The Citroën C3 WRC all set to show off its talents in Finland

As is traditional, the WRC returns to action after the summer break at Rally Finland, one of the highlights of the season, for round nine of the championship. Ultra-fast stages on roller-coaster roads provide a unique challenge, and Citroën Total World Rally Team crews Sébastien Ogier – Julien Ingrassia and Esapekka Lappi – Janne Ferm, both former winners of the prestigious event, will be determined to keep their run of podium finishes going here.

Runners-up last year, with a total of five stage wins, the C3 WRC was the only car able to disrupt the domination of the local team. Having already secured seven podiums this season, including two wins (Monte-Carlo and Mexico), the Citroën-developed machine will be taking on this iconic championship event hoping, at the very least, to match last year’s performance. This is especially the case as the Ogier – Ingrassia and Lappi – Ferm crews have both already won here, in 2013 and 2017 respectively. They are clearly comfortable with the subtle demands of this tricky, high-speed balancing act, where speed, precision and confidence are the vital ingredients!

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are one of the few non-Scandinavian crews to win this event, which has long been dominated by Nordic drivers. Currently second in the championship (just four points behind the leader) and looking for a seventh consecutive world title, they will start the event in the C3 WRC with very high hopes.

Like Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in 2008, Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm made their debut at this event in a C2 R2 Max three years later. However, the similarities end there between the Citroën Total World Rally Team crews: Lappi and Ferm won this rally on just their fourth outing in a WRC, thus confirming their rapid rise through the ranks at the time and their undeniable talent. There is no doubt that they will be determined to do well again this year at their home WRC event, driven on by the Finnish spirit, Sisu, this special form of grit and bravery that enables Finns to up their game when competing at home. The fact that the pair will be running eighth on the road may also prove to be a significant advantage if the weather stays dry.

With Lappi – Ferm competing at Rally Estonia, on similar types of roads, followed by three days of testing in Finland, the French team has given them every chance of performing well here. The C3 WRC will feature a wider set of set-up options on its front axle in Finland, having used an upgrade token to make changes and after these options were successfully reviewed in pre-event testing.

Pierre Budar, Citroën Racing Team Principal

“With its high speeds and the invariably very small gaps between crews, this round is like no other. You really need to come to the start line full of confidence and ready to go for it straight away. There’s no time to get your eye in... We have prepared as best we could by competing at Rally Estonia, and we were able to fine-tune the set-up of C3 WRC during the three-day pre-event test in Finland on roads similar to those we’ll face during the race. We’ll be introducing an upgrade to our front axle at this event, to enable our drivers to have a wider range of set-up options. In any case, with two former winners in our ranks, we are well equipped to challenge and our target will be to keep up our run of podiums.”

Sébastien Ogier, Citroën Total WRT driver

“This rally, contested pretty much in the back yard of one of our main competitors, is set to be a serious challenge. But I was able to recharge my batteries during the summer break and I feel fresh. As usual, I’m ready to put up a fight. With the high speeds on the stages, this is definitely a rally where you need to be completely at one with your car in order to really go for it and I have to say that I finished my two days of testing with a good feeling in the C3 WRC. The upgrade introduced at this round means we’ll have better options in terms of set-up for the rest of the season.”

Esapekka Lappi, Citroën Total WRT driver

“After getting our bearings at high speed in Estonia, we were able to fine-tune the basic set-up during the test day held afterwards in Finland. We had increased grip and the handling of the C3 WRC was further improved. This event is obviously something special for all of us. The main thing is to enjoy it, and if I can do that, then the result will come naturally. In any case, I feel confident and I’m determined to do my best.”

RALLY FINLAND (GMT+3)

After more than twenty percent of the route was altered last year, with narrower roads used in certain places than previously, this year the changes are limited. The itinerary is almost identical to the 2018 event.

After a fairly long opening leg (126.55 kilometres) that includes the Äänekoski stage, where the highest average speeds were seen last year (132.7kph on the second pass), crews will tackle the rally’s longest day on Saturday. They will complete 132.98 kilometres of timed stages, including two runs on Kakaristo (18.70km), the modern version of the iconic Ouninpohja stage, where many of this rally’s historic performances have been recorded. The drivers must tackle a seemingly endless series of jumps, often taken sideways, and an unerringly precise racing line is absolutely essential...