Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila blast through a French vineyard in their VW Polo R WRC during the October 2013 Rallye de France…
They are in the Heiligenstein, Alsace area of Eastern France.
Photographer Patrick Hertzog has brilliantly framed his shot to capture the drone in the foreround to give it that ‘Out Of This World’ factor!
Rally Australia, Coffs Harbour, November 2016, the Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Polo R WRC on day 1. The pair won the event and again in 2013, 2014 and 2015 with the Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jaeger winners in another Polo R WRC in 2016 (M Bettiol)
VW first contested the WRC to the ‘second generation’ of World Rally Car rules in 2013 although the Polo WRC was launched in May 2011 and tested extensively for eighteen months by Carlos Sainz, Sebastien Ogier and VW’s test and development driver Dieter Depping evolving a very quick, reliable package before it was blooded in battle.
The four wheel drive 1.6 litre, DOHC, turbocharged four cylinder engined car developed circa 318 bhp @ 6250 rpm through its regulation 33mm air restrictor finally made its competition debut at the 2013 Monte Carlo Rally where Ogier was second.
He won in Sweden, Mexico, Portugal, Sardinia, Finland, Australia, and in France- he took the title from Thierry Neuville in the event pictured in this articles opening shot. He was also victorious late in the year in Spain and Great Britain, taking the first of four titles on the trot in the car in 2013.
(P Hertzog)
Hi-res version of the opening shot- same pair above on the hop (P Hertzog)
Ogier won again in 2014 and entered 2015 with a second generation Polo R WRC, changes comprised a new VW 6 speed sequential manual ‘box with front and rear multi-plate slippery diffs, revised hydraulics system, larger rear wing and a big decrease in weight.
The cars were again dominant in 2015 and 2016, Ogier winning in both years thereby becoming one of four drivers to win four championships, the others are Juha Kankkunen, Tommi Makinen and Sebastian Loeb.
VW developed a new car to meet the changed technical regulations which commenced for 2017 but withdrew from the sport in November 2016.
The Polo R WRC CV includes winning 43 of the 53 rallies it entered and four consecutive WRC’s for drivers and manufacturers- not bad.
J-P Clatot/AFP/Getty)
VW Polo R WRC competition debut in the 2013 Monte Carlo Rally- photos above and below.
Ogier and are Ingrassia are shown on stage 3, Col de la Fayolle, between Le Moulinon and Antraigues.
Seb Loeb/Daniel Elena won the event in a Citroen DS3 WRC by two seconds from Ogier/Ingrassia with another Citroen DS3 third crewed by the Daniel Sordo/Carlos del Barrio combination.
Ogier/Ingrassia took the first Polo WRC win a month later in Rally Sweden.
(Getty)
Credits…
Patrick Hertzog, Massimo Bettiol, Jean-Pierre Clatot
Tailpiece…
Rally Championship of Spain, Rally Catalunya, Salou, October 2016. Anders Mikkelsen and Anders Jaeger, VW Polo R WRC- the Ogier/Ingrassia combination won with Mikkelsen unplaced (M Bettiol)
Finito…
primotipo... 