DREAM START TO DAY ONE: ONE-TWO-THREE FOR VOLKSWAGEN IN ARGENTINA

May 12, 2014 by Volkswagen

◾Fifth round of the WRC: dramatic start to the rally on Friday

◾Volkswagen trio top overall standings: Latvala ahead of Ogier and Mikkelsen

◾Difficult conditions challenge drivers and their cars

Volkswagen made a successful start at the Rally Argentina. The three Polo R WRCs lead at the halfway point on Friday. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) will start the second loop of the day with a 3.3-second advantage over World Champions Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), and 18.5 seconds ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN). The opening special stages of the Rally Argentina have already proved to be extremely challenging for the drivers and their cars. Three of the eleven World Rally Cars that started lost a lot of time due to incidents.

Quotes at the lunchtime service on day one of the Rally Argentina

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1

'Even though we had to take to the route first, the conditions were better than we expected. Overall the two long stages this morning went very well for us, it was a solid performance. The ground was damp due to the morning fog, and then there were also many dry sections. The first stage of the day was particularly hard on the car. It's definitely going to be a difficult rally, for us and the mechanics. Fortunately everything went well for us, unlike for our competitors.'

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2

'It feels good to be leading the Rally Argentina at the moment, but I only have a slight advantage and there's still a long way to go. The first stage this morning was rougher and more difficult at race pace than we thought – it says a lot about the reliability of the Polo that we completed the stage without any problems. During the stages we only had a few intervals where we could compare our speed with our competitors, which is why we mainly focussed on our driving.'

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9

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'As a rally driver, you always want to be on the attack. But this needs to be within reason so that you make it to the finish. I managed to achieve this balance quite well. Unfortunately I hit a stone on the 52-kilometre stage and the power steering didn't work properly after that. That cost us some time, but I'm very pleased with the result.'

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director

'We started the Rally Argentina as we planned. We wanted to get through the opening stages without making any errors, which we achieved. However, the first two stages on the loop this morning were a wake-up call. We need to remain fully alert and continue to be focussed so that we can win the Rally Argentina. To do that you need to make it to the finish, while driving as fast as possible. It's not easy to find this balance on these demanding stages.'