VW Dakar return does not rule out WRC

20th April 2010

By Anthony Peacock

Volkswagen’s return to the Dakar Rally next year does not necessarily mean that it has turned its back on the World Rally Championship from 2012.

Volkswagen Motorsport chief Kris Nissen pointed out before the Dakar started in Buenos Aires this year that the company would not be ready to embark on a WRC campaign in 2011 even if they were to get the green light straight after the event.

As it is, Volkswagen has still to make any firm commitment to its future motorsport plans beyond next year’s Dakar – which it will contest with its existing diesel-powered Touareg Race 2s.

The decision to defend the Dakar title was prompted by Volkswagen’s second successive victory on the event this year, and the fact that South America is an increasingly important market for the German giant.

“We’ve got the opportunity to achieve the diesel hat trick and make motorsport history again,” said Nissen. “We will again invest all our passion, heart and soul in this project.”

Volkswagen is still considering the possibility of entering the World Rally Championship from 2012 onwards, but the decision will need to be taken within the next few months in order for the company to have enough time to prepare its entry for the series.

Although speculation in the past has linked Volkswagen to a WRC campaign using the new Scirocco model, Nissen has indicated that it could also be with the best-selling Polo or Golf if the decision is taken to go ahead.