Depping has driven in competition since the 2010 Nürburgring 24-hour race. ‘I’m really looking forward to it, but also have a huge amount of respect for the races,’ the experienced circuit driver said.

‘When Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets asked me if I could envisage starting at my home race in Buxtehude, I didn’t need to think about it for long,’ explained Depping, beaming. ‘I will prepare for the races and am already looking forward to the great setting at the Estering. My thanks also go to Petter Solberg’s team, who are taking me and my Polo under their wing for this competition,’ he continued.

‘Dieter Depping has done a valuable job for Volkswagen as a test driver and racing driver for many years. He was part of the Dakar team, was involved in the development of countless racing cars and played a major role in Volkswagen bringing home a total of twelve world championship titles with the Polo R WRC,’ said Smeets. ‘The start in Buxtehude is a way of thanking Dieter Depping for his fantastic work, but we are also delighted to have a local hero lining up at the rallycross highlight in Lower Saxony.’

PROFILE: DIETER DEPPING
Dieter Depping was born on 7 August 1966 in Hannover, Germany. He first watched motorsport as a rally spectator when he was 18 years old. In 1990 he contested his rookie season in the German rally trophy in a Volkswagen Golf he built himself, winning the competition. Between 1992 and 1994 he won three titles in the German rally championship, three victories at ADAC Rally Germany (1994, 1996, 1997), and finished runner-up twice in the European championship in 1994 and 1995.

He then took a break from professional racing and devoted himself to the family business. He joined Volkswagen Motorsport as a test driver and works driver in 2001. He made his debut in a Volkswagen Tarek at the 2003 Dakar Rally, as the team-mate of Jutta Kleinschmidt. In 2009, he made his second appearance, in a Race Touareg.

Depping has also contested circuit races for Volkswagen, including the Nürburgring 24-hour race. As a test driver, Depping made a crucial contribution to the development of the hugely successful Polo R WRC the end of 2011. That four-time championship-winning machine also formed the basis for the current World Rallycross Championship Polo GTI Supercar.

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Following his stellar performance at the World RX of Great Britain, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver Johan Kristoffersson swept all before him and took his 570bhp Polo GTI Supercar to victory at the 2017 World RX of Norway on 10-11 June, the sixth round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship.

The win at the 1.019km-long mixed surface circuit in Hell saw the young Swede extend his lead in the 2017 drivers’ points table, and, with 151 points, Kristoffersson is now ahead of current world champion Mattias Ekström by eight points who sits in second with 143.

Fastest driver
Setting the pace in free practice where he was the fastest driver, Kristoffersson never let up. The Swedish driver’s second victory of the year was even more impressive as he was driving in pain, with a badly injured right foot, sustained when it got caught under Sebastien Loeb’s car at a ‘pre-grid’ gathering earlier in the weekend.

A visibly pained Kristoffersson explained: ‘The car needed to be reversed to get my foot back out which was really painful but nobody’s fault. It was really painful between the semi-final and final races, but painkillers helped and I will go to the hospital to get it properly looked at.’

Even a puncture in the fourth qualifying heat couldn’t stop his pace-setting progress, and the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden young gun was also the fastest in the third qualifying heat where he passed Team Peugeot Hansen’s Loeb with a round the outside overtake in the joker on lap one of race four.

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Kristoffersson

2017 PS2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: KristofferssonRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Solberg and Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Kristoffersson and Holberg

‘Really fantastic’
A jubilant Kristoffersson was elated at his victory: ‘It is fantastic. I cannot say it often enough, but our team is rather special. The way we work and achieve these results together is really fantastic. That was a tough weekend. The wet conditions were not easy yesterday. However, my Polo GTI was just superb.’

Speaking ahead of the event, the 28 year-old said: ‘It’s great to lead the World Championship. I was equal with Petter after the first round a couple of years ago but now finally I’m leading on my own. It’s started to sink in a bit more and it’s a very, very good feeling.’ Kristoffersson had never made the final race in Norway until this year.

Team boss and PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver Petter Solberg enjoyed limited success at his home event. The Norwegian failed to qualify for the final race for the first time this season and finished in seventh place overall. However, a consistent performance helped the ex-world rally star keep his third place in the Drivers’ Championship behind Ekström.

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Solberg and Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Solberg and Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Norway: Solberg and Kristoffersson

‘So disappointed’
The ex-World Rally and World Rallycross Champion was frustrated at being knocked out in the semi-final: ‘Obviously it’s disappointing that we can’t keep this incredible run going for getting two cars to the final. I have to say I am so, so disappointed with what happened in the semi-final; this is the second time I have been pushed out by this guy in my home race. I don’t know what else to say. It’s not right.

‘It’s been a tough weekend, but still we made some good results. The win in Q4 was really good for me and I was positive coming to the semi and then this happens. But we have to look on the positive. Johan won and I’m so proud for him and for the whole team. We extend the lead in the championships and that’s what we take away. Norway and Hell bite me again, but I’ll be back next season,’ the 43 year-old continued.

