Monte Carlo : Citroën Sport - PreviewA year after making its competition debut with a resounding one-two finish on the 2007 Monte Carlo Rally, the Citroën C4 WRC is poised to tackle the World Rally Championship's longest-standing event for the second time. For the first
round of the 2008 season, Citroën Sport has entered two cars for four-time World Champions
Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and their Spanish team-mates Dani Sordo/Marc Martí.
In the course of its long history, the Monte Carlo Rally has emerged as the world's most famous rally. Last year's event saw the return of legendary stages like Saint Jean en Royans, Burzet and Saint Bonnet le Froid, and this year's menu features the comeback of yet another classic: the Col du Turini.
Should snow make an appearance, the setting will be ideal!
"I'm obviously dreaming of a white Monte Carlo, with real wintry conditions," says
Sebastien Loeb. "The route focuses on three different regions, so the stages will be very varied. Thursday evening's tests are wide, fast and smooth. Those in the Ardčche are more technical, narrower and occasionally bumpy. Last year, the conditions were particularly dry but it should be fun if we get snow and ice this time round!"
"I am delighted to see that the Col du Turini and some other classic stages in the southeast corner of France are back," adds the Frenchman.
"That said, the challenge of having to contest the final day's four stages with the same tyres could well turn out to be quite delicate."
The stage conditions encountered on the Monte Carlo Rally have always been one of this fixture's main difficulties. The asphalt tests take place to a mountainous backdrop, with numerous high mountain passes to cross, and competitors constantly switch from shade to roads that are more exposed to sunshine.
In the course of a single stage, it is consequently by no means rare to come across portions of clear asphalt and other parts that are covered in ice and/or snow, so tyres frequently play a decisive role.
"We will have the choice between three types of tyre," explains Citroën Sport's Technical Manager Xavier Mestelan-Pinon. "If the conditions are dry, the only option we will have will be the soft compound dry weather tyre. If it snows, our crews will be able to choose between studded and non-studded snow tyres, depending on the temperature and how much snow they expect to find."
"The Monte Carlo Rally promises to be a particularly tough rally because, like the other teams, we have no real hindsight following the work we have put in with our cars running on Pirelli tyres," he continues. "As far as the evolutions to the C4 WRC are concerned, we will have a new engine – the 'EW' – for the Monte Carlo Rally, as well as some aerodynamic evolutions at the front."
Should
Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena succeed in adding a fifth Monte Carlo victory to their record, they will become the most successful crew in the winter classic's history.
"As is often the case at the start of a new season, there are a lot of unknown factors," Loeb adds. "We will need to find the best match between the tyres we have and the stage conditions, but our aim is to try to win and get the year off to a positive start."
"I'm very much looking forward to the start of the Monte Carlo Rally, although we will probably need time to adapt to our new tyres," echoes Dani Sordo.
"We have prepared thoroughly for this event but nothing can replace actually being on the rally. The Monte's stages are fantastic but we will need to stay focused from start to finish if we want to achieve our objective which is a top-three finish with a view to scoring as many points as possible for Citroën," the Spaniard concludes.
Source Citroen Sport
