Volkswagen Motorsport will put the development of its new-for-2013 Polo R WRC to one side when it enters Philips Rally Argentina next week.
The German squad is contesting this season’s FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia with a fleet of Skoda Fabia Super 2000s in readiness for its participation as a full-blown manufacturer entry next year.
It has stayed on after the recent rounds in Mexico and Portugal to test its Polo World Rally Car but with no testing planned until after the squad returns to its Hanover base from the trip to South America, the focus in Argentina will be on giving Sebastien Ogier and junior driver Andreas Mikkelsen experience of the event. At the same time, Volkswagen will also implement improvements to its logistical processes that have been reviewed following Rally Guanajuato Mexico in March.
“There are new stages this year so it’s important our drivers get some experience of those,” said team manager Sven Smeets. “Also, it’s only our second overseas rally and our first time doing a world championship rally in Argentina so there are things we will look to improve with our logistics [following our first overseas rally in Mexico]. There is now no more testing planned until after Argentina, which is how [the technical department] wanted it.”
Ogier has been an ever-present with Volkswagen this season, while Mikkelsen will be making his second appearance of the year with the team.
Source: wrc.com
The German squad is contesting this season’s FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia with a fleet of Skoda Fabia Super 2000s in readiness for its participation as a full-blown manufacturer entry next year.
It has stayed on after the recent rounds in Mexico and Portugal to test its Polo World Rally Car but with no testing planned until after the squad returns to its Hanover base from the trip to South America, the focus in Argentina will be on giving Sebastien Ogier and junior driver Andreas Mikkelsen experience of the event. At the same time, Volkswagen will also implement improvements to its logistical processes that have been reviewed following Rally Guanajuato Mexico in March.
“There are new stages this year so it’s important our drivers get some experience of those,” said team manager Sven Smeets. “Also, it’s only our second overseas rally and our first time doing a world championship rally in Argentina so there are things we will look to improve with our logistics [following our first overseas rally in Mexico]. There is now no more testing planned until after Argentina, which is how [the technical department] wanted it.”
Ogier has been an ever-present with Volkswagen this season, while Mikkelsen will be making his second appearance of the year with the team.
Source: wrc.com
