Citroen prepares its first day… properly!

The start of the second round of the 2008 World Rally Championship was given this morning with the shakedown. The 2.6 km stretch of road selected was traced near the service park, now set up in Karlstad. Behind the wheel of their Citroën C4 WRC, Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí were among the first to set off. The Citroën crews wanted to take advantage of the best road conditions to make the final adjustments before the race.

The bright sun and mild temperature of this morning made it easy to forget that the event is taking place in Sweden. The Citroën Total team used the four hours of this shakedown to deepen their understanding of the Pirelli ‘Sotto Zero’ studded tires and further refine the car settings. Satisfied with the work done, the team then focused on preparing for the super special stage, which will start this evening.

Run on a sufficiently thick layer of ice, the first laps completed on this shakedown were instructive, explained Sébastien Loeb. It is always pleasant to evolve in these sliding conditions. Then, with the repeated passage of cars, the ice gradually disappeared, ruts formed, and we found ourselves on the dirt. Even if I don’t enjoy driving on this type of road, it was nevertheless interesting to observe the behavior of our car and the tires, as we will probably have to face this kind of difficulty during the rally.

« As long as the shakedown route was frozen, it was possible to fully exploit the car and the tires, Dani Sordo explained. « Then, with the arrival of deep ruts, driving became less enjoyable. We were subjected to the road. It was impossible to get out of those tracks. The overall assessment of this morning is nonetheless satisfactory. We were able to drive in various types of conditions and thus understand the different reactions of the car. »

The crew of the C4 WRC No. 2 will start with a five-minute penalty, following the engine change after the Monte Carlo Rally. Back at the factory, we conducted analyses that revealed a greater degradation than what we had observed after the turbo issue that occurred on the third day of the Monte Carlo. Since this engine was supposed to compete in the Sweden and Mexico rallies, we thought it wiser to make this change to ensure the best chances for Dani and Marc, explained Olivier Quesnel, Director of Citroën Sport.

My beginnings with the Citroën C4 WRC went well, recounted Urmo Aava, who is driving a Citroën WRC prepared by the PH Sport team, assisted by technicians from Citroën Sport Technologies, for the first time. I tried to find settings that would allow me to drive confidently. I need to cover kilometers to learn the car. Competing with a Xsara WRC also prepared by the PH Sport team, assisted by technicians from Citroën Sport Technologies, Conrad Rautenbach used the morning to evaluate his car’s behavior on the ice. After the asphalt, I’m discovering the Xsara on ice. This morning, I mainly wanted to get acquainted with the car, and it went rather well.

The rally will start this evening from 8:00 PM from the service park. The super special is then scheduled at the racetrack before entering Parc Fermé, which will begin at 8:44 PM.

According to a Citroën Sport press release