Red Bull Motorsports
Rally
Check out Volkswagen’s new Polo R WRC
Take a peek at the car all the other WRC drivers will have to beat in 2015.
Part of this story
Volkswagen have finally pulled the covers off the new Polo R WRC that drivers Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen will be saddling up in 2015.
And before the new car even turns a competitive wheel, it’s already got a big old weight of expectation on its shoulders.
Its predecessor, which debuted at the 2013 Monte Carlo Rally, won 22 of the 26 WRC rounds it competed in over the last two years – that’s a strike rate of over 84 per cent, you know – and claimed the manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles two years in a row to boot.
So, how are Volkswagen going to top that? Let RedBull.com guide you through what’s new on the car-to-beat for 2015…
The colour scheme
The most obvious difference is on the surface of the Polo R WRC. Volkswagen have changed the white look of the last two years for a more aggressive-looking dark blue, flecking out to white and light blue at the back. The eagle-eyed among you will also spot a new ‘Polo’ livery on the front grille. Tidy!
Ta-da!
© Volkswagen Motorsport
There’s a new massive rear wing on the back
OK, so that’s replacing the old massive rear wing on the back, but the new one should help the Polo be even stickier than it was before, something that the drivers will appreciate on the famously treacherous roads of the Monte Carlo Rally!
The new Polo is even better than the 2014 car.
The paddle shift gearbox
A feature that has never appeared on the Polo before, the F1-style hydraulic paddle shift gearbox is back in the WRC for the first time since 2010 – and the VW drivers love it! “We’ll be using the paddle shift on the steering wheel to change gear this year, and I really like it,” said Latvala at the launch. “On the whole, the new Polo is faster and even better than the 2014 car. And I am not the only one to feel that way – Sébastien and Andreas agree with me.”
The Polo's rear wing has been improved
© Volkswagen Motorsport
Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen will pilot the car
© Volkswagen Motorsport
The colour scheme's the most obvious change
© Volkswagen Motorsport
The new Polo R WRC: Be afraid. Be very afraid
© Volkswagen Motorsport
Lots of other things
According to Volkswagen, over 75 per cent of the components in the old Polo were checked at the end of the 2014 season and given a good going over, with many of the parts made to be simpler, lighter and stronger. In other words, the best just got better.
Now see it in action!
Expect to see Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala rolling down the Monte Carlo Rally starting ramp in the new car in a week’s time, while Andreas Mikkelsen will stay in the old car until Rally Portugal in May.
Part of this story
