VOLKSWAGEN’S R5 BREAKS COVER
Volkswagen’s Polo GTI R5 has broken cover and started testing, completing three days of mixed-surface running in France earlier this month.
Volkswagen’s test driver, Dieter Depping, and Skoda’s WRC2 champion, Pontus Tidemand, drove the all-new Polo during the test, which reportedly ran without incident.
“A successful first test is a good sign and great motivation,” said Volkswagen Motorsport director Sven Smeets. “After the many hours and weeks spent working on our latest customer racing project on the computer, in the design process and in the workshop, the Polo GTI R5 can now finally show what it is capable of out on the road, and we can gain valuable data for the further development of the car.”
Volkswagen took the Polo to the same test venue, in Fontjoncouse, it used for the roll-out test of its Polo R WRC in 2011. After a day on asphalt, the test switched to dirt.
In days two and three, Volkswagen put the Polo’s suspension through its paces, monitoring the strain on the chassis and dampers on the rough gravel roads for which the region is well known.
“It is a special feeling to be back here, where the Polo embarked on its first rally adventure roughly six years ago,” said Volkswagen test driver Depping, who drove the Polo R WRC at its first test in 2011. “It is now about achieving the best possible set-up for the new Polo GTI R5. This first test was primarily about getting a lot of kilometres, in order to give the engineers as much data as possible. The R5 Polo is also very good, very quick and precise. I immediately felt right at home!”
The Polo GTI R5 will be available for the second half of next year’s World Rally Championship, with VW offering the car to professional teams and drivers for domestic and international series.