Citroën Junior Team tastes Bulgarian asphalt

The second part of the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship gets underway with the Rally
Bulgaria. On its World Championship debut, the Balkan country hosts the crews in the town of
Borovets, the oldest ski resort in Bulgaria. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia and Kimi Räikkönen / Kaj Lindström will defend the colours of the Citroën Junior Team on the event.

Of the seven rallies still to come, four will be on asphalt. Two of them will be on known territory in Germany and Spain, while the other two are completely new events in Bulgaria and Alsace. In order to prepare for the second half of the season, with its strong asphalt bias, the Citroën Junior Team has been testing in France and also took part in the Rally della Lanterna in Italy.

“This has allowed our drivers to stay match fit so that they are in the best possible position heading into the second half of the season,” explained team manager Benoit Nogier. “We have been working on how to get the best use and performance out of Pirelli’s new tyres. This experience will be very useful for the rallies still to come.”

As the roads will be new for all the World Rally Championship competitors, the Citroën Junior Team crews will suffer less from their comparative lack of experience relative to the other crews. “It’s the first asphalt rally of the season,” added Nogier. “It’s not necessarily the surface that we’re going to be the most comfortable on. As has been the case since the start of the year, our objective is simply to take away as much experience as possible on the forthcoming rallies. That will be our watchword with Sébastien and Kimi.”

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, the winners of the recent Rally of Portugal continued their winning streak on the Rally della Lanterna. “That was a different type of thing, but it’s all good for the confidence,” said Ogier, who is currently second in the World Championship standings. “Rally Bulgaria will be new for everyone so we are at less of a disadvantage even though we still lack experience. From what we know the roads will be fast and quite flowing with a lot vegetation at the side of the stages. A lot of the corners will be hidden so it will be extremely important to have good pace notes.”

Ogier continued: “The second half of the season might not be so easy for us. The goal for this first asphalt rally will be to make progress and again get closer to the frontrunners, while hoping that we can challenge for a podium.”

The best result for Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström so far has been fifth in Turkey, and now they get to discover a new surface. “Now we start a new chapter,” said the former F1 World Champion. “After snow and gravel, here we are on asphalt. It’s something that I’m really looking forward to. I had a really good feeling during the tests and I hope to be able to show that on the roads in Bulgaria.”