Sweden: Citroën must do better than in 2017

Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT stands out as a challenger to other manufacturers. The Reds were able to secure a fourth place in Monte-Carlo thanks to consistent results from Kris Meeke, but the French team is now preparing to face the Rally from Sweden where the C3 WRC had been behind last year with a seventh place from the Northern Irishman who had preceded his teammate Craig Breen, while Stéphane Lefebvre finished in 15th position.

The Chevron brand now hopes that the progress made on the C3 WRC will allow it to aim for better results in an event where conditions will be snowier than during the last edition.

“Since February 2017, significant work has been undertaken on the suspension geometries, as well as on damping, torque distribution between the axles, and the settings of the controlled central differential, and it has already demonstrated its merits on Earth. The objective will therefore be to do the same in this atypical race, where you have to get into the rhythm from the start, because the gaps are always minimal, even if we will also have to look at the influence of the order of departures. , explains Christophe Besse, the technical director of Citroën Racing.

Citroën will be able to count on the reinforcement of Mads Ostberg who took second place in 2011 and third place four times and who will benefit from a good position on the road.

“Our four days of testing are in any case organized in such a way that Mads goes third, after Kris and Craig, so that he benefits from their set-up base to find his feet as quickly as possible with the C3 WRC. . Kris and Craig will then ride again so that they can in turn benefit from his specialist feedback., specifies Christophe Besse.

The main difficulty for Mads Ostberg will be to quickly get his bearings behind the wheel of the French car.

“Sweden is an event that is close to my heart, where I have always performed well, so I am happy to benefit from this opportunity to find the team, recognizes the former official Citroën driver. I hope to make the most of the shakedown carried out at Satory, then the test day carried out there, to quickly adapt to the C3 WRC. In any case, I am on pace, with two winter rallies already contested in Norway, the last of which ended with a success. With the snow walls present this year, the roads should be narrower, more technical too and perhaps we Scandinavians can take advantage of our greater experience in this area. “ 

After his satisfactory start to the season, Kris Meeke will have to maintain the pace in an event where he has never been comfortable, his best result being seventh place in 2015.

“It looks like we're heading towards perfect winter conditions this year, and like all my friends, I can't wait! assures the Northern Irishman. In recent seasons, with minimal snowfall, you had to be very careful, otherwise you would find yourself stuck in a wall of snow at the slightest touch. With the snow walls seemingly more compact and imposing this time, we will undoubtedly have to be a little more aggressive in our piloting, and use them more, and perhaps we will need a little adaptation time. In any case, it is an exciting challenge that I will try to approach with the same thoughtful approach as in Monte-Carlo. »

The third C3 WRC will once again be led by Craig Breen who will be keen to turn the page on the Monte-Carlo after only taking ninth place. His poor performance will nevertheless offer him an interesting position in the starting order.

“Between the start and end of last season, the C3 WRC has evolved a lot on gravel, and I hope that this progress will also be confirmed on snow and ice. Especially since Sweden is a rally that I like, and where I feel very confident, underlines the Irishman. I also completed my very first race at the wheel of a WRC in 2014, my first also with Citroën Racing in 2016. After a difficult Monte-Carlo, I would like to score good points there, on occasion of an edition which seems to benefit from optimal roads, with these solid walls of snow which are forgiving in the event of a not too significant error. »

“Given the speeds reached, you have to be confident behind the wheel to perform well in Sweden, summarizes Pierre Budar, the new director of Citroën Racing. The tests currently underway aim to put our crews in the best possible condition, while benefiting from driving conditions that are as close as possible to what they will be next week. With the contribution of Mads Ostberg, with five podiums in this event, we will in any case benefit from additional weight, especially since experience is essential given the few kilometers we cover each year. on this surface. And I am hopeful that with Kris, who fought at the front in 2016, and Craig, who has good knowledge of the terrain, they will be able to demonstrate how much our C3 WRC has improved since last edition. »

Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT occupe la troisième place du Championnat Constructeurs à 15 points de M-Sport Ford WRT et Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.