Volkswagen Motorsport, Marklund Motorsport and the FIA World Rallycross Championship

Swedish Rallycross team Marklund Motorsport have agreed an exclusive three-year partnership with Volkswagen Motorsport (current World Rally Championship champions) for the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Marklund Motorsport recently unveiled 2013 GRC Champion Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen as their lead driver for next two seasons and Topi along with teammate Anton Marklund will line-up in their new Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo RX Supercars at round one of the FIA World Rallycross in Montalegre, Portugal on May 3rd.

Jan Marklund, Marklund Motorsport team owner, believes Volkswagen's involvement gives the team the perfect platform to back-up its ambitions for title success. He said "Volkswagen’s pedigree in motorsport is there for everyone to see, there is no better manufacturer for us to be partnered with than the current WRC champions. Volkswagen is looking to make an immediate global impact in the world of Rallycross and I’m happy that Marklund Motorsport is their chosen partner for the FIA World Rallycross Championship."

The announcement comes just days after the officially supported Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team announced it was contesting the Global Rallycross Championship with a pair of Polos before switching to new GRC specific Beetles later in the season. With support from Volkswagen America the team will be pushing for the championship title with drivers Tanner Foust and Scott Speed.

Rally Sweden - Volkswagen 1, 2 & 6

Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila claimed victory on Rally Sweden today, having been in the top 4 from the start Latvala was able to master the ever changing conditions and was also able to fend off his teammates Andreas Mikkelsen / Mikko Markkula. Mikkelsen took second overall and his first ever WRC podium having challenge for outright victory throughout the whole event.

Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia recovered from the mistake of yesterday to take 6th overall, setting a string of fastest stage times along the way. Whilst Rally Sweden is disappointing for the French duo they have been able to keep their championship challenge on track.

Sweden marked Volkswagen Motorsport's the first victory of a dominant season last year, this year they looked even more impressive!

Day 3 Rally Sweden

At the end of the third days rallying in Sweden Volkswagen Motorsport drivers remain first and second overall, although during a dramatic day of rallying excitement and problems changed the look of the leaderboard dramatically.

Overnight leaders Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia plummeted down the leaderboard on the first stage of the day having spent over 4 minutes stuck in a snow bank. Ogier accepted full responsibility for the driver error blaming a lack of concentration. Having clipped a snow bank and got sucked into the duo then needed help to dig the car out before they could continue.

Andreas Mikkelsen / Mikko Markkula took the rally lead on the first stage and then became embroiled in a tight battle with teammates Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila for the top podium spot. Latvala really seemed to revel in the battle overtaking Mikkelsen and very gradually extending his slender lead.

With road conditions varying from snow and ice to gravel and standing water the drivers had to balance outright pace with tyre and car preservation. Despite this Ogier began a charge back up the leader board, finishing the day with 6 fastest stage times having recovered from 20th overall to 9th by the end of the final stage of day 3.

Day 4 sees the longest stages of the rally and there remains plenty of excitement left in the 2014 Rally Sweden.


Rally Sweden leader board after day 3

1.		J. Latvala
2.		A. Mikkelsen
3.		M. Østberg
4.		M. Hirvonen
5.		O. Tanak
6.		K. Meeke
7.		H. Solberg
8.		P. Tidemand
9.		S. Ogier
10.		E. Evans

Day 2 Rally Sweden

At the end of the second day of competition on the Rally Sweden Volkswagen Motorsport drivers hold the top three overall positions, capping a perfect day of rallying for the German team.

Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia finished day two and start day three in first overall, having snatched the lead back from Andreas Mikkelsen / Mikko Markkula on the final stage of the day. Ogeir and Mikkelsen had been locked in a battle for first throughout the day, with Ogier dropping behind the young Norwegian towards the end of the day before clawing back the lost time. Mikkelsen (one of the stars of the rally so far) opted to use worn tyres on the last stage and was prepared to sacrifice his outright pace in order to have a brand new set of tyres (and studs) for tomorrow's first stage.

Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila kept a watching brief in third overall for the whole day, trading seconds with Ogier and Mikkelsen and keeping in contention despite small gear selection concerns. The duo are expected to challenge both team mates on tomorrow's faster and more flowing stages.

Whilst the German team's drivers currently have the podium sewn up, Swedish stages are particularly unforgiving and there are a lot of stage miles to be covered before the event finishes.....

Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team

A tie up between Volkswagen of America and Andretti Sports Marketing has created tremendous interest in the 2014 Global Rallycross series. The new Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team will start the season in Volkswagen Polos (based on the all conquering VW Polo R WRC car) before switching to GRC specific Beetles later in the season. The Beetles should be ready for competition in time for the X Games in June, they will be 4 wheel drive with around 600BHP.

The Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team entry will be driven by former GRC Champion, rally driver and Top Gear host Tanner Foust. Tanner has plenty of experience behind the wheel of rallycross cars, not only in the GRC but also in Europe as well - having proven to be a match for the finest in Europe every time he competed.

Scott Speed will drive the 7UP Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team car in the 2014 season. Speed was one of the most impressive drivers during the 2013 season, winning two races in and going on to finish a very impressive fifth overall. Scott Speed brings a huge amount of driving experience (and an amazing driving talent too) having competed in Formula 1 (in the Scuderia Toro Rosso team) as well as NASCAR too.

The Global Rallycross series starts in Barbados in May and concludes in Las Vegas on the 5th of November.

Day 1 Rally Sweden

Andreas Mikkelsen / Mikko Markkula lead the Swedish rally after the first day of rallying. The Volkswagen Motorsport pair lead teammates (and current world champions) Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia with the third Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila sitting in fourth overall after today's Super Special stage in Karstad.

Tomorrow sees the teams head off into the Swedish forests before a quick trip across the border into Norway for a set of four stages (2 stages run twice) before heading back into Sweden for the final stage of the day.

With temperatures expected to be hovering around freezing snow, ice, gravel, studs and the lack of all or any of these are expected to be the main talking points. Gravel in the stages and the resultant stud loss from the tyres is causing concern tonight for the drivers - the quickest driver may turn out to be the one who can nurse their tyres the best.


Rally Sweden leader board at the end of day 1:-

1.		A. Mikkelsen
2.		S. Ogier
3.		O. Tanak
4.		J-M. Latvala
5.		M. Hirvonen
6.		H. Solberg
7.		M. Østberg
8.		J. Hänninen
9.		T. Neuville
10.		K. Meeke

Rally Sweden

 

All three Volkswagen Motorsport drivers expressed concern at the changing levels of grip (and lack of snow) on the Official Rally Sweden - all of them voising worries about how they will be able to keep the studs in their winter tyres whilst driving competitively on the gravel strewn stages.

The drivers took differing approaches to the earlier shakedown stage with both Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen opting for a cautious approach (aiming to save their tyres/studs for the first stages of the rally later tonight) whilst Jari-Matti Latvala drove harder and set the second fastest time overall.

Marklund Motorsport in the FIA World Rallycross Championship

 
Swedish Rallycross outfit Marklund Motorsport is delighted to announce that 2013 GRC Champion Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen will lead the team in their bid for title success this coming season. The 22-year-old Finn signs for Marklund Motorsport on the back of a dominant season behind the wheel – taking two X Games gold medals, AKK Driver of the Year and the overall GRC title - and joins the team alongside Anton Marklund, who now heads into his second season in the Supercar Class.

Heikkinen, Marklund and the team will debut brand new Marklund Motorsport-built Volkswagen Polo RX Supercars in 2014 following a year of testing and developing the car last season, the team are aiming to be immediate title contenders in both driver and team championships.

Marklund Motorsport now continue their preparations for the 2014 season, which will see them compete in the newly formed FIA World Rallycross Championship and the summer X Games at COTA in Austin, USA.

Opel Astra OPC / Vauxhall Astra VXR

Opel (plus Vauxhall) will be using the forth coming Geneva motorshow to showcase the Astra OPC EXTREME (Vauxhall Astra VXR EXTREME) which will become the basis for a future, low-volume production model.

