With their hopes of a better outcome today somewhat compromised by being among the early runners, Mads Østberg – Torstein Eriksen and Craig Breen – Scott Martin finished fifth and sixth overall respectively, thus securing an honourable result for Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT.
Since both of the stages contested on today’s final leg, Cala Flumini (14.06km) and Sassari – Argentiera (6.96km), were very narrow and sandy, especially the latter test, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT expected a tough day with Craig Breen and Mads Østberg running second and third on the road.
Just 2.1s behind the fourth-placed driver at the start of the leg, Mads was unfortunately forced to act as road sweeper for those further down the order. His rival moved clear during the morning, but the Norwegian nonetheless secured fifth overall. A result that provided further evidence of his consistency and his gradually improving pace in the C3 WRC, after claiming two sixth positions in Sweden and Portugal.
Craig Breen finished sixth overall, meaning the Red Army could take some satisfaction from seeing both Citroën cars make it to the end of one of the most demanding rallies on the calendar, without having encountered any major issues. As he looks ahead to Finland, where he earned his first WRC podium (3rdin 2016), the Irishman is determined to secure a better finishing position very soon.
WHAT THEY SAID
Craig Breen : « The weekend didn’t go especially smoothly for us. Having started quite far down the running order on Friday in the rain, we struggled with the tricky road conditions. We then ended up opening the road for the next two days as the ground dried out. The roads, when dry, are renowned for cleaning a lot, meaning the early runners are at a real disadvantage. I nonetheless managed to improve my knowledge of this specific rally. My focus has already shifted to Finland. »
Mads Østberg : « Although we set competitive times on a number of occasions, we quickly found ourselves having to defend our position. We therefore didn’t take any unnecessary risks. That was true both on my side, in terms of driving, and also from a technical point of view, in carrying two spares for yesterday afternoon’s loop, for example. But I’m pleased to secure this fifth place for the team. »
FINAL PROVISIONAL STANDINGS
- Neuville / Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC) 3:29:18.7
- Ogier / Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +0.7
- Lappi / Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) + 1:56.3
- Paddon / Marshall (Hyundai i20 WRC) + 2:55.2
- Ostberg / Eriksen (Citroën C3 WRC) + 3:10.9
- Breen / Martin (Citroën C3 WRC) + 4:31.7
- Latvala / Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) + 11:22.1
- Tänak / Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) + 12:38.2
DRIVERS’ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- Thierry Neuville – 149 points
- Sébastien Ogier – 122 points
- Ott Tänak – 79 points
- Esapekka Lappi – 70 points
- Dani Sordo – 60 points
- Andreas Mikkelsen – 56 points
- Elfyn Evans – 46 points
- Kris Meeke – 43 points
- Jari-Matti Latvala – 37 points
- Craig Breen – 34 points
MANUFACTURERS’ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- Hyundai WRT – 212 points
- M-Sport Ford WRT – 184 points
- Toyota Gazoo Racing – 151 points
- Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT – 129 points
THE C3 R5 RACKS UP THE STAGE WINS IN SARDINIA
With four stage wins claimed by Stéphane Lefebvre and Gabin Moreau, who were leading one of the toughest rounds of the year when they were forced to retire, the Citroën C3 R5 once again showed its array of qualities on the Mediterranean island.
Rally Sardinia presented crews and cars alike with a tough challenge this weekend, in much the same way that the final warm-up matches for this summers’s football world cup provide players with a real test as the tournament approaches!High temperatures and incredibly demanding, dusty stages provide the drivers and cars with a very serious examination, and are usually especially hard on the tyres. This year, the level of difficulty was racked up even further by the localised storms that hit the island on the first day. However, building on a promising maiden outing on gravel in Portugal, Stéphane Lefebvre grabbed first place in the WRC2 class on the first proper stage (SS2). Although he then briefly relinquished the lead, a first stage win on Monte Baranta 1 (SS5) enabled him to close to within five seconds of the category leader, and he then moved to the top of the leaderboard at the start of Friday afternoon’s loop (SS6). The Citroën Racing works driver then drove home his advantage with two further stage wins (SS7 and SS9) to end the opening leg as class leader, 14.0s ahead of his nearest challenger. As sunny conditions returned on Saturday, Stéphane made a strong start, vigorously defending his lead when unfortunately he broke a suspension arm on the second stage of the day. He was forced to retire for the rest of the leg. After rejoining under Rally 2 rules on Sunday, he confirmed that he clearly has what it takes to win this event as he grabbed another stage win, his fourth of the weekend, amidst the intensive fight for the podium places. His first win in the C3 R5 is surely just around the corner! Equally competing on behalf of Citroën after winning the 2017 Ultimate Challenge, Simone Tempestini had a tough time in Sardinia. Unfortunately, he rolled on SS6 when running in ninth place in the WRC2, having earlier held sixth place in this highly competitive feeder category to the WRC.
WHAT THEY SAID
Pierre Budar, Citroën Racing Team Principal : « With the top speed shown on these incredibly rough stages, Stéphane showed just how much the C3 R5 has already improved and how the set-up has been fine-tuned since its debut outing on gravel in Portugal. We are now going to analyse in detail the issue with the suspension arm so that we can turn this undeniable potential into a maiden win in the WRC2 class, which seems very much in our grasp. » Stéphane Lefebvre : « Our weekend had got off to a pretty good start, despite the difficult weather conditions, something we hadn’t encountered at all in testing. We were leading and driving intelligently since we were able to hold off the second-placed crews without taking too many risks, and then we had our problem. After rejoining under Rally 2 rules, I bagged another stage win on the only test where I really went for it. That gave me a total of four fastest times out of fourteen stages, which is a pretty useful return. I can’t wait to secure the C3 R5’s first win in the WRC2. »
