A genuine test of all-round ability as the only event on the WRC calendar contested on both gravel and tarmac, round 12 of the 2018 season sees Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena rejoin the ranks of Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT for their third appearance of the year, this time alongside Craig Breen – Scott Martin and Khalid Al Qassimi – Chris Patterson.
A THIRD OUTING FOR LOEB
More so than anywhere else, you must have all-round ability as a driver if you are to have a chance of winning in Spain. The only mixed surface event of the season, Rally de Catalunya certainly tests the versatility of the drivers and their cars. It is about being just as comfortable on gravel during the first leg as on tarmac over the next two days, and especially not needing any time to adapt from one surface to the other. With nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb joining the team for his third and final appearance of the year, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT can make a strong case for success this weekend. This is merely compounded by the fact that he previously won the rally eight times in a row, including three times since 2010 when it became a mixed surface event. After holding the overall lead during three tests and claiming three stage wins in Mexico on his first appearance in the C3 WRC and then another three on his next outing in Corsica, the French ace will be keen to confirm he has lost none of his legendary speed with a good result, despite not having competed here since 2012. He also knows that he will be driving the winning car from last year’s event. Buoyed by a strong showing at Wales Rally GB, where he pushed all the way and had his sights on a podium finish for long periods, Craig Breen will also be aiming to make the most of the C3 WRC’s qualities. Craig is known for his love of tarmac but he will also benefit from the minor changes made to the gravel stages, which may compensate for his relative inexperience at this rally. Starting quite far down the running order (8thand 11threspectively), Craig and Sébastien find themselves at the mercy of the weather. Their road positions will undoubtedly work in their favour if the ground is dry and the roads clean, as it often the case here; however, if it rains, they will be at a serious disadvantage… The third driver competing on behalf of the works team, Khalid Al Qassimi is a big fan of these roads and stages. His main goal will be to enjoy himself as much as possible.
TERRA ALTA TRANSFORMED
Although there will be plenty of difficulties throughout the weekend, the majority of them will be familiar to the championship regulars. Aside from the return of the opening super special stage held in the streets of Barcelona on Thursday evening, the main change this year comes on Friday, with the former Terra Alta stage, renamed La Fatarella – Vilalba, contested in the opposite direction to previous years, with around ten kilometres also added to the test. It retains the thirteen or so kilometres on tarmac that must be contested with gravel tyres, making it a stage where the most talented drivers can always open up sizeable gaps on the others in the field. However, you also need to look after your tyres and not overwork the front ones, especially for the stages contested on tarmac from Saturday onwards. In any event, this rally is unquestionably a genuine test of all-round ability.
WHAT THEY SAID
Pierre Budar, Citroën Racing Team Principal : « Like in Wales, the aim will be to fight at the front. The weather for the first leg on gravel will have a major influence on our performance, but if we manage to get to the end of Friday well-placed in the overall standings, we know we can count on the potential of the C3 WRC on tarmac to try and reproduce last year’s win at this rally. Both Sébastien and Craig can make a strong case for success here: Seb has won this event eight times and has already proven this year that he has lost none of his talent, whilst Craig comes into the rally in good form after a fine performance in Wales. »
Sébastien Loeb : « After setting some good times on both surfaces in Mexico and in Corsica, I’d love to get through an entire rally without making any mistakes. My two days of testing went well. It’s now up to me to put it all together, from start to finish. The standard is so high that it would be pretentious to say that I’ll be able to challenge the three title contenders, but I hope to be more or less on the pace. If it’s dry on day one, then we’ll need to make the most of the potential advantage of our road position, because lots of things always happen on this leg, with hidden, embedded rocks pretty much everywhere. »
