CITROEN TOTALLY DOMINATES IN GERMANY AND IS BACK IN THE RECORD BOOKS – AGAIN!
Citroen has dominated the German round of the World Rally Championship, with Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Sordo taking the two top spots on the podium in their Citroën Xsaras, Chris Meeke taking the Junior WRC win in his Citroën C2 VTS and Loeb and Citroën entering the record books for the most consecutive wins of a single event with their fifth Rally of Germany victory.
The German win also places Loeb equal with Carlos Sainz as the most successful rally driver of all time, with 26 WRC wins. Remarkably, Loeb, who is only 32, has achieved this tally in just five years, a third of the time it took the Spanish rally driver during his 15 year (1990-2004) WRC career.
The win also provides Loeb with a 33 point cushion between him and second place title chaser, Marcus Gronholm, while in the manufacturers’ race Citroën leads Ford by 23 points.
Germany also marked another benchmark for the Citroën Xsara, with 30 WRC wins now in its account, made all the more remarkable as it is effectively a 2004 car up against the latest 2006 rally models, amply demonstrating the quality of the Xsara and the skills of its designers, Citroën MotorSport.
Although the Rally of Germany is classed as tarmac event, its surfaces are highly varied, with some sections being held on normal sealed roads, while others are held on cement roads in a tank training ground. This mix makes tyre choice and local knowledge critical, with these factors further compounded this year by rain. Loeb, who, although French, knows this area, its roads and climate like the back of his hand, as he was born just on the other side of the Franco-German border and this event is much more his home rally than the Rally of France, which is held on the Mediterranean island of Corsica.
Loeb stamped his authority on the event right from the start, taking the lead on stage one and never losing it. Indeed, on day one the fastest stage times were split between the Citroën drivers, no other team getting a look-in.
At the end of Day One, the other teams rued their tyre choices, with Gronholm admitting that his tyre choices were so bad, it would take the rest of the event simply to claw back the time lost on the first day. He was proven right, because although he climbed up on the third step of the podium at the end of the event, he was still 2 minutes and 19 seconds off Loeb’s finishing time, almost the margin at the end of day one. So, although he got back on the pace on day two, all he could was stop Loeb expanding his substantial winning margin.
The event was even worse for Subaru, with poor tyre choices compounded by engine problems leaving lead driver Solberg out of the event on day two with an engine failure and Sarrazin crashing on day three, leaving Aussie driver Chris Atkinson to put in another mature drive that belies his youth and unfamiliarity with the conditions to finish 8th, giving Subaru a single manufacturer’s point from the event.
“I love the Rallye Deutschland and it has always been good to me, » said a delighted Seb at the finish. “But it's fair to say that the traditionally complex weather makes it quite a stressful experience. There was a bit of extra pressure on top as well: I had to make sure I made no mistakes on my home territory and score the maximum number of points for the championship. Now it's over and I can relax a bit! I want to really savour the feeling of equalling Carlos Sainz's record number of wins. I've never hidden the fact that this is a record I really wanted, because of the immense respect I have for Carlos and his career. Yet it's still a benchmark I want to beat!”
“We had an entirely clean and trouble-free run,” added Seb. “We didn't make any mistakes and the team didn't put a foot wrong either, particularly when it came to tyre choice – whether it was performance we were after, like Friday, or safety like today and yesterday. We're heading to Finland on a very positive note now. Marcus [Grönholm] wanted to beat me here in Germany: now it's my turn to try and make life difficult for him in his back yard!”
Directly behind the double World Champions, Dani Sordo/Marc Marti answered all expectations by ensuring the team a precious one-two. It was the first time that the Spanish crew were nominated to score manufacturer points. The reigning Junior World Champion was as free of mistakes as his team leader, while showing an impressive turn of speed.
He was understandably delighted, saying: “Citroen Sport has done a fantastic job: the new car with mechanical differentials was really good to drive in the very tricky road conditions we encountered – which I was facing for the first time at the wheel of a World Rally Car.”
“Marc Van Dalen and the entire Kronos team showed a lot of faith in me by nominating me to score points,” continued Dani. “I am really pleased to thank them by bringing back the maximum possible number of points. I'm also really pleased to see that my pace notes – made last year when I was driving the C2 VTS– worked perfectly. I'd like to thank Marc [Marti] who has always pushed me to get my notes absolutely right. Finally, I'd like to thank Seb. He has been incredibly good to me, and his advice on tyres and setup is a huge help.”
