Motorsport milestone. GTI – the three magic letters stand not only for dynamic production car models, but also for racing success in motorsport. The completely redeveloped Polo GTI R5 based on the sixth-generation Polo is pointing the way to the future here. For Volkswagen Motorsport it represents a further milestone in a strategic realignment. Following the successful introduction of the Golf GTI TCR, which since 2016 has been collecting numerous championship victories and titles on the racetrack, Volkswagen Motorsport is now broadening its client motorsport involvement to include rallying and with the new R5 model is for the first time offering a Polo GTI designed for the purpose.
The category
In 2012, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) introduced the R5 classification for a new generation of rally cars. The client motorsport vehicles, which have been developed for privateer drivers and teams, are regarded as 'mini WRCs' due to their technical attributes, such as all-wheel drive, a 1.6-litre turbo engine with direct injection, around 270 PS of power and a comprehensive package of safety features – all of which is provided at moderate cost. The maximum sales price for the base model, for example, is not allowed to exceed €180,000 plus VAT. Not least thanks to the cars' diverse possible uses, this category is enjoying success all around the globe: R5 vehicles compete in the WRC2 class of the World Rally Championships, represent the top category in the FIA European Rally Championships and also race in numerous other national and regional championships all over the world.
Polo WRC history
The Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 is the latest in an extremely successful family line. Incorporated into the new rally car for client motorsport are the experience and know-how from four world titles secured in the top category of the WRC from 2013 to 2016. The Polo R WRC, in which Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia won both the driver and co-driver championship four times in succession, is the most successful car in recent rallying history.
"With the Polo GTI R5 our aim is to successfully transfer our expertise from four world rally championship titles to client motorsport and to offer a first-class car for all rallying championships, from national series all the way to the world championship", said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. "Before its first use in a race next year, we'll be subjecting the Polo GTI R5 to an intensive testing programme in order to be well equipped for the very different course conditions all over world."
Development of the Polo GTI R5 has been in full swing since the start of the year and the first test drives took place from 15 to 17 November on asphalt and gravel in Fontjoncouse, France. Further tests under all sorts of different conditions are on the agenda for the coming months. Responsible for the development of the Polo GTI R5 is Volkswagen Motorsport Technical Director François-Xavier 'FX' Demaison, the man behind the record-breaking Polo R WRC. The Senior Project Engineer is Gerard-Jan de Jongh who, as the former race engineer for world champion Ogier, is also contributing his valuable expertise.
The technical aspects of the Polo GTI R5
Like the full production model, the new Polo GTI, the Polo GTI R5 has a powerful in-line four-cylinder turbo engine with direct fuel injection, which is transversely mounted ahead of the front axle. Due to the regulations, the cubic capacity is limited on the rally version to 1.6 litres. That suffices for a power output of an imposing 272 PS and maximum torque of 400 Newton metres for the rally GTI, as the regulations also impose some limits for engine performance. A close-ratio, sequential five-speed racing gearbox and permanent all-wheel drive provide outstanding acceleration figures on any surface – from asphalt or gravel to snow. The Polo GTI R5, weighing only 1,230 kilograms, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds. Depending on the gear ratio, the top speed is designed to be at a typical rallying level of just under 200 kilometres per hour - ample for flying along the gravel tracks of Finnish forests or mastering snow-covered special stages in Sweden. Internally ventilated disc brakes on all wheels (350 mm diameter at the front on asphalt; 300 mm front and rear on gravel) plus aluminium brake callipers (four pistons all round) then respond to the driver's commands to provide the appropriate deceleration and adherence to the optimum braking points on every special stage. The four-door steel production car body, which serves as the basis for building the Polo GTI R5, comes from the production plant in Pamplona (Spain) and is retrospectively strengthened in accordance with FIA regulations with a roll cage and other safety components.
The Polo GTI R5's final homologation will be in 2018. The first deliveries to client motorsport teams and entries in rallies are planned for the second half of the year.