Volkswagen ready for battle

Sebastien Ogier has sounded an ominous warning to his WRC rivals ahead of next week’s Rallye Monte Carlo, declaring that his Volkswagen Motorsport team is "well prepared" for the defence of its FIA World Rally Championship titles.

The reigning world champion, who won an impressive nine rallies last season, was speaking before he and his Volkswagen Polo R WRC team-mates were waved off from the VW headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany during an event that was imaginatively titled ‘Project title defence’.

Ogier said: “There are only 61 days between the final stage of last season and the first in Monte Carlo. Testing and preparations have been running at full throttle since November and we are well prepared to start the new season as defending champions.”

Volkwagen Motorsport Director, Jost Capito, was equally bullish ahead of the 2014 season opener. “We are as prepared as possible for Rallye Monte Carlo and have further developed many details on the Polo R WRC,” he explained.

“This season’s World Rally Championship offers many new aspects and we are looking forward to pitting our wits against our competitors. It was thanks to our extraordinary team spirit that we achieved such great things in 2013. Bring on 2014!”