SCALING MOUNT OLYMPUS IN GREECE: VICTORY FOR LATVALA AND VOLKSWAGEN

Victory for the boys in blue: Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) won the Acropolis Rally in Greece in the Polo R WRC. Volkswagens fourth win this season in the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) marked the duos first triumph for Volkswagen. Two other points finishes gave the factory team from Wolfsburg further reason to celebrate: Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) claimed fourth place with an impressive final spurtin just their third event as the crew of a Polo R WRC. Meanwhile, Sbastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia defended their lead in the WRC Drivers and Co-Drivers Championship by coming from behind to snatch tenth place. On top of all that, Volkswagen is still leading in the Manufacturers Championship.Everything falls into placeJari-Matti Latvalas firsts and successesJari-Matti Latvala first took on the Acropolis at the age of 18 and achieved his first win ten years later, claiming victory in one of the classic events of the FIA World RallyChampionship (WRC)the Rally Greece. And he stood at the top of the podium for the first time in Volkswagens racing colours. It was the 28-year-olds eighth race win in the World Championship and his third podium finish, having claimed third place in Portugal and Argentina. Latvala won four of the 14 stages in Greece. So far, the Finn has achieved 276 SS best times. Latvala succeeded in adapting the Polo R WRC to his style of driving by changing the set-up of the differential at the Rally Argentina and making a number of minor adjustments in Greece. This paved the way for his success. Consistency, speed and perfectly calculated risk-taking enabled Latvala to bag his first win at the Acropolis.The ultimate acid testclouds of dust and melon-sized rocksThe Rally Greece is considered the ultimate acid test in the World Rally Championship. Thick dust, soaring temperatures, no end of coarse gravel and melon-sized rocks all put the three Volkswagen Polo R WRCs and the Volkswagen crews to the test. Although this seasons Rally Greece was shorter than in previous years, it remained just as punishing from start to finish for the cars in 2013. Deep grooves in soft sand alternated with rougher sections. Given the difficult conditions, the drivers starting positions on the three days of rallying played a crucial role in determining their chances.A real fighterSbastien Ogiers setback and fightbackIt started out as a small problem but it had a big impact: on the very first day, fuel pressure issues cost Sbastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia their chance of securing another top finish. A cable connection came loose, interrupting the supply of power to the fuel pump. The Volkswagen team replaced the wiring loom in the Polo R WRC #8 just to be on the safe side. Having achieved five podium finishes in the first five ralliesincluding three winsthis setback in the very first stage of the Acropolis earned the pairing a ten-minute time penalty. Sbastien Ogier restarted under the Rally 2 regulations and fought his way into tenth place in the Special Stages on Saturday and Sunday, thereby winning one point for the overall standings in the Drivers Championship. Ogier also managed to secure three points by achieving the best time in the so-called Power Stagewhen additional points are awarded for first, second and thirddespite being at a disadvantage because he had to open the route. With this performance, Ogier defended his lead in the WRC. Now, almost halfway through the season, he is 52 points ahead of his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who edged up to second position by winning in Greece. A steep learning curveAndreas Mikkelsen develops positively and puts in a final spurtAndreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) also contributed towards Volkswagens success at the Rally Greece. Fourth place overall is not just Mikkelsens biggest success in his career to date, it is also indicative of a new level of maturity. The Acropolis was only Mikkelsens third rally behind the wheel of the Polo R WRC. From tyre damage and brake problems to SS best times and playing catch-upthe Rally Greece proved a real emotional roller coaster for Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula. The highlight came right at the end for the Norwegian/Finnish duo. After having to pay tribute to the toughness of the Acropolis on Saturdayan air hose came loose and punched through a brake pipe on the front right-hand side of the car, then a puncture cost them more valuable timeVolkswagens junior driver could do no wrong on Sunday. With three best times in the Special Stageshis first solo in the WRCMikkelsen fought his way from fifth place to fourth and bagged an extra point in the final Power Stage. Mikkelsen secured his place in the WRC record books at the Rally Germany back in 2008 at the same time as recordbreaking World Champion Sbastien Loeb and Petter Solberg (SS 19, Circus Maximus) when he became the youngest driver ever to win a Special Stage.Quotes following day three of the Rally Greece Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #7Im absolutely thrilled and Id like to dedicate this win to the whole Volkswagen team. The new season got off to a very difficult start for me, but the team always believed in me and supported me really well. Im delighted to see so many happy faces now. Winning the Rally Acropolis also means a lot to me because its extremely tough and its a real classic. Ever since I entered the event for the first time here at the age of 18, Ive dreamed of winning it one day. The last stage felt like the longest and hardest for a some timeI felt every single stone and jolt in the car and couldnt wait for the finishing line to come into sight. Today is a day for celebrating!Sbastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #8Tenth place and points for coming first in the Power Stagethat was the best we could do this time. Of course its frustrating to feel that both you and the car have what it takes for a podium finish, but a minor technical glitch with the power supply to the fuel pump thwarted us in the very first Special Stage. From that point on, it was all about maintaining a high speed, making it across the finishing line every day and being in the right place when our rivals were struggling. We defended our lead in the overall competitionnow we have to look ahead to the coming rallies when we want to be back at the front of the pack again.Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9What an incredible rally and what an incredible final day. Everything went in our favour today after yesterdays difficulties. We got into a good rhythm and tried to put pressure on Nasser Al-Attiyah in fourth place. And it worked. I had caught up and even got just ahead of Nasser by the end of the first run through the stages this morning. The fact that we also scored no less than three best times in the Special Stages was the icing on the cake, of course. On balance, were satisfied with the outcome of the Rally Greece and our performance. Its the best WRC result of my career, so Im really pleased. And its thanks to my mechanics, who did outstanding work yesterday. All of that whets my appetite for moreI cant wait for the next rally in Sardinia.  Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport DirectorWinning the Rally Greece is a success for the whole team. Jari-Matti Latvala put in an absolutely perfect performance and really earned this win with patience and calculated risk-taking at the right time. The fact that a puncture would have made the difference between a win and a medal-less fourth shows just how much credit is due for this performance. Three different manufacturers on the podium is evidence that the World Rally Championship is a very close-run thing. Thats why Im proud of the whole team and absolutely delighted for Jari-Matti. I was also very impressed by Andreas Mikkelsen here in Greecehe overcame all the difficulties he faced and took fourth place at the end with an unstoppable final spurt. Sbastien Ogier also deserves a great deal of respect for his performancedespite technical difficulties on day one, he made the best of the situation and ultimately collected valuable points for both WRC championships. Following on from this great performance across the board, Im already looking forward to the Rally Italy in Sardinia in three weeks time.