VW Goes Racing with New Scirocco

Lexus won’t be the only auto manufacturer running a new car in this
year’s 24 Hours of Nurburgring. Joining the LF-A prototype on the race
track will be a converted version of Volkswagen’s new sport compact
hatchback, the Scirocco. Although the Scirocco doesn’t have the same
mystique as the Japanese concept car that has yet to be unveiled to
the public in production form, it has a 30+year heritage that’s sure to endear it to fans quickly and prepare the market for the future production model.

Volkswagen’s
entrant will be powered by a tuned version of the popular 2.0T four-cylinder turbo,
although unlike the engine soon to be available in the production car, it makes considerably more power.
It’s been upgraded from 200 horsepower to 300 horsepower, which should
help the sporty hatchback to keep pace with other racers in its class.
In addition, the Scirocco endurance racer will feature VW’s DSG
transmission. This is pretty much the same technical setup as last
year’s entrant from Volkswagen, which was a GTI. Because of the wider
track and the lower center of gravity, the new Scirocco should be at
an advantage.

Piloting the
race cars is Volkswagen’s “Dream Team” consisting of Spanish rally ace
Carlos Sainz and two-time Le Mans winner Hans-Joachim Stuck. Stuck
has participated in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring multiple times,
winning the event in 1970, 1998 and 2004. In addition, other Scirocco
drivers include Giniel de Villiers, Dieter Depping, Jimmy Johansson,
Florian Gruber, Thomas Mutsch and Francois Verbist.

This year’s race will take place from May 24th through 25th.