Kronos Racing team principal Marc Van Dalen commented: “Once more, everything worked perfectly. The Citroen Sport development team has enabled us to find a set-up which is as easy to drive as it is effective. Kronos, with the help of BFGoodrich and Meteo France, has been able to get the best out of the Xsara. Our second one-two of the season makes me really happy, and we also have the pride of seeing Seb equal the highest number of victories in the World Championship and the Xsara rack up its 30th World Championship success. Xevi Pons was sadly not too happy here. Our objective for him today was to rebuild his confidence. The times he set this morning show that this mission was accomplished. So everything here is a great source of motivation to us as we prepare for the massive challenge that is Rally Finland next weekend.”
JUNIOR WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP – ANOTHER CITROËN WIN!
In dominating form throughout the weekend, Kris Meeke and his co-driver followed in the footsteps of last year's Rallye Deutschland JWRC winners – Dani Sordo and Marc Marti – to seal a second consecutive success for the Citroën C2 VTS in Germany.
After finishing Saturday's action on top by the slender margin of just six tenths of a second, the Citroën pair still had work on their plate as the rally resumed this morning. The day's menu included four stages totalling 68km with no chance to service and, given the continuing unsettled weather, tyre choice was always going to be critical. In spite of the lingering dampness and muddy portions, Kris Meeke opted for 'dry weather' tyres and, with his principal opponent Bernd Casier on identical rubber, the scene was set for a thrilling finale
Despite a degree of caution, Kris was immediately the quicker of the two and already pulling clear.
"Given the conditions, I had no intention of taking any risks," said the Citroën driver. "Even so, we started the day at a good pace – not too fast. Our time in the first stage was good for our confidence and we decided to stay at the same speed for the remaining tests."
With just one stage to go, the Citroën C2 VTS crew enjoyed a cushion of 27 seconds and it only remained for them to control from in front in the final 19km test. And with that last challenge out of the way, Kris and Glenn were able to drive back to Trier to pick up the laurels of their first JWRC success since the 2005 Monte Carlo Rally.
"It's a great feeling," beamed Kris after the finish ceremony. "Today's win is a big morale booster and puts us in a better position as the championship enters its final phase. There are six drivers split by just ten points and the title will be decided in the last three rounds of the series. It's up to us now to follow up this weekend's performance with another top finish next week in Finland."
While Kris and Glen were understandably jubilant, Julien Pressac and Jack Boyère had difficulty concealing their disappointment at finishing just 3.8 seconds off the podium despite the French pair's solid run.
"It's so frustrating not to have achieved our objective and to have lost 3rd place in the very last stage," recognised Julien at the finish. "Yet again, I've learnt so much and it's good to have experience of this sort of challenging terrain with constant switches from dry to wet and back to dry again, not to mention the dirt dragged onto the road by the WRC runners. It's exactly this sort of experience that will enable me to progress further."
The final day had no effect on the positions of the two other surviving Citroën C2 VTS pairings, namely Martin Prokop/Jan Tománek and Aaron Burkart/Tanja Geilhausen who finished 5th and 6th respectively.
"I am very happy for Kris, Glenn and for the entire team," says Citroën Sport's Customer Competition Manager Yves Matton. "Paradoxically, though, I can't help feeling something's missing. Given how competitive and reliable the Citroën C2 VTS has been these past two seasons, I am relatively disappointed to see only one car on the podium here in Germany. I hope we will see the other drivers challenging for victory too in the future…"
Finally, French crew Brice Tirabassi/Fabrice Gordon have withdrawn from Rally Finland which starts next Friday. The 2003 Junior World Champion needs time to recover from his off on the seventh stage of this weekend's event. Their place in the P.H. Sport JWRC line-up will be taken by Fabien Fiandino and his co-driver Sabrina De Castelli. Fabien, who competes in this year's French series with a C2 VTS, will have the task of giving the Citroën C2-R2 its maiden outing at junior world championship level.
(ends)
Rally facts
Stage wins
Leg 1. SS1 : Sébastien Loeb (Citroën Xsara) – SS2 : Dani Sordo (Citroën Xsara) – SS3 : S.
