Volkswagen’s new-for-2013 Polo R WRC went for jumping practice in Finland this week - and lead driver Sebastien Ogier said he was happy with the result.
Ogier and navigator Julien Ingrassia ran for two days on high-speed roads around the town of Jamsa, a popular pre-Neste Oil Rally Finland testing venue, as the German firm continued preparing for its assault on next year’s FIA World Rally Championship.
“The test went well, we can be happy with the result,” said Ogier, who covered the planned 400-kilometre distance on two different test roads on Wednesday and Thursday. “The Polo already felt very good at high speed and when jumping although we weren’t driving the final version yet.”
Volkswagen Motorsport chief Jost Capito added: “The rally tracks in Finland are famous for their fast pace and long jumps. That’s why a modern WRC car, for instance, not only requires optimum traction and as much power output as possible but also safe flying properties and driving stability at high speed. Various components that have been developed based on simulations and wind tunnel tests were successfully tried out in these tests.”
Despite the test in Finland proving a success, Ogier said more work lies ahead. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do during the time that’s left before the debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo - next week we’ll already be continuing in Portugal.”