Congratulations to Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia on winning the 2013 World Rally Championship! Now, let's see their tool for the job, the Polo R WRC. It's quite a machine.
It took two years of development for Volkswagen before their new rally car could be formally launched in Monaco last December. Powered by a custom built 1.6 turbo (with a 1.3 inch air restrictor) sending power through a 6-speed transversally mounted sequential manual transmission, the Polo R WRC scored four wins in its first six rallies after debuting at the Monte Carly Rally. Since then, the team won three more races, with Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia securing enough points at their home race to become this year's champions.
Here are some of the Polo R WRC's best moments in chronological order:
Monte Carlo:
Sweden:
Mexico:
Portugal:
Argentina:
Greece:
Italy:
Finnland:
Germany:
Australia:
France:
During the season, Volkswagen Motorsport has lobbied the FIA to maintain the current specification of cars for the 2014 WRC season (despite the fact the category was to reach the end of a homologation cycle at the end of 2013) to make sure Ford and Citroën keep fighting in the series.
Photo credit: Getty Images
This Is How The Volkswagen Polo R WRC Won Its Debut Season