https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=EnCdXWTdOIw
Printable View
M-Sport: 24 hours and counting...
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D8Yh3n_X...jpg&name=large
Polo R5 fires: VW has found the cause
Ironically, the Polo R5 Sebastien Loeb Racing brought the realization: Cédric Althaus noticed during the Rally du Chablais flaming flames and stopped in time his vehicle. In contrast to the previous Polo R5, which fell victim to the flames, Volkswagen engineers were then able to intensively investigate the Polo R5 and found that the problems caused by the rollover valve on the tank.
This valve is integrated into the tank breather to prevent fuel leakage at high cornering speeds, refueling or in the event of a rollover. However, if the valve does not properly vent the tank, it expands due to overpressure. This, in combination with the waste heat from the exhaust, can lead to a deformation of the tank cover. This may result in contact with the cardan shaft and the exhaust system and then damage to the tank system.
Because there were no problems with the valve during the development of the Polo R5, the engineers of Volkswagen Motorsport suspect that there is a connection with the introduction of the new FIA fuel, which has been coming from Total since the beginning of the year.
To tackle the problems, Volkswagen Motorsport will reinforce the tank cover in the area of the cardan shaft and exhaust system with a steel support and optimize thermal insulation. The tank ventilation system is revised to reliably regulate a possible overpressure. In addition, the distance between the central exhaust system and fuel tank is increased.
Test the new parts on Sunday
On Sunday, ex-WRC2 World Champion Pontus Tidemand will test out the changes on gravel tracks in southern France and Polo R5 sire Gerard Jan de Jongh will then set off in person to Sardinia to help the unsettled clientele at the next WRC event. "We are in constant communication with our customers and it is clear: safety first," said VW Motorsport Director Sven Smeets.
It is unclear whether de Jongh gets anything to do in Sardinia at all. Among other things, Albert von Thurn and Taxis renounced after the recent incidents on the use of the Polo R5 and attacks instead to the Skoda Fabia R5. Other drivers have similar thoughts. Ex-European champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz wants to decide by the weekend whether he will refrain from using the Polo R5 as well.
https://www.rallye-magazin.de/wrc/ar...l-klemmt-40958
It's VERY ironic that the reason for those fires is basically identical to the fires of Fabias from three years a go. One would expect otherwise...
Weird, Althaus car from a few pages back looked pretty destroyed to me!
So what kind of time scale are we looking at to homologate any necessary changes and get the cars modified?
If someone is very much interested in the Polo R5 problem - here is an analysis of all failures so far and an interview with Andre Dietzel and Gerard Jan De Jongh from Volkswagen Motorsport. The interview was made by the Polish edition of motorsport.com 10 days before Rally Portugal. Sorry, it's in Polish only:
https://pl.motorsport.com/wrc/news/p...ukces/4437552/
I didn't know that Saba's car also lost the rear axle like Kajto's one in Argentina.
Remember this...
"Volkswagen Motorsport has defended the strength of its Polo R5 following the release of shocking pictures of the car at a recent test.
The pictures of the R5, circulating on social media, shows the complete rear axle of the Polo having broken away from the test car during testing in the south of France."
https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...-testing-crash