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Lead Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC driver Sébastien Ogier will be joined by his regular co-driver Julien Ingrassia, following the all-clear by doctors after a recent shoulder operation. The Frenchman injured his collarbone while riding a mountain bike and has been recuperating, missing out on recent testing sessions with the Polo R WRC in Finland, ahead of Rally Finland, which starts on Thursday 1 August. Ogier has blasting through the Finnish forests with team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen, carrying out tests ahead of the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, 60kms away from the event’s base at Jyväskylä. In total, the 315bhp Polo R WRCs spend five days pounding the jump-heavy gravel tracks.

Ingrassia returns following a successful outing in the aggressive rallying Polo at the weekend, and replaces Ogier’s stand-in co-driver Nicolas Klinger. ‘I am so relieved that I have managed to get back to full health in time for the Rally Finland. My thanks go out to the doctors for the great job they have done on me and the whole Volkswagen team, who have always supported me and sent me their best wishes. Now, I cannot wait to get back out on the road with Sébastien,’ said a please Ingrassia. Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito said: ‘The whole team is very happy that Julien is back to full health. Our main priority is always the well-being of our drivers. I would like to thank Nicolas for the great levels of commitment he demonstrated in the most recent test runs and for his willingness to step in for Julien in Finland if he was needed.’

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Fresh from winning the Sport Auto magazine’s 2013 Sports Car (Small Car category) award, Volkswagen has released 34 more photos of the purposeful-looking 217bhp Polo R WRC road car. The 2.0-litre, six-speed hot hatchback sees its first European deliveries in September. Prices start at €33,900 for each of the limited production run of 2500 cars needed for homologation. UK availability has yet to be confirmed. Click on the gallery above to see PoloDriver.com’s favourites from the latest batch of pictures of the hottest-ever Polo.

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The 315bhp Polo R WRC will star at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed, celebrating Volkswagen’s 60 years of importing cars into the UK. The event, staged from 12-14 July at Goodwood House near Chichester, will also see Volkswagen’s latest rally-winning car sprint up the famous Goodwood hill climb. Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, outgoing Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for development, will pilot the Polo WRC. Alongside the bespoilered Polo will be the XL1, Volkswagen’s high-tech ultra-frugal car, capable of 313mpg. The latest versions of the Golf GTI and Golf GTD will also be available for Festival of Speed visitors to see. Click here to purchase tickets for the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Follow Volkswagen on Twitter to find out more details about its present at the event as more details are confirmed.

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The hottest-ever Polo, the R WRC, Volkswagen’s road-going version of its winning World Rally Championship rally car, has been crowned the 2013 Sports Car (Small Car category) by Sport Auto magazine. The 2.0-litre, 217bhp hot hatchback will see its first deliveries start in September. The Polo R WRC road car also features a six-speed manual gearbox (as opposed to the seven-speed DSG in the Polo GTI), 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds, alcantara-trimmed sport seats, 18-inch ‘Cagliari’ alloy wheels, and a white, blue, and grey colour scheme. Prices start at €33,900. UK availability has yet to be confirmed.

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Volkswagen Motorsport and Sébastien Ogier proved an unbeatable combination once again, as the team and driver took victory at Rally Italy last weekend. Ogier, along with co-driver Julien Ingrassia now dominate the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ leaderboard 64 points ahead of their in-house rivals Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila, while Volkswagen Motorsport sits atop the manufacturers’ standings. Ogier and Ingrassia triumphed in Sardinia over Ford driver Thierry Neuville, while Volkswagen Motorsport team-mates Latvala and Anttila took the final spot on the podium. Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula meanwhile, retired from the action early, due to suspension damage.

Ogier and Ingrassia set seven fastest times out of 16 special stages, with Latvala and Anttila taking a further six. Ogier dominated the field from day one, and kept up his pace – but at the same time being easy on his tyres – resulting in his fourth win of the season. ‘It feels fantastic to be back on top of the podium again! I’m delighted – the team did a fantastic job and the Polo ran like a dream all weekend. We now have a very comfortable lead in the Drivers’ Championship rankings. The rally was incredibly demanding physically, due to the high temperatures. On the second day in particular, you came close to your limits and you easily lost three to four litres of fluid. My tyre-friendly driving style was no doubt one of the reasons for my victory. I was especially pleased to once again win the Power Stage. I had a tough fight on my hands with Thierry Neuville, who was incredibly fast,’ said an ecstatic Ogier.

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