With Loeb, Sordo and FrequelinAhead of the Norwegian Rally which kicks off early Friday morning, WRC Championship leader
Sebastien Loeb, team-mate Dani Sordo and Citroen Sport team boss Guy Frequelin talk of the Swedish Rally and their hopes for this weekend's Rally Norway
challenge.
Sebastien LoebLooking back, how do you view your performance in Sweden?
"It was very positive. The C4 WRC was competitive and that's the main thing. After the Monte Carlo Rally, we knew where we stood on asphalt and now we have shown that we can take the fight to Grönholm on snow. The fact that we were able to do that is a good indication that the car is well sorted and that's encouraging for the rest of the season. We were wide of the mark with one of our tyre choices but that's all part of the game. Sometimes we have won rallies in this way in the past. It's nice to have eight more points in the bag."
You have often been strong on new events. Does the fact that Norway is a brand new fixture give you more of a chance?
"It's true that new events tend to go well for me, but do I really have an advantage on new events? I'm not so sure. I think the likes of Marcus Grönholm and the Solberg brothers will also be strong in Norway. The main thing will be to take good notes."
Will your objective in Norway be the beat Marcus and add another event win to your record?
"That would be very nice! I hope that we can be competitive again and that we will succeed in finishing a step higher on the podium than we did in Sweden.
The stages tend to be twistier, so we shall see if that suits us or whether we still have work on our hands in that area. If we are competitive, the objective will be to try to win."
Dani Sordo
You now have two winter rallies under your belt. Will that be sufficient to have a good run in Norway?
"The fact that Sweden and Norway are back to back is a good thing because it allows you to carry on on your momentum and keep your feeling with the car. That said, I don't think I have found my marks sufficiently yet to be totally comfortable in Norway. My three days in Sweden were good for my apprenticeship but I still have a lot of work on my plate."
Norway is a new event for practically all the drivers. Isn't that a good thing for you?
"It could perhaps have been an advantage on another type of surface, but I still don't have enough experience on snow to be able to benefit from the situation. Against more experienced drivers, it is still quite a delicate challenge. The fact that the stages are twistier and therefore slower than Sweden might play in my favour, but I wouldn't want them to be too slow because I'm not completely at ease either on snow when the going's slow."
What will your objective be Norway?
"As in Sweden, it will be important to finish, especially since it's a new event. With regard to future visits, I want to contest all the stages. Maybe I will manage to score a few points for Citroën, but I am looking forward to getting the wintry events out of the way and moving on to gravel on which I should be more competitive."
Guy Frequelin
What is your analysis of the Citroën C4 WRC's first outing on snow?
"
Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena showed that were capable of taking the fight to Marcus Grönholm on his favourite hunting ground. Despite running first on the road, they were level with Marcus on Day 1 and the following day saw them close the gap by six-tenths of a second after 44km of stages. So, yes, the weekend was very positive and showed that the Citroën C4 WRC is competitive on snow. At one point we made a deliberately different tyre choice to our rival in a bid to break away but the move had the opposite effect. Even so, what we saw up to that point was reassuring for the future."
Do you think the fact that Norway is a new event will make it more of a level playing field and give Dani Sordo a better chance?
"It could. The slower speeds compared with Sweden will no doubt make life easier for Dani. Of the few competitors who have already done the event, there are some locals we will need to be wary of, but I think the fact that the stages are twistier shouldn't prevent Sebastien and Marcus from continuing the duel they started in Sweden."
Sweden and Norway are the first paired events of the season. What does that imply and why was this system introduced?
"Having two rallies that take place close to each other geographically and on an identical surface enables you to cover them with the same squad. We have to use the same car that contested the Swedish Rally, and Norway will be the engine's third outing in a row, as specified in the regulations. All this is aimed at cutting costs."
Citroen Sport
