VW motorsport chief nixes F1 entry

Noah Joseph — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:03:00 EST

Formula One teams come and go, but few have been the subject of such intense rumors as the potential participation of Volkswagen.

The German automaker is the largest in Europe that hasn't been part of the sport in recent history, and its executives have made several public declarations that entering the series in one capacity or another was under consideration.

That prospect appears to be off the table now, however, as the company's new motorsport chief, Jost Capito has nixed the idea. Capito, who recently joined VW from after leaving his position as head of racing and performance vehicles for Ford, is focused squarely on Volkswagen's new entry in the World Rally Championship.

That may not mean, however, that the possibility of F1 participation is off the table for one of the group's other brands, which include Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini.

VW motorsport chief nixes F1 entry originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 May 2012 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jost Capito leaving Ford SVT for Volkswagen Motorsport

Noah Joseph — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ford, Volkswagen

Few know performance and racing like Jost Capito. The speed-obsessed auto exec started out developing high-performance engines for BMW, then headed the motorsport department at Porsche before taking up senior management positions with the Sauber Formula One team.

He also won the Dakar rally as a co-pilot, but his most recent post has been with Ford. There he oversaw the amalgamation of the company's global performance divisions - including SVT in the States and RS in the UK - and ushered such vehicles as the SVT Raptor, Focus RS, new Fiesta ST and the Shelby GT500 into production, all the while managing Ford's effort in the World Rally Championship.

The Ford chapter in Capito's considerable career, however, is drawing to a close as Dearborn has announced his departure and Wolfsburg his arrival. Effective May 1, Capito will be heading up Volkswagen Motorsport, taking over for Kris Nissen, who managed the back-to-back-to-back victories Volkswagen took at Dakar.

In his new capacity, Capito will presumably be running the company's new WRC effort, but we wouldn't mind seeing his footprint on the next generation of GTI and R models, either. Look below for the official announcement.

Continue reading Jost Capito leaving Ford SVT for Volkswagen Motorsport

Jost Capito leaving Ford SVT for Volkswagen Motorsport originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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