Al-Attiyah set for long-term VW deal

Nasser Al-Attiyah is set to sign a three-year deal to drive for Volkswagen in the World Rally Championship.

Although the German manufacturer is yet to make a formal announcement on the matter, Al-Attiyah revealed during the Acropolis Rally last week that he was about to ink a long-term agreement with the firm, which will enter the WRC from 2013 with a World Rally Car based on its highly successful Polo model.

“I will be in Germany this week to drive in the Nurburging 24 Hours with Volkswagen and to sit with the top members of Volkswagen Motorsport to sign my contract,” said Al-Attiyah. “Everything will become more clear this week but our plan is a three-year contract until 2013. I have a good relationship with the team and I’m so happy to be part of this programme.”

Al-Attiyah is set to switch from his current Ford Fiesta S2000 to a Volkswagen Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia S2000 for next month’s Neste Oil Rally Finland. The outing will be a precursor to a full roster of world championship rallies with the Fabia in 2012, alongside a test and development programme with the new Polo R WRC.

The Qatari said he would conduct an extensive test in Finland. His first run in the Polo could come as early as December, he admitted.

Volkswagen confirmed its WRC entry during a lavish press launch in Sardinia last month. At the time, Kris Nissen, its motorsport chief, said: “Even though the WRC is new territory for us and involves learning in many areas the team already meets some important prerequisites now as it brings an unwavering professional attitude and resolve to deliver absolute perfection to this commitment.”

Al-Attiyah, the Production Car world champion in 2006 and 2011 Dakar Rally winner, has been a regular in the WRC for several seasons and took part in the inaugural SWRC in 2010. His SWRC campaign this year has been blighted by misfortune but he has scored points on his last two outings and currently occupies eighth spot in the drivers’ standings.