VW News 2012 & WRC 2013

Meanwhile, the firm has scheduled a number of test sessions over the winter, including an ambitious dress rehearsal next week at its private test facilities in Ehra-Lessien. The centre includes around 100km of asphalt roads and Jari-Matti Latvala, Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen have been invited to perform a ‘mock’ rally that will last three days.
This exercise will provide Jari-Matti with an opportunity to drive the Polo for the first time, while Andreas will have a new co-driver, Mikka Markkula, formerly Hanninen’s right-hand man at Skoda, who will step in to replace Ola Floene.
The test programme will continue with a five-day visit to France’s Ardèche region, plus another three days on snow in Sweden in December in order to prepare for the first two rounds of the 2013 championship. Before then, however, the team will have travelled to Mexico at the end of November to try the new car on gravel.

Final preparations for VW

vw is really taking it serious! i bet they will win monte straight away!

Let us hope that VW is not too good, right from the beginning. Then I'm afraid we have a new era with a new Seb being unbeatable.

We will see. All drivers are fast, but absolutely non reliable. What is Polo WRC nobody knows. It can be equally either something or nothing

1 & 1/2 years of development, 20K km tests mostly gravel, 2 fastest drivers pack (excluding Loeb of course). I wouldn't be shocked if they begin to win straight away.

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Originally Posted by Coach 2

Let us hope that VW is not too good, right from the beginning. Then I'm afraid we have a new era with a new Seb being unbeatable.

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Ogier will be even bigger dominant than Loeb. The regulations are so tight that there can't be notable differences among the cars, it all depends on drivers and sometimes tyre mistakes.

Imagine the relief Ogier must be feeling now. Finally his season with the Fabia is over and he won't be able to cry that he can't keep up with the WRC's anymore. :D

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Originally Posted by EightGear

Imagine the relief Ogier must be feeling now. Finally his season with the Fabia is over and he won't be able to cry that he can't keep up with the WRC's anymore. :D

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He is a natural, born fighter, he can't cruise, he thinks for win even with a huge handicap in the cars.
If it was for example Hirvonen at his place (today) he would have been worried that his easy days are over.

There's no denying the talent in either driver. Plus, the main worry of the past decade is halfway out.

Not that I'm doubting that VW can pimp ze auto, but I'm very curious to see the consistency of the car throughout the season. The Skoda impressed me, as did SebO. But this is a whole new ballgame.