| Endurance racing | 2008 Nurburgring 24 Hours | VW Scirocco |
It's not even on sale until September in the UK, but the Volkswagen Scirocco is already hitting the race track in the one of the toughest events there is. The Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race will see three factory prepared Scirocco racers take part.
Each of the three cars will have a 296bhp race version of the Scirocco road car's 2.0-litre TFSI engine , which normally produces 197bhp. A DSG twin-clutch sequential manual gearbox will also be used for the race cars.
To give the Scirocco the best chance of finishing among the front runners, VW has drafted in double Le Mans winner Hans Stuck. He said: "The Scirocco is one of the most uncomplicated race cars I have ever driven. It's really fun and I am looking forward to the 24 Hours on the Nordschleife circuit."
Other big names brought in by VW to ensure the success of the Scirocco's racing debut are Carlos Sainz, Giniel de Villiers and Dieter Depping.
Volkswagen admits the Scirocco has been prepared for the 24-hour race in record time, but it's confident of success after taking 8th place in 2007 with a Golf GTI.
The Nurburgring 24 Hour race takes place on 24-25 May with a grid of 220 cars. It has a reputation as the world's toughest race and is watched by more than 200,000 trackside spectators.
Alisdair Suttie - 6 May 2008