Citroen aims to be invincible in the Argentine pampa

During rally week, fever grips the peaceful region of Córdoba and the shores of Lake San Roque in Villa Carlos Paz where the service park is set up. Thousands of spectators come to gather along the 347.91 km timed route laid out on the dirt of the sierras of the three famous valleys of Punilla, Calamuchita, and Traslasierra.

Argentina is one of the most comprehensive challenges of the season, says Xavier Mestelan-Pinon, technical director of Citroën Sport. One encounters several types of surfaces there, with some sections being hard and ‘rolling’, while others are more sandy and treacherous. There are a few high-speed bumps to watch out for, as well as many fords, which is one of the unique features of this rally. To know at what speed to approach them, you need good notes. Our first participation with the C4 last year allowed us to see that we were competitive on this terrain. With a year of experience and the work done by the team during tests on adapting the car’s behavior to Pirelli tires, we hope to have made progress and to achieve a good result.

With his six participations, Marc Martí is the most experienced of the four Citroën Sport crew members. “In Argentina, the atmosphere is extraordinary!” he exclaims. “We feel a bit like home, and I have very good memories of this event, like our victory with Carlos Sainz in 2004. The three stages are different, with winding specials on the first day, others much faster and with many traps on Saturday, and finally two monuments on Sunday: Giulio Cesare and El Cóndor. We encounter many fords in this rally, and the way to approach them is crucial to avoid risking damage to the car.”

Unbeaten in Argentina since 2004, Citroën wants to maintain this invincibility. Sébastien Loeb and Dani Sordo are very motivated to try to continue this winning streak. “I appreciate this event, which is one of the most beautiful of the season,” explains the reigning World Champion. “The atmosphere is always special and it’s nice to perform in front of such passionate fans. With Daniel [Elena], we have won the last three editions and another victory would also allow us to regain the lead in the Championship. However, it’s not an absolute priority. I mostly hope that we will be competitive. The big unknown concerns the behavior of the tires. We are required to run on Pirelli hard compound. This is not really what’s best suited for the Argentinean, sandy, and not very abrasive soils. We will need to find the best settings to have the most grip possible.”

« Another rally where we speak Spanish! », Dani Sordo enthuses. « I hope it will go better for us than in Mexico. In León, I noticed that my feeling on gravel keeps improving. The sensations need to be good in Villa Carlos Paz as well to aim for the top spots. I like this event. I enjoy the variety of the course, the speeds reached, the spectacular positions the car ends up in after the bumps… We had good performances last year with the C4 and we will try to repeat them to secure a good result in the ‘Manufacturers’ Championship’. »

According to a Citroen Sport press release