Where are all the Polo's?

[AL14]

I think You see too much conspiracy there. Of course they don't need to give everything out but I guess rallyfiend is correct. It doesn't end by selling the car. You need to have facility for rebuilding of components for customers, sufficient number of parts to deliver to customers, established service chain, available engineers to support the customers etc. etc.

Ok ok, got it. I'm totally ignorant when it comes to these kind of subjects. Thanks for explaning.

[306 Cosworth]

As soon as you sell cars, you need to have the infrastructure to to deal with customers.

Car companies are not good at that, as it requires investment, people, inventory etc.

It's one of the problems with having so many manufacturers directly running their programmes rather than using the traditional garagistes (M-Sport, Prodrive, MSD etc).

So yes, they could get some money buy selling cars, but they'd need to spend lots of money to be able to provide the service to them.

That's very true, but I'm sure VW are more than capable of setting up a 'customer base' without effecting the main WRC programme.

[Mirek]

Of course, but why shall they do that?

[Rallyper]

Of course, but why shall they do that?

It´s a matter of sportsmanships behavour. Now they only playing masters keeping everything for themselves.

[Simmi]

It´s a matter of sportsmanships behavour. Now they only playing masters keeping everything for themselves.

I'm not sure you can really call them out on sportsmanship grounds for not shelling out the money and increased infrastructure to create a customer programme. Especially when others have said, they have absolutely no need (or obligation) to do it as a fully factory supported outfit. Besides VAG can always just point to Skoda for their customer rallying programme.

I think the best we could hope for is a kind of satellite squad to appear which runs a couple of cars, but retains close links with the factory. If/when they actually start to get some serious competition they might consider it.

[Rallyper]

Open market is an honour in many places. Why do some choose to have a closed one in rallying?

It´s not a big issue, maybe only for the drivers good enough to handle such cars and also having money to buy them.

[Barreis]

They don't sell them 'cos they don't need to sell them...

[Mirek]

Open market is an honour in many places. Why do some choose to have a closed one in rallying?

It´s not a big issue, maybe only for the drivers good enough to handle such cars and also having money to buy them.

There's no real market for WRC cars as those are not allowed in FIA events except WRC. The amount of cars they can sell can't make it profitable for them. They would only loose huge money for creating the customer service from zero.

[AL14]

And probably they would barely kill mr Wilson.

[Rallyper]

And probably they would barely kill mr Wilson.

That might be closest to the truth.