Loeb – SS4 : D. Sordo – SS5 : S. Loeb – SS6 : D. Sordo – SS7 and 8 : S. Loeb.
Leg 2. SS9 : Jan Kopecký (Škoda Fabia) – SS10 : D. Sordo – SS11 : Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Focus) –SS12 and 13 : Marcus Grönholm (Ford Focus) – SS14 : J. Kopecký – SS15 : S. Loeb.
Leg 3. SS16 : Toni Gardemeister (Citroën Xsara) – SS17 : D. Sordo – ES18 et 19 : T. Gardemeister.
Best performers
S. Loeb, 6 fastest times – D. Sordo, 5 T. Gardemeister, 3 J. Kopecký, 2 – M. Grönholm, 2 M. Hirvonen, 1. Leader SS1 to 19 : S. Loeb.
2006 ‘Rallye Deutschland’ final leaderboard
1. S. Loeb/D. Elena (Citroën Xsara) 3 h 28 min 34,1 s
2. D. Sordo/M. Martí (Citroën Xsara) + 33,8 s
3. M. Grönholm/T. Rautiainen (Ford Focus) + 2 min 19,2 s
4. T. Gardemeister/J. Honkanen (Citroën Xsara) + 2 min 33,8 s
5. M. Stohl/I. Minor (Peugeot 307) + 4 min 25,9 s
6. A. Aigner/K. Wicha (Škoda Fabia) + 5 min 42,6 s
7. J. Kopecký/F. Schovánek (Škoda Fabia) + 5 min 45,8 s
8. Ch. Atkinson/G. Macneall (Subaru Impreza) + 7 min 25 s
9. M. Hirvonen/J. Lehtinen (Ford Focus) + 8 min 25,7 s
10. G. MacHale/P. Nagle (Ford Focus) + 12 min 56,1 s
…
14. X. Pons/C. Del Barrio (Citroën Xsara) + 22 min 09,6 s …
FIA World Rally Championship standings for Manufacturers after round 9
1. Kronos Total Citroën WRT, 114 pts – 2. BP Ford WRT, 91 pts 3. Subaru WRT, 63 pts – 4. OMV Peugeot Norway, 41 pts – 5. Red BullŠkoda, 22 pts – 6. Stobart VK/MSport Ford RT, 20 pts.
FIA World Rally Championship standings for Drivers after round 9
- 1. S. Loeb (F), 84 pts 2. M. Grönholm (FIN), 51 pts – 3. D. Sordo (E), 41 pts – 4. M. Stohl (A), 24 pts 5. M. Hirvonen (FIN), 21 pts – 6. P. Solberg (N), 20 pts 7. T. Gardemeister (FIN), 16 pts – 8. G. Galli (I), 11 pts – 9. X. Pons (E), 11 pts 10. H. Solberg (N), 11 pts 11. A. Bengué (F), 9 pts – 12. Ch. Atkinson (AUS), 9 pts 13. D. Carlsson (S), 6 pts 14. S. Sarrazin (F), 6 pts 15. J. Kopecký (CZ), 5 pts – 16. J. Välimäki (FIN), 4 pts – 17. Th. Rådström (S), 4 pts 18. F. Duval (B), 4 pts 19. G. MacHale (IRL), 3 pts – 20. K. Katajamäki (FIN), 3 pts – 21. K. Sohlberg (FIN), 3 pts – 22. A. Aigner (A), 2 pts – 23. M. Wilson (GB), 1 pt.
For further information:
Citroën Australia Media Web Site:
Miles Williams
/ Tel: (02) 9701 8020General Manager / Fax: (02) 9701 3555
Citroën Australia / Mob: 0419 800 520
E-Mail:
Edward Rowe
/ Tel: (02) 9701 8015Public Relations Manager / Fax: (02) 9701 3555
Citroën Australia / Mob: 0407 913 244
E-Mail:
Web site:
CitroënAustralia
Street Address: Heritage Building, Campus Business Park, 350 Parramatta Road, Homebush NSW 2140 Australia. Postal Address: Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd,Locked Bag 260, Silverwater, NSW 1811, Australia
Telephone: 02 9701 8000; Direct Telephone 02 9701 8015 Fax: 02 9701 3555. Mobile +61 0407 913 244
A.B.N. 34 000 486 706
EJR/ejr/677
8/14/2006