Ogier and Volkswagen claim back-to-back home wins at the Rally Germany

Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) have won Volkswagen’s home event in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) for the second time in a row. The Rally Germany around the city of Trier provided the French duo with their first WRC victory since the Rally Sweden in February, and the 35th of their career. Ogier and Ingrassia also finished third on the closing Power Stage to pick up another bonus point towards the world championship. Their team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N) were embroiled in a thrilling battle for a place on the podium towards the end of the rally, but were ultimately pipped to the post by Hyundai drivers Dani Sordo/Marc Martí (E/E) and Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), leaving the Volkswagen pair to settle for fourth place. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) fell back through the field following a gearbox issue on Friday, but finished runner-up on the Power Stage to score two bonus points. Ogier now leads the Drivers’ Championship with 169 points, followed by Mikkelsen (110) and Hayden Paddon (Hyundai, 94). Volkswagen tops the Manufacturers’ Championship with 256 points, ahead of Hyundai (201) and M-Sport (122). The next round of the FIA World Rally Championship will take place from 29 September to 2 October on Corsica (F).

TCR GermanyTwo fourth-place finishes for youngster Zimmermann

Tim Zimmermann (D) claimed two good results at the penultimate race weekend of the TCR Germany series in Zandvoort, Netherlands. The 19-year-old crossed the finish line fourth in the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR in both races. The other Volkswagen drivers also claimed top-ten finishes in some wet weather at the winding circuit, which is nestled in the dunes on the North Sea coast: Nicklas Mackschin (D) was sixth in race two, ahead of Benjamin Leuchter (D) in seventh place. Tom Lautenschlager (D) and Kai Jordan finished ninth and tenth in the same race. The two races were won by Seat drivers Harald Proczyk (A) and Antti Buri (FIN). The final round of the TCR Germany will take place at the Hockenheimring (D) from 30 September to 2 October.

TCR BeneluxRadermecker bags a brace of wins in Zolder

Vincent Radermecker (B) claimed two wins at the third race weekend of the TCR Benelux series in Zolder (B). Radermecker, at the wheel of the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, won the first two of four races. Volkswagen had two reasons to celebrate in race one, as Didier van Dalen (B) followed him home in second place in a Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR. The best-placed Volkswagen driver in race three was Alexis van de Poele (B), who finished third and is currently the top Volkswagen driver in the championship in fourth place. Colmarberg (L) hosts the next TCR Benelux races from 23 to 25 September.

TCR AsiaOne-two-three in Shanghai: Yan on course for the title in a Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

Andy Yan (HK) took a big step towards winning the title at the Shanghai International Circuit (CHN). The driver from the Volkswagen customer team Engstler Motorsport won both races at the Formula One circuit. Race two actually produced a one-two-three for the 330-hp Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR: Kevin Tse (CHN, Team Work Motorsport) finished runner-up, ahead of Yan’s team-mate at Engstler Motorsport, Filipe de Souza (CHN), in third place. With two race weekends remaining and a maximum 110 points up for grabs, Yan holds a 65-point lead over Tse in the overall standings. The next races will take place in Zhejiang (CHN) on 22 and 23 October.

Volkswagen Vento Cup IndiaDodhiwala and Singh victorious in Chennai

Ishaan Dodhiwala took a big step towards overall victory in the Volkswagen Vento Cup India. The Indian bagged a brace of race wins at the Madras Motor Race Track on the outskirts of Chennai (IND), and was only defeated in one race. Dodhiwala was beaten by his compatriot Karminder Pal Singh in race one. Third place went to Aditya Vijay Pawar (IND). Race two saw Dodhiwala take his place on the top step of the podium, where he was joined by Dhruv Behl and Niranjan Todkari (both IND). Singh finished runner-up behind Dodhiwala in the final race, with Todkari again taking the final spot on the podium. The next races in the Vento Cup India will take place from 16 to 18 September in Greater Noida (IND).

Japanese Formula 3 ChampionshipMardenborough at the double: Volkswagen driver wins twice in Motegi

Two races, two wins – young Volkswagen driver Jann Mardenborough (GB) tasted success twice in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship. The Brit won both race one and race two in Motegi (J). A further three Volkswagen driver finished in the top ten in the opening race, which was held in difficult rainy conditions: Mitsunori Takaboshi (J/7.), Ye Hongli (CHN/8.) and Tairoku Yamaguchi (J/9.). In race two, this time in dry conditions, Hongli finished fourth to narrowly miss out on a place on the podium. Takaboshi was eighth, Yamaguchi ninth.

Volkswagen Fun Cup BelgiumNetcom by Allure Team wins in Zolder

The Netcom by Allure Team won round five of the Volkswagen Fun Cup Belgium in Zolder (B). The team was involved in a thrilling battle with the Conceptexpo by Milo Racing team for long stretches of the race at the former Grand Prix circuit, but eventually crossed the finish line 10.937 seconds ahead of their rivals. The Socardenne by Milo team finished just 1.5 seconds back in third place. The next round of the Volkswagen Fun Cup Belgium will take place from 24 to 25 September at the Circuit Goodyear in Luxemburg.

 Next up:

28/08/2016Global Rallycross, Atlantic City (USA)

26/08–28/08/2016TCR International Series, Buriram (T)

27/08–28/08/2016British Touring Car Championship, Rockingham (GB)

27/08/2016Volkswagen Fun Cup UK, Silverstone (GB)