Polo gets early Mexico run

Sebastien Ogier has just won Rally Guanajuato Mexico - well he’s gained an important psychological advantage over his rivals to be precise.

Ogier is with his Volkswagen Motorsport team for a test in Mexico this week, venue of round three of next year’s FIA World Rally Championship, where he is putting a Polo R WRC test car through its paces in the heat and high altitude conditions experienced on the Leon-based event.

He told WRC.com: “Normally we are not allowed to [test outside of Europe] when we are in the championship so we take the opportunity to do it now [before we register]. It’s really difficult to find the Mexico conditions out of Mexico so basically to have the altitude and the temperature in the same place means we must go there so that’s why we decide to test in Mexico. It will be expensive and will take a lot of time but I am sure, at the end, it will help us to perform there.”

Ogier added that the Mexico test was more evidence of Volkswagen’s commitment to its WRC campaign. “I knew from the beginning that I have no doubts on this aspect and am sure Volkswagen is doing the best for that. It’s not easy to organise completely a new team coming from a new competition.”