Polo R WRC Being Tested During Acropolis Rally

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is using the Acropolis Rally in Greece to test its Polo R WRCVolkswagen Polo R-WRCGermany, 2012 > present6 photos
before its competition debut next year. The rally begins on Thursday May 24-27. Volkswagen's WRC drivers for next year, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia and Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene will drive the Fabia S2000 in the rally as preparation for moving up to the faster WRC class next season. 

"The Acropolis Rally is another important station in our preparation for the World Rally Championship with the Polo R WRC starting in 2013. Greece is one of the toughest events on the calendar and makes high demands on the technology and the teams. The experience we're gathering will be an advantage for us next year,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. 

The Acropolis Rally runs on 80km of roads to the west of Athens, Greece over 22 special stages for a total of 409.47km of distance. 

The rally is known for its rock-strewn terrain that can be quite fast but dangerous if the driver puts the car in the wrong place. There are portions where the drivers have to slow down to save their tires over the sharp rocks.

"After successful tests with the new Polo R WRC in Spain another WRC round is now coming up. I'm looking forward to returning to Greece. After all, the Acropolis Rally was one of five WRC rallies I won last year,” said Ogier. 

The team will run the Polo R WRC as a non-competing car to gather data and experience.