Sporting Scene

Factory-backed VW drivers sample developments on new-look Polo

World Rallycross champions Johan Kristoffersson and Petter Solberg began testing Volkswagen Motorsport’s latest development of its Polo GTI rallycross Supercar at Mettet in Belgium last weekend.

In the first test of the year for the Hanover-built car, the two Scandinavians shared driving duties to complete approximately 25 laps at an open test day.

The revised 2017-specification Supercar featured a new front bumper, different front wings and a more elaborate rear spoiler, similar to that seen on the final incarnation of Volkswagen’s still-born 2017 World Rally Car.

“After driving some rally cars in the winter and so on, it was a nice feeling to get back into such a car,” Kristoffersson told Motorsport News. “It was a good day, but there were quite a lot of cars so we didn’t manage to do so many laps. It’s always nice to do a shakedown for the team and also for the drivers though.”

The Swede appears set to remain with Solberg’s Volkswagen-backed PSRX squad for the defence of his title, although no official announcement has been made.

Speaking about updates to the car rolled out at Mettet, Kristoffersson explained: “We are always trying to develop and work on details, but basically it is quite similar. But, it’s still at a very early stage in the testing programme.

“Maybe [the aero will make more difference] on the tracks that are a little bit more high speed, but also in rallycross it’s very difficult to say because the grip level changes so dramatically from when you are on the track to the next time. It would be possible to feel some differences if you did a back-to-back comparison.”

Andreas Bakkerud also made his debut in an EKS Audi S1 test car, while the G-fors team shook down its new Clio RS RX Supercar. Ulrik Linnemann won the opening round of the Belgian Rallycross Championship on Sunday in an ex-marklund Motorsport Polo.