Derived from the last year's Astra Cup race car that competed in the Nürburgring Endurance Championship, the EXTREME is a road-legal motorsport base model that will top the current Astra range, sitting above the current Astra VXR in terms of performance and cost.

The EXTREME design study boast a lightweight design, two competition 'bucket' seats, roll cage and race harnesses - the road model will be slightly less, well, extreme.

The current Astra OPC/VXR is now the best-selling OPC/VXR model and, very tellingly, the UK remains the largest market in Europe for Vauxhall and Opel's highest powered models.

Porsche at the 24 Hours of Daytona

 

Porsche factory drivers Richard Lietz, Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet won the highly-competitive GTLM class of the 24 Hours of Daytona race in Florida in their Porsche 911 RSR run by the Porsche North America factory squad. This was the 76^th class win and the 40^th for the Porsche 911, ensuring that Porsche remain the most successful manufacturer in the history of the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The 52^nd running of the Daytona 24 hour race marked the first time that Porsche ran a works team in US sports car racing - the newly-formed team ‘Porsche North America'. The debut race was a complete success with the number 911 works car successfully fending off all the challenges from their factory-run BMW, Viper and Chevrolet rivals. The number 912 of Patrick Long, Michael Christensen and Jörg Bergmeister had been running in second place until it was sidelined with an engine fault.

The 470 hp Porsche is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car and celebrated its race debut last season, scoring a brilliant double victory on its first outing at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The American works team is part of Porsche's 2014 motorsport campaign "Mission 2014. Our Return".

The new Porsche 911 GT America (purpose-built for the Tudor United SportsCar Championship) enjoyed a successful debut in the GTD class with Madison Snow, Jan Heylen and Germany's Marco Seefried finishing second in class a less than one second shy of the winner - after 24 hours of competition!

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

To defend their Driver and Team WRC World Championship titles Volkswagen Motorsport are using an improved rather than new version of their 2013 rally car. There have been no major alterations rather the Volkswagen team have opted to concentrate on fine tuning a few vital areas. Thus the 2014 Polo R WRC boasts altered engine mapping, revised set-up for the drive train and optimised suspension.

All of these alterations are pretty much impossible to spot meaning all that the only change most rally fans and spectators will notice is the slightly different colour scheme.

WRC Monte Carlo

Volkswagen Motorsport driver (and current World Champion) Sebastien Ogier laid down a marker for the forth coming Monte Carlo rally by being fastest on the pre-event shakedown stage. Finishing an impressive 1.2 seconds faster than his nearest rival Ogier dominated each of the 4 shakedown runs.

Jari-Matti Latvala finished his 4 runs in a creditable 4^th whilst Volkswagen Motorsport II driver Andreas Mikkelsen was equal 8^th and looking forward to his second attempt at the WRC Monte Carlo round. Weather conditions were dry and with heavy rain expected tomorrow all three Volkswagen Polo R WRC driver’s know that the 2014 Monte Carlo is likely to be extremely difficult and demanding.

Monte Carlo shakedown times:-

1. S Ogier     VW Polo R WRC     2’15.3
2. K Meeke     Citroen DS3 WRC     +1.2s
= M Østberg     Citroen DS3 WRC     +1.2s
4. J-M Latvala     VW Polo R WRC     +2.9s
5. R Kubica     Ford Fiesta RS WRC     +3.0s
6. T Neuville     Hyundai i20 WRC     +3.1s
7. M Hirvonen     Ford Fiesta RS WRC     +3.5s
8. D Sordo     Hyundai i20 WRC     +5.1s
= A Mikkelsen     VW Polo R WRC     +5.1s
10. B Bouffier     Ford Fiesta RS WRC     +6.6s

Bentley Birkin Mulsanne.

Bentley Motors have unveiled a new Limited Edition model exclusively for European customers, the Birkin Mulsanne.

Taking inspiration from Sir Henry ‘Tiger' Tim Birkin - the legendary Bentley Boy who travelled and raced extensively around Europe in the 1920s and 1930s - this new model features numerous unique styling details and represents the pinnacle of British luxury motoring in its most discerning form.