Elsewhere in Hell, 2017 European Rallycross Championship leader Anton Marklund finished second in his Marklund Motorsport-prepared Polo RX. Kristoffersson’s Norwegian victory meanwhile was a sensational second win from three rounds, the third in a hat-trick which boosted the Volkswagen Motorsport-supported Torsby squad.

With 285 points, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden is now a massive 81 points clear of its Team Peugeot Hansen rival as the World RX circus rolls onto Sweden for round seven of the 2017 series at Höljes Motorstadion. There’s no doubt Kristoffersson will be keen to make it two consecutive wins as he entertains his home crowd. See what happens on 1-2 July.

2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 151
2 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 143
3 Petter Solberg, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 134
4 Timmy Hansen, Peugeot 208: 102
5 Sebastian Loeb, Peugeot 208: 102

2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden: 285
2 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 204
3 EKS: 198
4 Hoonigan Racing Division: 166
5 MJP Racing Team Austria: 115

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com / PSRX Volkswagen Sweden]

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Following their dominance at the 2017 World RX of Belgium two weeks ago, Petter Solberg and Johan Kristoffersson were once again the World Rallycross Championship drivers to beat at the World RX of Great Britain over the Bank Holiday weekend of 27-28 May.

The fifth round of the 2017 series saw the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden take their Polo GTI Supercars to first and second spots on the podium, with Solberg rewarded for a third consecutive best qualifying time performance at Lydden Hill. Kristoffersson’s runner-up place moved him to the top of the drivers’ standings: the young Swede is now 4 points clear of EKS’ and current world champion Mattias Ekström.

A perfect performance
The last-ever World RX of Great Britain at Lydden Hill – the British round moves to Silverstone from 2018 – got off to a good start for Solberg. The Norwegian blew apart last year’s lap record in the free practice session, and from there on in, the double World Rallycross Champion didn’t put a wheel wrong. In fact, Solberg and his 570bhp Polo put in a perfect performance: the 42 year-old even delivered a lights-to-flag lead in the final!

Unsurprisingly, it was an emotional couple of days for Solberg: ‘You know I’m quite an emotional guy, but this is really something special. To see all of these people here at this fantastic track is so amazing and then for the team to go so well in front of them is unbelievable. We started this adventure in January and look where we are. I think this one really is unbelievable,’ he enthused.

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Great Britain: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Great Britain: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Great Britain: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Great Britain: Solberg

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Great Britain: Solberg

‘I talk a lot about the team and the team performance, but that’s absolutely the way we work at PSRX Volkswagen Sweden. Every single person in the team – and I mean everybody – puts 100 per cent into what we do. But recently, we’ve been putting 110 per cent in and we’ve been getting the results. 2017 is the 50th anniversary of rallycross. And we have won this anniversary race: how incredible is that. That’s a really, really nice feeling,’ Solberg continued.

‘An incredible feeling’
‘And, with the move to Silverstone next year, this will be the last time the World Rallycross Championship will be here at Lydden for a while, so to win this race is fantastic for me. It’s been a while since I was on the top step of the podium, so to be back here is such an incredible feeling. To have Johan right there with me makes it perfect. Everything went the way we wanted it to – and when we got out of the car the sun was shining. It’s a beautiful day,’ he added.

Kristoffersson’s move to the leading points-scoring driver in the championship was also cause for celebration. ‘This result really is for the team,’ said the superstar Swede. ‘I still can’t believe what we have achieved in just a matter of a few months – and still the car is getting better and quicker.

‘This team just never stops working and Petter and I are the ones who get the chance to show off what the team can do. That’s a real honour and a real privilege. But today, like the last round in Belgium, we were able to give something back to everybody in the team,’ he reported.

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Great Britain: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Great Britain: Kristoffersson

2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Great Britain: Kristoffersson

‘Quite an emotional win’
‘This one-two is the perfect way to say “thank you” to everybody in PSRX Volkswagen Sweden for all the hard work. It’s also quite an emotional win for the team. Rallycross is a very, very big part of my life and to score such a result on a weekend when we celebrate 50 years of this incredible sport is something which makes me and the whole team very proud,’ Kristoffersson said elatedly.

In addition to Kristoffersson’s catapult to championship leader, the Torsby squad’s first one-two of the season opens PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s lead to 69 points in the teams’ championship – and also follows hot on the heels of a double podium last time out in Belgium. The next round, the World RX of Norway takes places in Hell on 10-11 June, and you can bet the Polo GTI Supercars of PSRX Volkswagen Sweden will certainly be raising all sorts of… hell!

2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 124
2 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 120
3 Petter Solberg, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 117
4 Timmy Hansen, Peugeot 208: 91
5 Sebastian Loeb, Peugeot 208: 81

2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden: 241
2 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 172
3 EKS: 166
4 Hoonigan Racing Division: 125
5 MJP Racing Team Austria: 103

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com / PSRX Volkswagen Sweden]

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