Number of appearances at the event: 13
Best result: 1st (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012)
Craig Breen : « I’m excited to be racing on tarmac again, my favourite surface, especially as there are always a lot of Irish fans who come over for this rally. I’m also pleased that there have been some changes to the first leg on gravel, given that I haven’t competed here for two years. For the tarmac leg, I’ll be looking to my past in karting to get my bearings quickly on these sweeping, circuit-style roads. I’ll need to keep it as clean and tidy as possible. I’ll certainly be looking to pick up where I left off in Wales and fight for a podium finish. »
Number of appearances at the event: 5
Best result: 6th (2012)
Khalid Al Qassimi :« I’m delighted to be back at this rally. I’ve always loved racing here, especially the leg on gravel, even if it is always tricky. Switching from one surface to another during the weekend calls for a good ability to adapt and that’s what makes this round such a difficult, but really interesting challenge. »
Number of appearances at the event: 10
Best result: 7th (2010)
KEY FIGURES
18 timed stages covering a total of 331.58 km 1 hr 15 mins the time allowed in service on Friday evening for the technical teams to convert the cars from their gravel to tarmac configuration 30 Michelin tyres permitted for the entire rally, i.e. 14 « gravel » tyres for Thursday and Friday, selected from 10 medium compound and 14 hard compound tyres, and 16 « tarmac » tyres for Saturday and Sunday, selected from 12 softs, 16 hards and 8 rain tyres. 10 overall wins secured by Citroën at Rally de España: Philippe Bugalski in 1999 (Xsara Kit-Car), Sébastien Loeb in 2005 and 2006 (Xsara WRC), 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 (C4 WRC), 2011 and 2012 (DS3 WRC) and Kris Meeke in 2017 (C3 WRC).
A RALLY, A CHALLENGE
The switch from gravel to tarmac configuration
Once per year, Rally de Catalunya provides the WRC mechanics with a service that is even more intense than usual. Extended from its usual length of forty-five minutes to an hour and a quarter, the service on Friday evening sees the mechanics convert their team’s cars from gravel to tarmac configuration. Put simply, this means that only the bodyshell and engine remain unchanged. All four shock absorbers, the chassis and suspension systems, the gearbox, the axles, the transmission systems, the brakes and the steering are all replaced! Time is of the essence, of course, so certain things are different; for example, the front and rear axles arrive fully pre-fitted on trolleys. Although this exercise has been in place in Spain for several years now, practice drills are held every season before the rally, so that everyone is fully prepared! That way, the team has time to focus calmly on the more traditional aspects of service such as oil, water and brake fluid changes and other checks.
CITROËN SECRETS
Daniel Elena recalls the first time he and Sébastien Loeb won in Spain, in 2005… : « For several years, we had a hard time at this rally! In 2002, we went off, in 2003 we were caught by Panizzi in the rain because we didn’t have the right tyres and in 2004, we broke the crankcase on a corner… So, that’s why our first win in Spain in 2005 was pretty special. At the time, it was our tenth win of the year, which made it a really great season. It was quite an emotional win, because Michael Park, known as Beef, sadly died that year. He was Markko Märtin’s co-driver and a good friend. We hadn’t wanted to win the title in such circumstances in Wales, so we deliberately dropped down the standings, eventually securing our second championship at the next round, in Japan. In Catalonia, we then went on to claim another seven consecutive wins. The stages haven’t changed all that much since then, so I think we only have about sixty or so kilometres of new pace notes to take this year, plus any adjustments to the ones we already have of course. »
Two rallies in one
A supreme test of all-round ability as the WRC’s only mixed surface event, Rally de España will see four crews showcase the qualities of the C3 R5: Stéphane Lefebvre and Gabin Moreau, the brand’s official representatives will be joined by Ole Christian Veiby – Stig Rune Skjaermoen and Simone Tempestini – Sergiu Itu, along with newcomers Pepe Lopez – Borja Rozada.
