News in Brief: VW / Hyundai / Märtin

A selection of stories that are making the news in the WRC:

Volkswagen test: All three Volkswagen drivers are testing the Polo R in Sardinia this week in preparation for June’s Rally Italia Sardegna.

World championship leader Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen are scheduled to drive one day each on the Mediterranean island.

Mikkelsen (pictured) was ill over the Easter weekend but should be fit enough to take his place at the test.

Korean visit: Hyundai drivers Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo, Juho Hänninen, Chris Atkinson and Hayden Paddon are completing a three-day visit to the manufacturer’s base in South Korea.

The trio have visited the company’s Seoul headquarters and also the R & D centre at Namyang, where parts for the i20 WRC were developed.

“It was quite a big emotion to see all this and how the Koreans are working, and how the WRC programme was launched in Korea,” said Neuville.

Before leaving for South Korea, Paddon completed his first test in a i20, driving on both asphalt and gravel. He will make his Hyundai debut at Rally Italia Sardegna.

Master Märtin: Ex-Ford and Peugeot WRC factory driver Markko Märtin won Russia’s Rally Masters Show at the former Olympic complex in Moscow.

Estonian Märtin and co-driver Kristo Kraag drove a 2003-specification Ford Focus RS WRC to a 2.6sec victory after six asphalt stages. Märtin finished second there last year.

Also competing was 2005 and 2007 PWRC champion Toshihiro Arai, but he finished 16th after two punctures in a Subaru Impreza STi.