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Volkswagen Motorsport Testing in Germany

The 2017 Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC was out testing again, and this time it was in the hands of the team’s top driver. In fact, it was in the hands of the series’ top driver, Sebastien Ogier.

The Frenchman was tearing through the hills of Volkswagen’s home rally, the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, which is set to start on the 18th.

This isn’t the first Polo R WRC test we’ve seen, but the video above shows back to back shots of the 2016 and 2017 cars, and as a result is a great opportunity to see some of the differences between the two cars.

Namely, the width. The current Polo R WRC isn’t exactly slim, but the 2017 rally car is two inches wider, and it shows. The spoiler, too, looks bigger. That’s reasonable since Volskwagen Motorsport have said that the 2017 regulations allow for more downforce.

We also know that the car will be 55 lbs lighter than the current Polo R WRC and 60 hp more powerful. Of course, it’s hard to tell from just one video how much faster or slower a car is, but the 2017 model does look awfully aggressive ripping through the German hills.

Below, you can watch Jari-Matti Latvala doing the same.

Volkswagen will have to stay on its toes, though, as Toyota has announced that its 2017 WRC car that will surprise the competition.

Despite that, Volkswagen Motorsport will likely be focused on the German rally. The rally is the first of a few that will be run on tarmac instead of gravel, eliminating Ogier’s disadvantage as the first one to drive each stage. Ogier will want to assert himself in this rally and earn his first win since the Swedish Rally, back in February.

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