Zoom Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz.

With the one-two win clinched by Giniel de Villiers / Dirk von Zitzewitz and Mark Miller / Ralph Pitchford, Volkswagen celebrated a successful Brazilian début at the Rally dos Sertões.

During the exploratory tour of this new motorsport territory at racing speed, the two Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 vehicles, their drivers and the entire team discovered interesting details both on and off the rally tracks. Here are some facts and figures on the Rally dos Sertões :

Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen stopped in the United States on his way to the Rally dos Sertões in Brazil in order to get a first-hand impression “on location” about the development of the Touareg prototype for the Baja 1000? Volkswagen plans to field this vehicle in the legendary event in Mexico in November. In addition, attendance of the American Jetta TDI Cup and a visit with the President of Volkswagen USA, Stefan Jacoby, was on the agenda.

Volkswagen do Brasil provided logistical support to the rally activities of Volkswagen Motorsport and has a major part in the one-two victory? In addition to the service trucks sent from Germany by ship, the fleet was augmented by T5 busses and Volkswagen Cross Fox vehicles typically used in Brazil.

Volkswagen is one of the two most successful automotive brands in Brazil?

A relatively small squad of only 34 team members was on location in Brazil and that the team in Wolfsburg was simultaneously preparing a test of several days in Morocco to be run after the Rally dos Sertões?

Volkswagen at the Rally dos Sertões celebrated the Race Touareg's ninth overall victory? Since 2004, the diesel-powered prototype has contested 23 cross-country rally events.

Volkswagen has not been beaten yet in 2008? At both the Central Europe Rally through Hungary and Romania in April (Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn) and the Rally dos Sertões (Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz) a Volkswagen driver clinched overall victory. At five events since 2007, Volkswagen won four times.

Volkswagen's track record of stage finishes is still impeccable in 2008 as well? 18 of 18 possible stage wins went to Wolfsburg.

The first place clinched by de Villiers/von Zitzewitz and the second place clinched by Miller/Pitchford were the 27 th and 28 th podium places for Volkswagen in cross-country rally racing?