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The Fast Lane

VW To Conquer Sand, Not Tarmac

thefastlane | 03 September, 2007 09:32

Volkswagen will be dealing with a brand new challenge – this time around, the team will be conquering sand, not tarmac…

On Thursday, Christian Abt the DTM racer and the Volkswagen factory driver Giniel de Villiers swapped cars – an Audi A4 DTM for a Volkswagen Race Touareg. As such, he is bound to face a different challenge in a new territory.

After a few laps on off-road terrain Abt enthused: “The Race Touareg impressed me. A great foretaste,” said the enthused Abt who will conquer a sand territory this month. The Bavarian Audi factory driver will accompany the VW team for tests in Tunisia. Such is a gift from the company’s Motorsport Director Kris Nissen for his 40th birthday.

Also, Giniel de Villiers savors the drive in the Audi. “It’s fun to sit in a touring car again for a change – especially if it’s a fast one like the Audi A4 DTM,” commented the South African who is also driving Audi’s DTM racing taxi this upcoming race.

How close is VW to its goal? Paddock Talk has this to share:
 
Desert pros in the Eifel: Annie Seel and Mark Miller in the Polo Cup

"That’s a completely different world,” said the bewildered rally princess Annie Seel after her first laps in the Racing Polo. Normally, the petite Swede contests desert rallies on two wheels, and she has brought along a massive KTM-Enduro with her to the Eifel region.

VW factory driver Mark Miller was extremely impressed with the "talent school” as well. "The Polo Cup demands utmost precision at the wheel. A very good training ground for young talent – and a great diversion for rally drivers like myself,” said Miller.

Success story: historic Formula 3 racers in the paddock

Seven championship wins in Germany, 55 international titles: Volkswagen has a long and successful history in Formula 3. On the occasion of its comeback to the most important racing category for young drivers the manufacturer from Wolfsburg is showcasing two historic "monoposti” at the Nürburgring paddock: for one, an Ralt RT30-Volkswagen in which Kris Nissen – today Volkswagen Motorsport Director – won the German Formula 3 Championship in 1986. For the other, an Ralt RT30, in which Joachim Winkelhock, German Formula 3 Champion with Volkswagen in 1988, was fighting for points in his younger years.

Volkswagen with complete motorsport lineup at the Nürburgring

VW is showing its complete motorsport lineup in the Eifel. Aside from the races of the Formula 3 Euro Series – in which the Wolfsburg-based automaker is making its comeback – and the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup, the other racing projects are represented at the Nürburgring as well. According to the Paddock Talk, the Golf GTI, which clinched class victory and the spectacular eighth place overall in the 24h-race in June, and the Race Touareg, which will be fielded by Volkswagen in January in the 2008 Dakar Rally, are on display.

To the German team, you have established a niche in the race and still have a long way to go!

 

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