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2013 marks the debut of Volkswagen in the World Rally Championship. The automaker fielded a couple of their Polo R WRC rally cars and one of them has managed to finish in second place at the Rally Monte Carlo. After months of preparation and testing, the team's efforts have certainly paid off. Behind the wheel of the second placed car was Sebastien Ogier and his co-driver, Julien Ingrassia. Volkswagen motorsport director, Jost Capito, spoke after the rally event and he mentioned that finishing second place in the first ever rally was something more that the team could have expected. He also added that the Rally Monte Carlo was the most complex event in the season calendar and the team has shown that they are ready for the WRC. Finishing in first place was Sebastien Loeb in his Citroen and Loeb's team mate Dani Sordo came in third. Volkswagen's other car, piloted by Jari-Matti Latvala retired from the race after crashing in some snow covered sections at the Col de Turini stage. The Polo R WRC rally car is based on the humble Polo hatchback. But it received an aerodynamic bodykit and a WRC-spec 1.6-litre turbocharged engine which delivers around 300bhp, even with an air restrictor fitted. The next stage, which is the Rally Sweden, will kick off on February 7th.

Not many people know about this fact; Korean automaker, Hyundai, used to race in the World Rally Championships (WRC) from 2000 to 2003. The car used was a second generation Hyundai Accent. Two more revised versions of the car were later developed during that time but in the second half of 2003, Hyundai announced its withdrawal from the competition. Today, Hyundai will make a comeback into the world of WRC by unveiling the i20 WRC rally car. Hyundai has transformed the subcompact car into a little monster that will challenge the big boys of the World Rally Championships. The Hyundai i20 WRC rally car was showcased at the recent Paris Motor Show and the display clearly indicates the automaker

[extract] Are you a fan of the World Rally Championship? How big a fan are you? Well, if you can prove that you are Singapore's biggest fanatic of the all-out, gravel bashing rally championship, then Citro

When motorsports is mentioned, most people will think of the glitz and glamour of Formula One. After all, it is the most high-profile of all motorsports out there. But I'm sure that there are some fans of other kinds of motorsports, like the rough and tumble of rallying. Specifically, the World Rally Championship. The 2011 World Rally Championship is now three events old, but it's just such a pity that there's very little local coverage or interest. I've always been a fan of the WRC, probably more so than F1. I grew up watching those electric blue Subaru Impreza WRXs and red-and-white Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions jumping massive crests at high speed. It brought about a kind of exhilaration that cannot be compared to track-based motorsports like F1. My hero was the late, great Colin McRae. I can't pinpoint exactly why. Maybe because it was his "all-or-nothing" driving style, where he would always be on maximum attack, even at the risk of crashing out. It feels a bit of a shame that today's WRC is a bit of a pale shadow from the excitement of the 1990s. I suppose the decline can be traced to the middle of the 2000s, when a host of drivers and manufacturers pulled out for various reasons. The retirements of legends Tommi Makinen and Carlos Sainz, coupled with the tragic losses of McRae and Richard Burns, as well as the withdrawal of major manufacturers like Peugeot, Mistubishi and later Subaru, dealt a heavy blow to the sport. The fact that current World Champion Sebastian Loeb has held a Michael Schumacher-esque domination over the sport for much of the past decade doesn't really help matters. Although, to be fair, you can't say that Ford and its Finns Marcus Gronholm and currently Mirko Hirvonen haven't gave it a go at challenging the Frenchman. But after a period in the doldrums, the WRC seems to be livening up again. New regulations for 2011 means that smaller cars are now in vogue, with Citroen and Ford using the more compact DS3 and Fiesta hatchbacks instead of the larger C4 and Focus respectively. Even Mini is looking to get in on the act, entering its Countryman WRC car in selected rallies this year. One can only hope, but I do wish for better things for the WRC in the decade ahead. It does deserve better as the premier world rallying competition.