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.

Latvala drove today the Polo for the first time. The test took place near Wolksburg. Ogier was there too.

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Originally Posted by Kielder

Latvala drove today the Polo for the first time. The test took place near Wolksburg. Ogier was there too.

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Was not Mikkelsen there also? I believe he has some tests with the Polo very soon but may be wrong.

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Originally Posted by darkstar

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

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Hmm... I would rather put my money on a rather unknown driver that will just do a few rallies in 2013 and won a few (7 or 6, or is it 76) rallies in in career.

Anyhow, I surely hope VW will come with a competitive car and that Ogier did not waste his only chance to beat Loeb for nothing. I still think that he made a very very bad choice and should have run a Ford WRC this year and like JML, move to VW in 2013. Solberg could have then been the person helping developing the Polo, that would have avoid an embarrassing season.

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Originally Posted by Kielder

Latvala drove today the Polo for the first time. The test took place near Wolksburg. Ogier was there too.

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any video clip,can't wait to see latvala in the polo!

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Originally Posted by xavier

Hmm... I would rather put my money on a rather unknown driver that will just do a few rallies in 2013 and won a few (7 or 6, or is it 76) rallies in in career.

Anyhow, I surely hope VW will come with a competitive car and that Ogier did not waste his only chance to beat Loeb for nothing. I still think that he made a very very bad choice and should have run a Ford WRC this year and like JML, move to VW in 2013. Solberg could have then been the person helping developing the Polo, that would have avoid an embarrassing season.

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Xav, are you referring to Seb O wasting the 2012 season (when he had proof already that Citroen wouldn't allow him to beat Loeb anyway) or the decisions he took in 2011 season not to be the tame handbag dog any longer?

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Originally Posted by pettersolberg29

Was not Mikkelsen there also? I believe he has some tests with the Polo very soon but may be wrong.

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This says he was

Latvala logra subirse al Volkswagen Polo R WRC | MotorEnLinea.es - La revista digital del mundo del motor en Canarias

Googlish

Google Oversetter

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Originally Posted by Mintexmemory

Xav, are you referring to Seb O wasting the 2012 season (when he had proof already that Citroen wouldn't allow him to beat Loeb anyway) or the decisions he took in 2011 season not to be the tame handbag dog any longer?

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I meant for Seb Ogier to have wasted the 2012 season by not moving to Ford: i am sure we would have had a much more intresting season if he had done that.
And now, he will never be able to say he bested Seb Loeb over a season.

Some Norwegian media reported that Andreas Mikkelsen has put pen to paper for an 3 year deal with VW :up:

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Originally Posted by xavier

I meant for Seb Ogier to have wasted the 2012 season by not moving to Ford: i am sure we would have had a much more intresting season if he had done that.
And now, he will never be able to say he bested Seb Loeb over a season.

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Wasn't it Ford itself (not M-Sport) who made him go to VW by looooong waiting with confirmation of works program?

I don't think Ogier would won the title with Ford 2012

Mirek and Stefan have pointed the salient argument - Ford prevaricated and wouldn't have been good enough anyway. Seb now has a team where no one is preferred in front of him and the resources are adequate to keep developing in pace with all opposition. He's not only quick, he's clever. Le jour de gloire is about to arrive again and it pains this rosbif to say it!

VW started yesterday five days of tests in Mexico. Ogier drove the car yesterday and is going to drive it today and tomorrow, when JML is arriving to share the test that day and drive the car until Thursday. It's believed that the test takes place in Mexico especially to test engine performance at high altitude. Besides yesterday the team was working hard on the suspension.

http://i48.tinypic.com/nevo5i.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWjR9...layer_embedded

That's an expensive test.

You'd think they will have had to take a couple of chassis, engines, suspension, body, etc. Likely all airfreight.

They know how to spend the cash these Germans!

The car looks fast.

Isn't testing outside Europe forbidden? Or this applies to VW from 1 Jan 2013, when they are officially a manufacturer team?

You answered Yourself. VW can do whatever comes to their mind till they register for championship and homologate the car.

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Originally Posted by makinen_fan

Isn't testing outside Europe forbidden? Or this applies to VW from 1 Jan 2013, when they are officially a manufacturer team?

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Hah, Mirek was too fast for me... He seems to be working hard too :) .

imho vw must have invent a new antilag system without bangs.

Saddest invention in Rallying history! :(

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Originally Posted by mousti

Saddest invention in Rallying history! :(

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why?

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Originally Posted by dimviii

why?

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Who doesn't love the "bangbang" !? :D

WRC.com has official story.

First photo of Latvala driving the Polo:

http://i50.tinypic.com/6f6ww9.jpg

I hope it isn't a premonition...

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Originally Posted by Kielder

First photo of Latvala driving the Polo:


I hope it isn't a premonition...

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He's just getting over (a) ford...

Another photo of Latvala driving the Polo:

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/...52161457_n.jpg

Another photo of VW´s crash-tester in action:
https://twitter.com/paddocknews/stat...187712/photo/1

seems that polo has crashed from rear?

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Originally Posted by dimviii

seems that polo has crashed from rear?

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:laugh:

VW marketing in action. They will be very busy this year :D

Yes, Polo apears to be strong car. Good.... :D

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Originally Posted by Miika

Another photo of VW´s crash-tester in action:
https://twitter.com/paddocknews/stat...187712/photo/1

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OGIER - LATVALA 0-1. :p