The C4 WRC wants to go out on a high note!

Wales Rally GB - Preview

By Franck Drui

5 November 2010 - 23:21
The C4 WRC wants to go out on a (...)

In addition to bringing down the curtain on the 2010 World Championship, Rally Great Britain will also mark the end of an era, that of the 2-litre turbo World Rally Cars. The C4 WRC, already part of rallying legend with 35 victories in 55 rallies, wants to go out on a high note. The crews Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena and Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia entered in the colours of the Citroën Total World Rally Team will both go flat out for victory!

Like every year, the FIA World Rally Championship will end in Cardiff. The Welsh stages are both quick and technical and are all the more difficult to get to grips with as the weather is very changeable at this time of year. Rain, mud, fog and occasionally ice and snow are all possible in this rally with a unique atmosphere.

Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena who won the world titles in Rally France will start the event under no pressure. As in Spain the World Champions are determined to put on a great display: “Whenever we start a rally, we do so with the intention of winning,” says the seven-time world champion. “If I feel good and the conditions are favourable, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be gunning for a third win on the bounce in Wales.”

The runner-up spot is still up for grabs. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who have held second place since their win in Rally Portugal, have eleven and sixteen points in hand over their rivals, Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg respectively. The three drivers are ready for the final sprint on Welsh gravel.

“We didn’t think we’d be fighting for second place this season,” admits Ogier who is driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team for the third time. “It’s become our objective as the season’s unfolded. We lost a few points in France and Spain, but we’re still in front and a place on the podium will be enough no matter where our two rivals finish.

“But I don’t feel like holding back and racing the whole weekend just to score the fifteen points that go with third place. To achieve my aim I want to fight for the best possible result,” Sébastien goes on. “To prepare for this rally I did a fitness training course in the Pyrenees, and I’ll arrive in Wales in tip-top form. I know it’s a difficult rally and I’ve got mixed memories of my first two stages in 2008. It was all a bit crazy as it was our first WRC Rally. Then I went off and I only saw the finish thanks to the Superrally. Last year, we retired because of mechanical problems. These memories mean that I’m going to tackle the rally in a humble frame of mind.”

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