Volkswagen will be starting its WRC adventure on Wednesday when the Rally Monte Carlo commences.
In the number 7 Polo R WRC will be Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila, while inside the number 8 car will be Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia. The opening stage of Rally Monte Carlo is from Moulinon to Antraigues.
Developing the Polo R WRC took 17 months of preparations, 1,700 parts entirely designed and about 20,000 km (12,427 miles) of testing. The vehicle weighs only 1,200 kg (2,645 lbs) thanks to its carbon-Kevlar doors, tailgate and wheel arch extensions, along with an entirely stripped interior cabin.
Powering the Polo R WRC is a 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder TSI engine delivering 300 hp (224 kW) connected to a six-speed sequential gearbox. Compared to the stock model, the WRC version is 138mm wider with a width of 1,820mm. To improve weight distribution, the engineers from Wolfsburg had to move the seats to the back.
Source: Volkswagen
Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila and Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
