VW's Polo R WRC is a 220HP, €33,900 Celebration of its Entry into World Rallying [106 Photos]

Like every year, the 2013 World Rally Championship’s first race will be the Monte Carlo Rally. Even though the event won’t start until January 15, VW chose the Principality to host the launch of both its 2013 WRC racer and the road-going version that will make its motor show debut at next year’s Geneva Salon.

The Polo R WRC, which was displayed last March as a concept during the Wörthersee Tour festival, is a limited edition based on VW’s supermini that will be produced in just 2,500 units priced at US$33,900 (US$43,800) a pop. The order books open on Tuesday, December 11, though the first customers won’t receive their cars until September 2013.

A white paint job with blue and grey stripes, an aggressive front bumper with large intakes that’s supposed to echo that of the racer’s, 18-inch “Cagliari” wheels with 215/35 tires and a rear roof spoiler and diffuser make this limited edition Polo stand out from lesser versions.

Read more »

Wheels of Steel: Robert Kubica Proves He's Still Got It

If not all, most ordinary drivers would think twice before sitting behind the wheel of a racecar after such a traumatic crash as the one experienced by former BMW-Sauber and Renault Formula 1 star Robert Kubica in Italy almost two years ago.

But not Kubica, who not only returned to racing, but the Pole also made his maiden victory in a World Rally Car at the 2012 Rally di Como in Italy this past weekend.

Read more »

Robert Kubica Continues Comeback, will Compete in Two International Rallies in a C4 WRC

It's been a long recovery road for former BMW-Sauber and Renault Formula 1 star Robert Kubica, who suffered severe arm and leg injuries in a horrendous accident in February 2011 in Italy's Ronde di Andorra rally.

The 27-year old F1 racer from Poland, who made an understated return to rally driving in September winning two small races in Italy, is now ready to take the next step and compete in the Rally di Como in Italy on 15-17 November and France's Rallye du Var the following week.

Read more »

Ford to Withdraw from the World Rally Championship at the End of this Season

In a surprise move, Ford of Europe became the second team after MINI in four days to announce a withdrawal from the World Rally Championship (WRC) after the 2012 season.

Ford's motorsport division, in its current form, has participated in the WRC with a full factory-backed team since 1997 in cooperation with Malcom Wilson’s M-Sport.

In a statement, the Blue Oval explained that its decision to leave the series one year earlier than originally planned was made due to the “difficult economic environment” in its European business.

Read more »

MINI to Pull Out of the WRC at the End of 2012 Pointing Towards the Financial Crisis as the Reason

Just as suddenly as it entered the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after a decades-long hiatus in 2011, the BMW Group's MINI brand is abandoning the sport.

On Friday afternoon, the British carmaker announced that it will terminate its works involvement in the WRC at the end of the 2012 season by withdrawing its financial support for "WRC Team Mini Portugal".

The bad news came from Kay Segler, Senior Vice President MINI Business Coordination and Brand Management.

Read more »

Loeb Wins 9th Consecutive WRC Championship, Citroen Claims 8th Manufacturers’ Title

We bet that rivals of Sebastien Loeb wish that the 38-year old Alsatian hadn’t quit being a gymnast in favor of rally racing in 1995… If he had stuck to his former profession, Loeb and his co-driver Daniel Elena wouldn’t have done a Michael Schumacher (in his first Formula 1 stint) and dominate the FIA World Rally Championship.

Actually, they have outdone Schumi for they have won the WRC title nine years in a row after winning this weekend’s Rallye de France and helping Citroen secure its eight manufacturers’ title in the WRC.

Read more »

This is the Only Hyundai i20 You Really Want to Drive

The Hyundai i20 is fine for what it is – an affordable, "cookie cutter" supermini with an inoffensive design and all the usual amenities you expect from a modern-day model, but it’s not the kind of car that will excite you.

Unless, that is, we're talking about the racing version that made its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show last week and with which, the South Korean automaker will mark its return to the FIA World Rally Championship.

Read more »

Hyundai Announces Return to World Rally Championship With New i20-based Racer

If at first you don’t succeed, then try again. It took Hyundai almost nine years, but the South Korean automaker announced its return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) at the Paris Motor Show.

Hyundai’s previews attempt with the Accent WRC did not yield the results that the team expected, so it withdrew in 2003. However, it had a long-term goal of setting up an in-house racing team in Europe and competing in the world’s top rally championship.

