VW confirms WRC departureposted in WRC02 | 11 | 2016
VOLKSWAGEN HAS CONFIRMED it will quit the World Rally Championship at the end of the 2016 season, as we predicted yesterday. Confirmation came this morning from Frank Welsch, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Technical Development, when he spoke to around 200 motorsport employees in Hannover.
The decision mirrors that of Audi, who last week confirmed it was walking away from the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24-Hours at the end this year.
Both decisions are the result of brutal cost-saving measures enforced across the VW Group in the wake of incurring multi-billion pounds costs following the Dieselgate emissions scandal.
While Audi is switching its attention to the all-electric Formula E Championship in 2017 Volkswagen — which has dominated the WRC for the past four years, in the hands of Sebastien Ogier and his Polo — will turn its attention to customer-based competition, with its Golf TCR and Beetle GRC rallycross car.
“The Volkswagen brand is facing enormous challenges,” Welsch said. “With the upcoming expansion in electrification of our vehicle range, we must focus all our efforts on important future technologies.
We far exceeded our sporting goals in the WRC, now we are realigning Volkswagen Motorsport and moving the vehicle technology of the future more starkly into focus.
“At the same time, Volkswagen is going to focus more on customer racing. As well as the Golf GTI TCR on the circuit track and the Beetle GRC in rallycross, we also want to offer customers top products and will develop a new Polo according to R5 regulations.
"Of course, we regret the departure from the WRC very much - as this was the most successful chapter in the Volkswagen brand's motorsport history," motorsport director Sven Smeets said.
"The team has done great things. At the same time, our vision is firmly ahead, because we are aware of the great challenges facing the entire company.
"We want our realignment to contribute to the success of the Volkswagen brand.
"From now on, the focus is on upcoming technologies in motorsport and on our customer sports range, where we will position ourselves more broadly and attractively."
And Welsch paid tribute to motorsport director Sven Smeets, the VW's Hannover-based WRC team, and all the drivers — including Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen — and co-drivers associated with the world rally campaign.
"I want to give our heartfelt thanks to our drivers and co-drivers for their outstanding achievements," he continued. "They are not only unbelievably quick, but also extremely effective ambassadors for the Volkswagen brand.
"The whole team built around motorsport director Sven Smeets has created the basis for this success with the enormous commitment of each individual.
"We want to continue working with this excellent team and bring about the realignment.
"In the same way, we will expand the close cooperation between production development and motorsport, which has always shown benefits to both sides in recent years.
"There is a guarantee of employment for the Volkswagen Motorsport employees."
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Jim McGill