As this year’s World Rally Championship comes to an end, the stars of WRC are already looking ahead to 2011 – and so are we…
Another season comes to a close and it’s another win for Sébastien Loeb, this time on Rally Great Britain for the third consecutive year. The statistics for the Red Bull-backed Citroën C4 WRC he’s been driving for the last four years are amazing: 36 victories, four drivers’ championships, 13 one-two finishes, 86 podiums, 140 points finishes and 610 stage wins. Maybe even more astonishingly, on four of the 56 rallies it contested, the C4 WRC set every single fastest stage time.
But already, these facts have been consigned to history. Now Citroën look forward to the brand new DS3 WRC for 2011 – which will once again be resplendent in Red Bull livery and has actually been testing since July 23. The move has come about due to new regulations that force all World Rally Championship cars to adopt 1.6-litre turbo engines next year, which nonetheless still put out around 300bhp. A few other gizmos have been banned as part of the cost-cutting drive: notably trick differentials and paddle gearshifts.
'I think that people will really enjoy watching these new cars' – Sébastien Loeb
The new rules will make WRC cars a little more elemental than those we are used to, with cars getting sideways and drivers making a few more mistakes, as there will no longer be an electronic safety net. With less power, the cars get smaller: Citroën swaps the C4 for the DS3, while Ford moves from the Focus to the Fiesta. Joining the WRC from around May will be MINI, who are coming in with their new Countryman WRC. The drivers will be Kris Meeke, another Red Bull athlete (and Colin McRae protégé), who won last year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge, plus another driver as yet unconfirmed – it could even be two-time WRC champion Marcus Grönholm.
Sébastien Loeb – far and away the most successful driver that rallying has ever known – was not initially a fan of the new formula, but has changed his tune somewhat after sampling the DS3 WRC in testing – so much so that the 36-year-old Frenchman has signed another Citroën contract that will keep him at the pinnacle of the sport for at least another year. “I was worried that there would be less power and that the cars would not be as exciting to drive,” explained Loeb. “But when I drove the DS3, I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. In fact, I think that people will really enjoy watching these new cars.”
'Of course I’m going to fight Sébastien [Loeb] for the title next year: that’s why I’m here' – Sébastien Ogier
His team-mate will be Sébastien Ogier, who has promised to paint a huge target on Loeb’s back. The up-and-coming Frenchman made his name in the C4 WRC, but is much more interested in looking to the future, particularly after crashing out of third place on Rally Great Britain (where he made his WRC debut two years ago).
“Of course I’m going to fight Sébastien for the title next year: that’s why I’m here,” Ogier said. “I’ve already tested the DS3 WRC a lot, and I think that it very much suits my style because it’s a car that you really have to push. Just like Sébastien grew up with the [Citroën] Xsara WRC and the C4 WRC, it would be nice for me to grow up with this new car…”
Want more?
- View the DS3 WRC in all its glory in this launch gallery
- Read about success for Patrik Sandell in S2000 here
- More about Rally Wales
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