Four in a Row for Citroën As Loeb Wins in Argentina

FOUR IN A ROW FOR CITROËN AS LOEB WINS IN ARGENTINA

Sébastien Loeb and Citroen’s domination of the 2006 World Rally championship continued at the weekend (28-20 April 2006) with another emphatic win, this time in Argentina, bring their tally of wins to four this season and extending both Loeb’s lead in the Drivers’ title chase and Citroën’s dash for victory in the manufacturer’s championship.

The win also brings both Loeb and his co-driver a step closer to re-writing the motorsport history books, despite their relative youth. Loeb has, with 24 wins, equaled the career best of Tommi Mäkinen and is now headed only by Colin McRae (on 25 wins) and Carlos Sainz (on 26). Victory in Argentina means that Loeb’s irrepressible co-driver, Daniel Elena, is now first equal for the most wins at world level by a co-driver with Luis Moya.

“It’s fantastic!” said Daniel as he flung champagne over Loeb. “But the party only really starts if I manage to beat Luis!”

The rally started with a rare mistake by Loeb on stage one when he spun of the road and took several crucial seconds to re-gather his composure. With Gronholm on a blitzing drive in the Ford it looked as Argentina would end his wining, even when Gronholm’s Ford Focus died on day one handing the lead to Solberg and his Subaru. But Loeb was back on characteristic form, coolly taking the lead by the end of day one and keeping hold of despite massive attack by the Subaru driver.

The final day saw Loeb and his trusty Citroën start with a 43 second advantage as it prepared to ‘moonwalk’according to Daniel Elena – referring to the lunar landscape that characterized the day’s classic stages.

Having judged his pace through Mina Clavero and El Condor perfectly, Seb maintained a 33second lead heading into the final two runs around the spectator Superspecial in Cordoba Stadium. The two stages consisted of four laps, which for Seb were more like laps of honour. Cheering him on was an enthusiastic Argentine crowd that has very much adopted the reigning World Champions as their own.

“Everythingaboutthisrallyis breathtaking,” commented Seb. “Thescenery,the high-speedwatersplashesandaboveall thefantasticwelcomewegetfromthe Argentine fans, who give usthe best receptioninthe world. My Citroën was asreliable,fastandconsistentasusual.Thatwasjustaswell,becausethisrallywas particularlydifficultthisyear–mostlydowntotheweather.Wehadagoodfight withMarcus Grönholm onthefirstdayandthatcontinuedwithPetter Solberg yesterday.Forall thosereasons,winninghereisaspecialpleasureforme.Aswell asthat,myselfandDanielextendourleadinthedrivers’championshipwhileKronos doesthesameintheconstructors’standings.AsIstill thinkwe’ll haveatightbattle onourhandsthisyear,that’snobad thing.”

Dani Sordo and Marc Marti aimed to defend their sixth place on the final day, which was under attack from Chris Atkinson – just 18.7 seconds behind. Preparing for battle, Dani asked for a setup change to improve traction. But after the classic El Condor stage, the reigning Junior World Rally Champion was far from happy.

“Ithinkwe wentthewrongwayonthe setup,” he said. “Mycarwasoversteeringa lot.”

Atkinson was just 1.1 seconds behind the Xsara before the final two runs through the Superspecial. But a couple of flying laps from the Spaniard, with the cheering crowd right behind him, extended the gap to 3.6 seconds.

“Formysecondgravel rallyinaWRCcar,we’remoreorlesswhereIthoughtwewould be,” said Dani. “Ididn’tmakeanymistakes.Mylearningcurvecontinuesandit’sreallygoodfun, althoughattimesIwishitwouldcomequicker.Here,I’velearntthatI’vestill gota lottolearn.Ineedtobepatient.”

Xevi Pons’s rally also did not go as well as he had hoped, as the Spaniard was obliged to continue under the super rally regulations after going off on Friday. Nonetheless the 2006 Rally Argentina will always hold a special place in his heart, as Xevi set his first fastest stage time on the World Rally Championship in Ascochinga/La Cumbre (SS13).

