Volkswagen Motorsport has updated its championship-winning Polo R WRC for the 2014 season.
With manufacturers agreeing not to homologate any new World Rally Cars for the 2014 season, many details of the current car have been further developed. Still propelled by a turbocharged 1.6-litre TSI four-cylinder engine – limited to around 224 kW (300 hp) thanks to a regulatory air restrictor, the team has focused on optimising chassis components and new set-up variants for the drive train, while the software controlling the on-board electronics has been completely revised.
Impressively, Volkswagen won ten of the 13 rallies last season, finishing ten events with three cars and three with two. None suffered any engine damage; there was just one technical fault: a loose electrical connection.
“If you don’t go forwards in motorsport, you go backwards. When it comes to technical development, you simply cannot afford to let up for a single second. Although we won some laurels in 2013, we have certainly not rested on them. Every single member of the team cannot wait to find out where we stand compared to the strong competition we will face from Citroën and Ford, as well as our new opposition at Hyundai,” said Motorsport Director Jost Capito.
[Source: Volkswagen Motorsport]