Citroen inaugurates its Red Bull livery in the best possible way!

The first stage of the Argentina Rally, the fourth round of the 2008 WRC World Championship, brought success to the Citroën Sport team whose cars debuted a magnificent new livery in Red Bull colors. Leading the race in their C4 WRC, Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena have a lead of over a minute tonight. Also putting in a strong performance, Dani Sordo/Marc Martí, in the C4 bearing the number 2, are in fifth place.

Although scheduled at the very beginning of the Argentine autumn, a month earlier than in 2007, the 28th edition of the ‘Rally Argentina’ did not experience an Indian summer. “It felt more like Wales in December!” exclaimed Sébastien Loeb at the end of this gray and wet Friday. Despite the weather not being ideal for an ‘asado’ outside, spectators gathered in large numbers on the special stages around La Cumbre. Four timed stages had to be completed twice before the super special in Córdoba concluded the day.

« As often on this terrain, it wasn’t easy », explained the Frenchman as night fell over Villa Carlos Paz. « During the morning loop, we had to be cautious, as stages ES1 and ES2 were shrouded in fog. Visibility was only a few meters! The heavy rains had also made the dirt roads very slippery with constant changes in grip. At the fast pace we were driving, it was easy to make a mistake, and I was glad to return to service having only spun and grazed a post. »

Back on the attack in the afternoon at the wheel of a C4 with slightly modified settings, the World Champion team took the lead at the end of ES5. « The change of setup was effective », noted Seb. « With a reasonable lead, we adopted a slightly slower pace. I am satisfied with this first stage, but the rally is far from over. A lot of things can still happen. There are still many challenges to overcome until Sunday afternoon. »

« It was indeed very tricky », confirmed Dani Sordo. « Starting 9th on the road this morning, we were forced to use the ruts dug into the mud by the competitors who started before us. On this loose and tractionless surface, it was extremely penalizing. However, I am satisfied with my performance, like the second-fastest time in SS4 that I was discovering. The settings defined with the technical team for the afternoon allowed us to have a very competitive C4. We were fighting for the podium when a power steering issue slowed us down in SS8. There are two days left to make up for our delay and reach that position. »

With a C4 on the top step of the podium and one fighting for third place, Olivier Quesnel had reasons to be pleased: “It’s a good day for the entire Citroën Sport team,” he explained. “Sébastien and Daniel managed to avoid the pitfalls to take the lead and create an interesting gap for the rest of the weekend. Dani and Marc also delivered a solid performance. They gradually increased the pace, got closer to the podium before their problem in SS8. Nothing is lost for them. They can still aim for that result. Although, at the moment, the situation is favorable for Citroën, there are still two days of racing to go… so, caution…”

According to a Citroen Sport press release