Why VW won't get the credit it deserves
Just weeks after news of its departure rocked the WRC, Volkswagen signed off in style with one last victory in Australia. But how will its programme be remembered in the years and decades to come?
Volkswagen technical director Francois-Xavier Demaison waited. The rally-winning Polo R WRC rolled to a halt next to him: the final control. Rally Australia victor Andreas Mikkelsen stepped out and smiled at the man who created the car he'd just brought home safely.
One last time. One last win.
"Great job, Andreas," smiled Demaison. "But, I'm sorry... you're sacked!"
Such levity helped defuse some of the emotion. Some.
Volkswagen's dieselgate-enforced departure from the World Rally Championship brings to an end the most successful, in terms of wins per starts, campaign from a single manufacturer in the series' history.
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