Designed to be competitive on all surfaces, the C3 R5 has the opportunity in Spain to demonstrate its versatility and capabilities on both gravel and tarmac. Indeed, Rally de Catalunya is the only mixed surface event of the season, with the opening leg contested on gravel whilst the following two days are held on tarmac. It is therefore two rallies in one, meaning that the car – and driver – have to be fast on both surfaces and the mechanics must be perfectly trained and focused in order to completely change the configuration of the car within the time allowed on Friday evening. Day one is contested on technical gravel roads, where punctures can be easily picked up and grip levels are low, whilst the rest of the rally is held on smooth, wide tarmac roads where calling precise pace notes – like « short », « long », « opens » or « tightens », become vitally important. However, Stéphane Lefebvre and Gabin Moreau have already shown that they have plenty of know-how when it comes to mixed surface events, having finished sixth overall here last year. On this, their fourth appearance at the rally, the C3 R5’s luxury ambassadors are determined to round off their season in style. In his second rally with the C3 R5, Ole Christian Veiby also comes into this round with lofty ambitions on the back of the lessons learned from Wales Rally GB and his recent test session on tarmac. Simone Tempestini, who is now very familiar with Citroën’s new flagship model, and Pepe Lopez will also be feeling confident. Although this will be his first outing in the car, the speedy young Spaniard will undoubtedly be buoyed by competing at his home round. He may also be aided by the fact that the itinerary for this year, which sees the return of the opening super special stage in Barcelona, is largely unchanged, even though a few stages will be contested in the opposite direction to recent years. One such stage is La Fatarella – Vilalba, formerly known as Terra Alta, which also features an extra ten or so kilometres.
WHAT THEY SAID
Pierre Budar, Citroën Racing Team Principal : « In combining two surfaces that we have competed on separately up to now, this event represents another significant challenge for the C3 R5 but we are determined to show that we are constantly improving. It’s also the first time that we’ll have four cars competing at an event! The car is a growing commercial success and that also encourages us to keep working hard. »
Stéphane Lefebvre : « I really like this rally and the fact that it is a mixed surface event. You have to be good at both parts, which are very different. First of all on very technical gravel roads, and then on the sweeping, circuit-style tarmac roads where you really need to be very accurate in your lines. We have a couple of test days before the start, one on each surface, so we’ll be starting the rally determined to finish our WRC2 campaign in style. »
Number of appearances at the event: 3
Best result: 6th (2017)
RALLY DE ESPAÑA SCHEDULE (GMT+2 until 27/10, GMT+1 afterwards)
THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER 8.00am: Shakedown – Salou (2.00km) 1.15pm: Start (Salou) 6.08pm: SS1 – Barcelona (3.20km) 8.08pm: Parc ferme (PortAventura)
FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER 8.00am: Service A (PortAventura – 15 mins) 9.33am: SS2 – Gandesa 1 (7.00km) 10.06am: SS3 – Pesells 1 (26.59km) 11.20am: SS4 – La Fatarella – Vilalba 1 (38.85km) 1.35pm: Service B (PortAventura – 30 mins) 3.23pm: SS5 – Gandesa 2 (7.00km) 3.56pm: SS6 – Pesells 2 (26.59km) 5.10pm: SS7 – La Fatarella – Vilalba 2 (38.85km) 7.20pm: Flexi Service C (PortAventura – 1 hr 15 mins)
SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER 6.45am: Service D (PortAventura – 15 mins) 8.23am: SS8 – Savallà 1 (14.12km) 9.08am: SS9 – Querol 1 (21.26km) 10.08am: SS10 – El Montmell 1 (24.40km) 11.43am: Service E (PortAventura – 30 mins) 1.28pm: SS11 – Savallà 2 (14.12km) 2.10pm: SS12 – Querol 2 (21.26km) 3.08pm: SS13 – El Montmell 2 (24.40km) 5.00pm: SS14 – Salou (2.24km) 5.30pm: Flexi Service F (PortAventura – 45 mins)
SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER 6.45am: Service G (PortAventura – 15 mins) 7.35am: SS15 – Riudecanyes 1 (16.35km) 8.38am: SS16 – Santa Marina 1 (14.50km) 9.45am: Service H (PortAventura – 30 mins) 10.50am: SS17 – Riudecanyes 2 (16.35km) 12.18pm: SS18 – Santa Marina 2 Power Stage (14.50km) 1.41pm: Service I (PortAventura – 10 mins) 2.01pm: Podium (Salou)
Press release Citroën Racing
