Skip to main content

VW Pulls out of Formula 3, Focusing on Production-Based Race Cars

Volkswagen Motorsports will end its involvement in popular feeder series Formula 3 in 2018 to focus instead on rallying and touring car racing.

The announcement marks the end of an era in which numerous German drivers rose to the highest ranks of motorsport via VW. Between 1982 and 1991, all but two German Formula 3 champions earned their titles driving VW-powered Formula 3 cars.

Drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Le Mans-winner Tom Kristensen, F1 drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr, and Brenden Hartley are all among the drivers who have gone on to great success following their stint behind the wheel VW-powered cars.

Volkswagen Motorsport will now focus more fiercely on its production-based race cars, like the Golf GTI TCR, which races in Touring Car series around the world, and the Polo GTI R5, which races in the World Rally Championship’s second-tier series, WRC2.

“The Golf GTI TCR is already an important ambassador for the brand in many racing series around the world, and we are pursuing the same goal with the new Polo GTI R5,” said Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director, in a statement. “Both cars are not only attractive propositions for professional customer teams but also represent top-class cars for talented youngsters. This way, we are also able to continue our long-term philosophy of offering youth opportunities.”

Since VW’s dieselgate scandal, its racing endeavors have been slowed. The team pulled out of the WRC’s top series suddenly after winning four straight championships in an effort to save money. The team continues to race in TCR, WRC2, and two major rallycross championships, though. 

Moreover, it has announced that it will also race an electric car to the top of Pikes Peak this summer in an attempt to set a record and set the tone for its coming range of electric vehicles. This, though, won’t be production-based, according to a VW spokesperson.

The post VW Pulls out of Formula 3, Focusing on Production-Based Race Cars appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2paNL7o
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Watch: The Stig Drives (nearly) Seven Generations of Golf GTI

With Volkswagen announcing “major” updates to the Golf, it seems an appropriate time to look back on what we’ve had so far. And who better to guide us through the rich history of the most popular European car ever made than Ben Collins, the former Stig? Some say he’s never met a GTI he doesn’t love, and that he can’t grow any of his own facial hair. All we know is … Ben Collins is actually a pretty solid presenter. Working his way through seven generations of the GTI (skipping over the Mk6) Collins tells us a little bit about each one and matches each mark to its corresponding facial hair craze. The Mk1 GTI for instance, is light and quick, but can lose traction under hard acceleration (in heavy rain). Despite that, Collins calls the Mk1 a “pure gem.” The Mk4, meanwhile, is a powerful return to form after the perhaps too sensible Mk3. Collins ends in the only way he could, with the Mk7, which accelerates faster than a Lamborghini Countach and is all kinds of wonderful. Watch, ...

Watch: The Story of the Ads that Made VW Big in America

The ads for the original Beetle are almost as famous and well-loved as the Beetle itself. Looking back now it’s easy to forget, though, just how easily things could have wrong. A new short from Dial M Films tracks the history of those early Volkswagen ads that sold America on the people’s car. The story, of course, begins with the visionary agency that made the ads: Doyle Dane Bernach (DDB). As a popular agency for Jewish products, no agency was more aware of the implications of Volkswagen, and no one, it seems, was more skeptical of the brand than DDB. “Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?” from Dial M Films on Vimeo . William Bernbach, though, was adament that the firm take the client, probably as a way of attracting other lucrative automotive clients. Saddled with a client that he didn’t want, art director Helmut Krone says in the film that he originally came up with ads that were all wrong. Krone tried to do what other manufacturers did and was intent on selling the Beetle ...

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...