Meeke's Citroën victim of oil lubrication circuit leak

After an idyllic first day in Corsica, Chris Meeke led the island event at the wheel of a Citroën C3 WRC which demonstrated its full potential on asphalt in the hands of the Briton.

If luck had smiled on Meeke in Mexico with an inconsequential exit in the last few meters of the Power Stage before winning, success was not there in Corsica, with an engine failure after the 'ES6.

“Before his retirement, Kris Meeke was operating in total serenity,” recalls Yves Matton, director of Citroën Racing. His confidence in the car was such that he dominated his subject. Obviously, the downside is his abandonment due to an engine problem.

We know this was caused by a leak in the oil lubrication system. But we will have to wait until we have completely disassembled the car to determine the primary cause of this problem. »

A car comfortable on all terrains

Despite this setback, Kris Meeke believes that the work carried out by Citroën Racing on the development of the C3 WRC is going in the right direction, as demonstrated by recent performances in Mexico and last weekend in Corsica.

“It’s obviously not the outcome I expected, but it’s part of the game,” comments the Briton. To make a car go as fast as possible, dozens of people working on thousands of parts… and sometimes it doesn't work as expected.

In any case, I leave this weekend with immense confidence for the future. It was really special to lead this rally, which I consider the most difficult on asphalt. We know our C3 WRC can win on any terrain and this is what we will try to do in Argentina, then in Portugal and everywhere else. »

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