Volkswagen has unveiled the new Polo R WRC, and it looks really good. The second-gen rally car’s mission will be to defend its titles in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) – VW completed a clean sweep of all titles when the Polo R WRC made its debut in 2013, before repeating the feat last season.
“The new Polo R WRC has undergone intense further development, both on the inside and the outside. Not only more dynamic and sporty, our engineers have also been working meticulously on technical innovations under the bonnet and have improved many detailed aspects of the package that has been so successful for the past two years,” said Dr Heinz-Jakob Neußer, VW board member for technical development.
“The focus of this further development was on efficiency, reliability and performance. We can hardly wait to see the new Polo R WRC in Monte Carlo and at the other twelve rallies on four continents,” he added.
New ideas under the bonnet include the hydraulically activated gearbox, which is operated via a shift paddle on the steering column. Besides that, three quarters of last year’s components were checked and many of them optimised, with the aim of making everything “simpler, lighter, and stronger”.
The most striking change to the Polo R WRC for the 2015 season is how it looks. The front of the car is in dark blue; the rear, with a towering rear wing, in white. Sponsor Red Bull’s distinctive trademark is very prominent on the bonnet and sides, which also display logos of lubricant partner Castrol, Volkswagen Financial Services, tyre partner Michelin, chassis and clutch specialist ZF Sachs, and supplier OMP.
No change in the driving line-up for 2015: double world champions Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia and team- mates Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila and Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene will roll down the starting ramp of the first special stage of the year at the Rallye Monte Carlo on January 22.
If the stock Polo was this good…
Result was quite consistent on the road..
just smoked a Fiesta, Hyundai Accent (Msia version of i20) and a Pug 208 (sister of DS3) .. lol
Sorry, I read that as “Volkswagen Polo R WRC – Second Hand – Third time DSG changed”
Win
Hm.. Your joke is very cold.. no one likes it..
Kah! GTI oso cannot mod like this liao.. JPJ gonna rage in 10sec.
WRC – VW sapu
LeMans 24 hours – Audi Sapu
VWG gonna sapu all
The amount of of funds invested into the races also can sapu all.
they do get price money by winning..
the money you pay for Proton also used in R3, but dunno got win anything or not.. lol..
No so quick. Porsche is on the Le Mans comeback trails to separate it from Le Boys. Yes, VWG group do rule.
WRC – Subaru sapu
Lemans 24hours – Toyota sapu
Get your facts right
In LeMans 24 hours 2014, Audi got the 1st and 2nd, following by Toyota: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans
While Proton still playing with its pathetic R3 and keep dreaming they are the king. Typical Proton lifestyle: Sendiri Cakap, Sendiri Syok.
Just like the government
Agree that Proton is crap. But you shouldn’t compare Proton with VW or Audi. Totally diff league man. Hmmmm….
I was not comparing Proton to Toyota, yes they are not on the same league.
I am just amazed by the Proton fanboys’ mindset, they so excited on of poorly built car, talkok a lot, yet they don’t even buy the latest Proton themselves.
wrc is a joke now….unlike the good old days when you could buy the rally machine on the road thanks to homologation rules.