Citroën in the unknown before the Chile Rally

Will Citroën manage to be more efficient in Rally in Chile than in Argentina? If Sébastien Ogier did well by completing the podium of the last event behind the Hyundai de Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen, the C3 WRC struggled on the Argentinian courses since the six-time WRC champion only signed 3 scratches while his teammate Esapekka Lappi retired.

With only a two-week break between the two events, Citroën is running out of time to optimize its car before tackling a new event on the WRC calendar contested this week which should offer roads similar to those in Argentina.

Second in the Championship, 10 points behind Thierry Neuville, Sébastien Ogier will not have to lead the way in the first stage.

“From what I have seen in the videos available, the profile of the special stages still looks quite different from what we have just experienced in Argentina, it seems quite rolling and fast, it reminds me a little of the Great- Brittany with all these paths in the undergrowth. I hope that on such terrain we will be a little more efficient. There is still a lot of beautiful gravel on the surface which risks making life complicated for those who go ahead, to see if the rains that have fallen recently will limit the effect of the sweep or not., confides the Gapençais.

Sébastien Ogier's performances will partly depend on the conditions encountered at the start of the event.

“There is always an element of excitement in discovering a new rally, this one seems to be run on beautiful tracks, which should give rise to a particularly indecisive fight between crews who will all start equal in terms of experience, adds Citroën Racing director Pierre Budar. Reconnaissance will therefore be essential, as will our ability to adapt our base settings, not to mention that the weather could also have a say. But we are determined to provide our crews with the best possible C3 WRC to secure our sixth consecutive podium of the year in Chile. »

As for Esapekka Lappi, the Finn will have to look for consistency following his third retirement of the season in the space of six rounds. He should benefit from a swept track during the first stage if the weather is dry.

“After our difficult start to the season, I am keen to get off to a good start in Chile and achieve a decent result, having regained my confidence behind the wheel step by step., comments the former resident of Toyota Gazoo Racing. I hope that the weather will be with us on Friday, so that we can take advantage of our distant starting order on this ground suitable for sweeping, and thus ideally launch our race. The times look really nice and interesting, with a nice coating, at least when they were filmed for the videos made available by the organization. »