Citroen goes all out in Argentina!

Contested on a faster yet still tricky course, the second day of the 28th edition of the ‘Rally Argentina’ saw Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena, and their Citroën C4 WRC brilliantly defend their first place achieved yesterday. Dani Sordo and Marc Martí also skillfully utilized the potential of their C4 WRC to reach fourth place.

This second stage was the longest scheduled during this fourth meeting of the season. Radiating around Santa Rosa de Calamuchita, south of Córdoba, a little over 154 kilometers against the clock divided into eight “real” special stages and a super special stage, were on the program.

I’m very satisfied with the performances delivered by our crews today. I also appreciated the perfect performance of our Citroën C4 WRC, Olivier Quesnel expressed at the last service in Villa Carlos Paz. Sébastien and Daniel mastered the situation brilliantly. They knew how to increase the pace when the terrain allowed it, thus increasing their lead. Conversely, when conditions were too precarious, they maintained a margin to avoid mistakes. Now they’re in a good position to conclude tomorrow.

Dani and Marc also deserve compliments, added the boss of the “Reds”. They were not in an easy situation. First, their position on the road forced them to drive in the mud left by the competitors ahead of them. In these conditions, they had to choose between caution and attack. By mixing the two, they managed to push their opponent into making mistakes. Now in fourth place, they are in a position to bring important points to Citroën. We have just finished the two most difficult stages of the rally. There are a little over 40 kilometers against the clock tomorrow. We must remain focused, as the reputation of ‘Giulio Cesare’ and ‘El Condor’ speaks for itself!

« The lead we gained yesterday allowed us to negotiate this day well », explained Sébastien Loeb. « However, it was a difficult stage because the 2008 regulations require our tire supplier Pirelli to equip us with hard compound tires. On very slippery special stages, where the mud offered no grip, we expected the traction to be precarious and therefore insufficient to drive confidently. It is regrettable that re-grooving, even slight and identical for all, is not permitted. Many decisions have already been made in favor of our safety, and this measure would be easy to implement. Despite everything, we got through without incident, and we will have to proceed the same way tomorrow to maintain this result. »

After being slowed down yesterday by a steering rack issue, Dani and Marc went back on the attack today. I wanted to try to get closer to the podium, Dani revealed. I quickly realized that it wouldn’t be easy… unless I took a lot of risks. In the dirt churned up by the competitors ahead, it was impossible to predict the car’s reactions. I was torn between the desire to try and the fear of jeopardizing our race. I didn’t want to ruin everything. The last day of the event will be short, but we will need to stay very focused to score important points for Citroën.

At the wheel of a Citroën C4 WRC followed by the PH-Sport team assisted by Citroën Technologies technicians, Conrad Rautenbach/David Senior are in a commendable 5th place.

According to a Citroen Sport press release