Read more »

"OMG" Doesn't Even Begin to Describe this Amazing Mitsubishi EVO Rally Save

Carscoop reader Maciej sure captured our attention with his email tip titled "My Hero, OMG!" – and very rightfully so as you will soon discover for yourself.

We don't know how much of the fantastic save is attributed to luck and how much to the driver's talent, but what the man behind the wheel of the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO accomplished during the 21st edition of the Rzeszowski Rally in Poland (August 9 to 11) is not something you see every day.

Read more »

Toyota Develops Affordable Yaris R1A Rally Car

Toyota's Motorsport division will return to rallying with its new and affordable Yaris R1A that will make its first public appearance in the ninth round of the WRC at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland from August 24 to 26.

The TMG (Toyota Motorsports GmbH) Yaris R1A will participate as a "Zero Car", which means that it will run as a course vehicle to confirm road conditions and announce the start of each stage.

Read more »

Red Bull Poised to Become the New Promoter of the World Rally Championship

According to a recent report from Autosport, indications suggest that the ever-wealthy race enthusiasts at Red Bull will be taking over the sponsorship of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the very near future.

When termination of the sponsorship contract by former promoters North One Sport occurred, FIA, the WRC 's governing body, began a frantic search for a new main sponsor for the championship series.

Read more »

Subaru to Debut BRZ Zero Car at 2012 Japan Rally Championship

Before you get too excited about the race-livered BRZ pictured above, let us tell you that "Zero Car" or "Opening Car" is a term used to describe a vehicle that opens the road for the competition models in rallies, meaning this is not a production edition.

Subaru will debut its new Zero Car, which is based on the regular BRZ sports coupe, at this weekend's 2012 Japan Rally Championship (July 28-29),

Read more »

Ford's Rally Drivers Race Against Each Other in a Different Kind of Sport

Taking advantage of the FIA World Rally Championship mid-season break, eight Ford rally drivers and co-drivers including Jari-Matti Latvala, Petter Solberg and Ott Tanak, left their Fiesta cockpits for a fun day full of racing activities of the second kind at the Blue Oval's European engineering facility at Dunton, UK.

The factory pilots used their own…two legs for power in demanding sporting disciplines such as the sack race, three-legged event and bean bag-on-the-head race in a node to the rapidly approaching London Olympics.

Read more »

Volkswagen Polo WRC Jumps, Pounces and Roars Through Finnish Forest

There are far too many reasons to list why so many people are addicted to the World Rally Championship, but if you insist, then maybe this video of Sebastien Ogier test driving the new Volkswagen Polo WRC in Finland will provide some answers. Read more »

Dramatic Rescue of Polish Racers Trapped in Renault Clio that Flipped into a Lake

Video footage of a chilling incident that serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by racing drivers has surfaced online.

The accident took place in Poland during the first stage of the 2012 Mazowiecki Rally when a Renault Clio racecar crashed and flipped over landing into a pond, roof first trapping both the driver, Patrick Osowiecki and his navigator, Maciej Wrona.

The two men were under water tied up in their racing bucket seats.

Luckily for them, even though there were no officials around, rally fans came to their rescue almost immediately saving them from the worst. You can watch the dramatic footage in the video after the jump.

Read more »

Skoda's New Citigo Rally Car Concept in the Flesh from Wörthersee

Czech carmaker Skoda secured an exhibition area of more than 600 square meters at the world's largest gathering of Volkswagen Group enthusiasts at Lake Wörthersee in Austria to display a number of its models.

Following the impressive Fabia RS Convertible Rally Car Concept at last year's Wörthersee festival, Skoda once again opted for a race-inspired study to spearhead its presentation.

Read more »

Now that's What we Would Truly Call a Rally Jump

Who said that impressive rally scenes only take place in Europe? This insanely long jump was filmed during last weekend's 2012 Rally New York. Sitting in the front seats of the Subaru Impreza STI Rally car were driver Cyril Kearney and his co-driver Mark McAlister.

While the pair made the jump unscathed, unfortunately, they crashed their car on the next stage. You will find the video right past the break.

Read more »

WRC Round Two: Rally Sweden Results and Videos

The second round of the 2012 World Rally Championship after the opening race at Monte Carlo is the only event held on snow, which means that making predictions about the outcome of Rally Sweden is almost impossible.

In tests carried out before the race, some teams experienced freezing temperatures and most expected heavy snowfall during the event. However, during the race, there was much less snow than initially anticipated – and that was a game changer for most teams.

Read more »