Press Release
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july 02, 2015 - Volkswagen
WRC - Rally Poland, Speed merchants in top form – Volkswagen sets pace on Rally Poland Shakedown
- Ogier fastest, Latvala and Mikkelsen second with identical times
- Average speed of almost 120 km/h on gravel whets appetite for festival of speed
Wolfsburg (11 June 2015). A real taste of things to come at the Rally Poland: Volkswagen started the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) at full throttle with a dominant display in the Shakedown. At an average speed of almost 120 km/h, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) set the fastest time in the Volkswagen Polo R WRC. In doing so, they defeated team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) and Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N) by just five tenths of a second. Local favourites Robert Kubica/Maciej Szczepaniak (PL/PL, Ford) completed the 3.30-kilometre Shakedown stage in exactly the same time. Just one second separated the top six, which also included Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B, Hyundai) and Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (GB/IRL, Citroën).
The Shakedown reflects the real essence of the Rally Poland: Ogier/Ingrassia clocked an average speed of 119.88 km/h on their fastest run on the Shakedown stage. The Rally Poland is dominated by fast country lanes and rural roads on gravel across open ground. A wide, flowing route guarantees high speed and is only interrupted by the occasional junction. In 2014, roughly two thirds of the total distance in Poland was taken flat-out.
The Rally Poland kicks off on Thursday evening with the 2.50-kilometre "Mikolajki Arena 1" special stage, which is held within walking distance of the Service Park and will again attract big crowds. Friday is the first long day of rallying in Poland, with eight special stages scheduled. In total, the drivers face 137.79 kilometres against the clock on Friday.
Quotes after the Shakedown at the Rally Poland
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
"The Shakedown went well for Julien and me. The route was superfast from the word go, with hardly any corners. It will be a similar story on the weekend too. The fans can look forward to some extremely fast stages, particularly on Friday. It might be even faster than last year. I like fast and flowing routes like the one in Poland. Furthermore, the majority of stages are new to the drivers, which means everyone faces the same challenge. We are in great form and I can hardly wait to get started."
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
"I used today's Shakedown to fine-tune the set-up of my Polo. Together with Finland, Poland is one of the fastest rallies of the year. You really have to put your foot down to do well here – but without coming off the road. It will be important to start well from the onset. The special stages look good, the Polo is ready, and the sun is shining: the conditions are definitely good. And I still have a score to settle after last year."
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
"The Rally Poland is all about three things: speed, speed and speed. And that plays right into my hands, as I like it quick. The Shakedown is important to find your rhythm, which you need to do from the first second on Friday. I am happy with the Shakedown, although I did make one or two mistakes and did not have a perfect run. Although there were two slower bends, the average speed was up at about 120 – that shows just how fast the rest of the stage was. All in all, it was good preparation for what lies ahead of us."
Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
"It is no coincidence that the Rally Poland is one of the favourite rallies of our drivers. You really need to concentrate hard at high speed – the adrenalin levels are very high. The Shakedown has already shown how fast it will be again this year – perhaps even faster than before. And it also showed that our guys are wide awake and have immediately found the new rhythm."
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