What's all this about?
Volkswagen has revealed its 2015 contender for the World Rally Championship (WRC), the Polo R WRC. It has a new livery, overhauled componentry and 318hp. We like.
When does it rally in earnest?
The season-opening Rally Monte Carlo starts today (January 22), with the Polo R WRC revealed in Wolfsburg just days before the event.
Why is Volkswagen making such a big deal of this?
Since it arrived in 2013, the Polo R WRC has won all before it. So this car has to maintain that fine tradition in 2015, with the driver/co-driver line-ups remaining exactly the same; well, they do say stability leads to success. This means that Frenchman Sébastien Ogier and his compatriot, co-driver Julien Ingrassia, are back to defend their title, while Scandinavians occupy the other seats. Finnish duo Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will be in the number 2 Polo, while Norwegians Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene will carry number 9 on their car.
How has the 2015 car changed from the 2014 version?
It has a new livery, which is now dark blue at the front, merging through lighter blue to white at the rear, while there's a gargantuan spoiler on the boot. Volkswagen has confirmed the car makes 318hp, is fitted with a hydraulically activated gearbox operated by a steering column-mounted shift paddle and that 75 per cent of the components from the 2014 Polo have been made 'simpler, lighter and stronger'.
Can it win the 2015 WRC?
Of course - Frenchmen called Seb are pretty good at rallying, while Volkswagen has a steely determination to crush the opposition. And anyway, it doesn't really matter how good it is; just look at it! It's a phenomenal motorsport machine.
Matt Robinson - 22 Jan 2015