The Limited Edition of just 22 cars is available in three colour specifications: a fresh and contemporary Ghost White, Damson for a more vibrant touch, and a sophisticated contrast of Fountain Blue and Dark Sapphire, offering a modern interpretation of the classic two-tone Bentley paint design.

Numbered door sill plaques, a unique 21" wheel design inspired by those on the original Mulsanne concept car, and a striking 3D ‘Flying B' logo stitched into the vehicle headrests and inlaid into the wood of the front fascia and rear picnic tables, identify the Birkin models.  In addition, all three specifications feature a stunning tailored luggage set - each one hand-crafted, individually numbered and matched with the interior of each car.

Items have been selected for the Birkin Limited Edition from the Mulsanne's extensive options list for the well-travelled connoisseur and the Mulliner Driving Specification delivers an engaging motoring experience thanks to a unique ‘Sport' setting on the Drive Dynamics Control system.  An intricate diamond quilting pattern to the seats and door panels, complemented by an indented leather headlining and ‘knurling' details to the interior metalwork, create a contemporary and tactile finish to the cabin.

For those travelling in the rear of the Birkin Mulsanne's spacious cabin, the Entertainment Specification offers a luxurious and comfortable space to work or relax while on the move.  Each car features exquisitely-packaged twin 8" LCD screens in the rear of the seat headrests, a DVD player, a Wi-Fi hotspot, the Naim for Bentley premium audio system and iPads integrated into the hand-crafted solid wood picnic tables.

ŠKODA Fabia R5

ŠKODA has announced that the current Fabia S2000 rally car will be succeeded by an all-new model, the Fabia R5. The Fabia R5 will undergo an intense development programme will begin at ŠKODA Motorsport's Mlada Boleslav base in early 2014, ahead of a competition debut in 2015.

Confirming the Fabia R5 programme, Michal Michal Hrabánek, ŠKODA Motorsport Director, said: "The new R5 rally car will be equipped with a 1.6-litre turbo engine, in accordance with FIA regulations. That's a big change compared to today's naturally-aspirated, two-litre petrol engines. The R5 category succeeds the previous Super 2000 class. This way, we are able to continue to compete successfully in international championships and to push ahead with our customer programme. Entering the R5 class is a logical step for ŠKODA. As it stands, we are assuming that the new car will be homologated by mid-2015."

The announcement of the Fabia R5 follows another remarkable season for both ŠKODA Motorsport and the Fabia S2000. With overall victories in three international and six national championships, ŠKODA has enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in its 112-year motorsport history. ŠKODA will continue to campaign the current Fabia S2000 in 2014. The brand will enter cars on selected rounds of both the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). Current ERC Champions Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler will tackle the APRC, while rising star Esapekka Lappi will line up in the ERC with co-driver Janne Ferm. In addition, the German pairing of Sepp Wiegand/Frank Christian (ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland), will also contest rounds of the ERC in a factory-prepared Fabia S2000.

First shown at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show the S2000 Fabia was one of the most successful rally cars of the Super 2000 era and the most successful rally car in ŠKODA's 112-year motorsport history. Having recorded 27 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) event victories and three overall driver and manufacturer titles, the Fabia S2000 has won more IRC events than any other car. Andreas Mikkelsen became the first back-to-back champion driving for ŠKODA UK Motorsport in 2011 and 2012. 

Building on these triumphs, factory driver Jan Kopecký took the 2013 European Rally Championship (ERC) title with a commanding season-long performance.

Further afield, the Fabia S2000 has also recorded series victories in both the Super 2000 World Championship (SWRC) with Juho Hanninen and the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) with Chris Atkinson and Gaurev Gill.

Paraguyan Gustavo Saba won both the FIA Codasur South American Rally Championship and the Paraguayan Championship in 2013, with ŠKODA drivers accumulating a further five national titles in Austria (Raimund Baumschlager), Italy (Umberto Scandola), Bulgaria (Dimitar Iliev), Jordan (Marouf Abu Samra) and Portugal (Ricardo Moura).

