So yes, the rumours were true. After four consecutive drivers' and manufacturers' WRC titles, Volkswagen is leaving the sport ahead of the 2017 season. The car being designed for next year will no longer compete, and Volkswagen is focusing its motorsport efforts elsewhere.
"With the upcoming expansion in electrification of our vehicle range we must focus all our efforts on important future technologies" said Technical Development head Frank Welsch, with attention now being diverted to customer racing products. This means the Golf GTI TCR and Rallycross Beetle GRC, plus a new Polo to R5 rally spec; that will be available for the 2018 season.
Welsch also added that "There is a guarantee of employment for the Volkswagen Motorsport employees", which should allay any of those fears. Motorsport Director Sven Smeets said "The team has done great things. At the same time, our vision is firmly ahead, because we are aware of the great challenges facing the entire company." You're not wrong Sven...
So there are big changes coming in the VW Motorsport line up. Still, who would bet against the customer racing cars being very competitive as well?
ORIGINAL STORY, AS REPORTED 01/11/2016:
When will it stop?! Autocar is now reporting that VW is to end its WRC programme at the end of this season (i.e. this month, after Rally Australia in a couple of weeks), just days after Audi's decision to
quit the WEC
What now for drivers Mikkelsen and Ogier?
The news is being relayed to Autocar by VW sources, with an official statement expected soon. As with Audi's move, it has been suggested that all the Volkswagen Motorsport staff will be retained and diverted towards other projects; not Formula E in this case, but the
Golf TCR
touring car and perhaps Skoda's rallying effort. At a guess you would have to assume that the 'dieselgate' aftermath must have contributed in some way, although more details should follow in VW's statement.
Interestingly a 2017 Polo WRC car was in development, ready for Sebastien Ogier to compete for a fifth consecutive WRC title. Not only will this not compete as a factory car, Volkswagen reportedly has no plans to offer it to privateers either: "The costs involved in developing the 2017 car will be absorbed into the existing R&D budget. There are no plans to offer it through a customer programme. It will be mothballed" said a source in a depressingly brutal fashion. Already the Polo is one of the most successful WRC cars ever with 41 wins, a record it would surely have built on next season. And now it would appear to be no more.
We'll hope to bring you official confirmation of the news as soon as it's available, but the outlook certainly appears pretty bleak. Thank goodness there are manufacturers coming back into rallying next year!
PHers are already discussing VW's proposed exit in the forum; join the chat here.
[Source: Autocar, images from LAT]
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