“Oneofmyobjectivesistogain confidence,” he said. “There’snothingbetterthansettingfastesttimestohelpthatalong.Sebhas proved that the Xsara has nothing to fear from any of its rivals. With some experience and hard work, I need to make more and more use of the car’s potential. My goal is to help Kronos defend its position at the head of the manufacturers’ championship."

(ends)

Rally in Figures

OVERALL EVENT LEADERS

Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza SS 1

Marcus Gronholm Ford Focus SS 2

Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza SS 3 to 4

Marcus Gronholm Ford Focus SS 5 to 7

Sébastien Loeb Citroën Xsara SS 8 to 22

FASTEST STAGE TIMES

Marcus Gronholm Ford Focus 7 F.T.

Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza 6 F.T.*

Sébastien Loeb Citroën Xsara 5 F.T.

Manfred Stohl Peugeot 307 2 F.T.

Xavier Pons Citroën Xsara 1 F.T.

Matthew Wilson Ford Focus 1 F.T.

Henning Solberg Peugeot 307 1 F.T.*

* One stage result tied with another driver

OVERALL RESULT, RALLY OF ARGENTINA

1Loeb/ElenaCitroen Xsara4h06'51"385.4 km/h

2P.Solberg/MillsSubaru Impreza4h07'25"9+ 00'34"6+ 00'34"6

3Galli/BernarcchiniPeugeot 307 4h10'15"6+ 03'24"3+ 02'49"7

4Stohl/MinorPeugeot 307 4h10'31"3+ 03'40"0+ 00'15"7

5Sordo/MartiCitroen Xsara4h12'31"5+ 05'40"2+ 02'00"2

6Atkinson/MacneallSubaru Impre4h12'35"1+ 05'43"8+ 00'03"6

7H.Solberg/MenkerPeugeot 307 4h16'20"0+ 09'28"7+ 03'44"9

8Wilson/OrrFord Focus4h17'25"9+ 10'34"6+ 01'05"9

9Perez Compa/VoltaFord Focus 4h17'43"6+ 10'52"3+ 00'17"7

10Gronholm/RautiainenFord Focus 4h21'00"0+ 14'08"7+ 03'16"4

11Mac Hale/NagleFord Focus 4h23'11"7+ 16'20"4+ 02'11"7

12Villagra/CurlettoMitsubishi Lancer4h29'21"1+ 22'29"8+ 06'09"4

13Omar/GarciaSubaru Impreza4h30'56"6+ 24'05"3+ 01'35"5

14Menzi/VeraSubaru Impreza4h32'20"1+ 25'28"8+ 01'23"5

15Al Attiyah/PattersonSubaru Impreza4h32'44"0+ 25'52"7+ 00'23"9

WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, DRIVERS

1. S. Loeb (F)56

2. M. Gronholm (FIN)35

3. D. Sordo (SP)24

4. M. Stohl (A)18

5. P. Solberg (N)18

6. G. Galli (I)11

7. A. Bengue (F) 9

8. C. Atkinson (AUS)8

9. H. Solberg (N)7

10. M. Hirvonen (FIN)7

11. T. Gardemeister (FIN)6

12. D. Carlsson (S)6

13. S. Sarrazin (FRA)6

14. X. Pons (SP)5

15. T. Radstrom (S)4

16. J. Kopecky (CZ)4

17. K. Katajamaki (FIN)3

18. G. MacHale (IRL)3

19. F. Duval (B)3

20. M.Wilson (GB)1

WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, MANUFACTURERS

1. KRONOS CITROEN69

2. FORD57

3. SUBARU50

4. OMV PEUGEOT NOR.32

5. STOBART VK M-SP.15

6. RED BULL SKODA11

For further information:

Citroën Australia Media Web Site:

Miles Williams

Edward Rowe

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/652

5/1/2006