Volkswagen is expected to announce its WRC programme at this month’s Rally Portugal, according to Autosport magazine.
There have been reports that the German manufacturer will have a budget of 100 million-euro set aside for its WRC assault, which will commence in 2012.
Autosport also reveals that VW tried – and failed – to sign Sebastien Loeb, and that Petter Solberg is a strong possibility for a seat.
Nasser Al-Attiyah is another person in the frame for a drive. He told Autosport: “I think the [VW] people will say something in Portugal about if we do cross-country or VW do a different programme.
“Of course, I would love to do WRC. It is my dream to be in the official team with Volkswagen if they are coming to WRC for two or three years more. From my side, VW are happy about me and I think the team want to keep me for testing and a lot of the programme we can do. I have a lot of experience of rally,” he added.
Carlos Sainz is tipped to be heavily involved in the project, while Francois-Xavier Demaison has been hired as the team’s chief engineer.
http://www.rallybuzz.com/vw-confirm-wrc-programme-portugal-3/