Citroën ready to take on Hyundai

If the world titles in WRC have already been assigned to Sébastien Ogier among Drivers and Volkswagen among Manufacturers, the fight for second place in this classification will rage on the Welsh roads of Wales Rally GB this weekend for the conclusion of the 2015 World Championship.

Quatre points séparent Citroën de Hyundai before this final meeting, and each clan has sharpened its weapons before the first specials which will begin this Friday. « We can count on the experience of our team on this particular test, comments Yves Matton, boss of Citroën Racing. Mads Østberg and Kris Meeke had the opportunity to prepare for this final with a practice session to get into the swing of things on a selective, slippery and muddy course.

Kris Meeke plays almost at home and Mads Østberg has always performed well on this pitch. They will aim to control their rivals and maintain our lead in the championship. Sports management will obviously need to be refined as the race progresses. »

On the Hyundai side, four i20 WRCs will be at the start, with a change in size, the demotion of the Belgian Thierry Neuville in the Mobis WRT team, and the promotion of New Zealander Hayden Paddon who will have the difficult task of getting the decisive points in the quest for second place alongside the Spaniard Dani Sordo.

“It's a bit like a home test for me, in an English-speaking country where I have a lot of experience, specifies the Kiwi pilot. I participated in my first rally WRC outside New Zealand, so it's a good venue for me. Obviously, now that we're scoring points for the team, we have to make sure we perform ? Of course we want to try to finish on a good note, so we will attack constantly. »