The new BMW M3 Saloon and BMW M4 Coupe

The new BMW M3 Saloon and new BMW M4 Coupé have been engineered by BMW M engineers to deliver outstanding performance, precision and agility on both road and track using the mantra high power, low weight and driving pleasure. The fifth-generation of the iconic high-performance sports car from BMW M sees the use of a turbo charged engine for the first time. Another first is the differentiation between the Coupé and Saloon models, each receiving individual model names (in deference to the different model series that provide their basis).

The new BMW M3 Saloon and new BMW M4 Coupé mark a return to the classic six-cylinder in-line engine configuration, as used on the second and third-generations of this iconic sports car. The new engine offers a slight power increase over the previous V8 (power is now 431hp) whilst peak torque has been increased by roughly 40 per cent to 550Nm, and is maintained over a very wide rev range (1,850-5,500rpm). The standard sprint from 0-62mph takes both cars just 4.3 seconds with manual transmission, or just 4.1 seconds with the optional M DCT, while the top speed is 155mph (electronically limited). The new power plant also boasts excellent fuel economy: the combined consumption in the EU cycle is as high as 34mpg and CO2 emissions are as low as 194g/km, an improvement of more than 25 per cent over the previous model's figures. Regulated pollutant emissions are EU6-compliant.

Intelligent lightweight design was a top priority in the development of the BMW M3 Saloon and BMW M4 Coupé resulting in the new M4 Coupé (fitted with the standard manual transmission) being around 80kgs lighter than a comparably equipped predecessor model. On the outgoing models, the carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) roof was confined to the Coupé version. Now, for the first time, the four-door M3 Saloon gets the CFRP roof too. The M4 Coupé uses a CFRP boot lid whilst both the new M3 Saloon and new M4 Coupé also feature a CFRP driveshaft. The high rigidity and low weight of the CFRP tube mean that the driveshaft can be produced as a single-piece component, without a centre bearing. This achieves weight-savings of 40 per cent over the previous model and a reduction in rotating masses, which in turn results in more dynamic powertrain response. Both models benefit from extensive use of lightweight aluminium not only for front wings and bonnet but also suspension control arms, wheel carriers and axle subframes. Specially developed, lightweight aluminium wheels also help reduce un-sprung mass.

The standard transmission for both M models is a six-speed manual gearbox with a double-plate clutch. This unit is considerably more compact than its predecessor and also 12kgs lighter. To increase shift comfort, the manual gearbox uses innovative new carbon friction linings in its synchroniser rings. And now blips the throttle on downshifts - previously a feature reserved for the M Double Clutch Transmission - improving the smoothness of the driving experience and helping to enhance stability. The optional transmission for the new BMW M3 Saloon and M4 Coupé is the third-generation M Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT). As well as changing gear automatically, in manual mode it enables ultra-fast gear changes with no interruption in the flow of power. The integrated Launch Control function ensures optimum sprinting performance off the line, producing acceleration figures that are simply unattainable with the manual gearbox. In addition, the system allows for a range of extra features, including Stability Clutch Control, which opens the clutch when the car is understeering to bring it back into line, and also the selectable Drivelogic modes that give the BMW M3 and BMW M4 more comfortable, more economy-focused or even sportier characteristics depending on driver choice. The additional seventh gear over the manual gearbox allows longer gear ratios - and delivers the efficiency gains you would expect as a result.

Performance on track and road is ably covered by the new M models, both offering motorsport inspired design features throughout their build, be it solid mounting of the rear subframe, the baffled magnesium sump for the engine or The Active M Differential that ensures both models have the traditional driving dynamics of any BMW M model. The differential calculates and implements the required differential lock - which may be anywhere between 0 and 100 per cent - within a fraction of a second, enabling wheel spin to be prevented.  The standard new BMW M Compound brakes boast impressive feel, outstanding stopping power and a high resistance to fade. Far lighter than conventional equivalents, they contribute to a substantial reduction in unsprung masses. Even lighter BMW M Carbon ceramic brakes can be specified as an option - gold callipers denote their fitment.