C/O Ateco.....
CITROËN: WE'LL BE BACK
Citroën has confirmed the rumours are true. The team that has dominated the
World Rally Championship for the past three years will return to the sport
in 2007 following the announcement that the sport's organising body, the
FIA, has agreed rule changes to slash the cost of competition.
Citroën, along Peugeot, announced earlier this year that this would be
their last season due to escalating costs that Chairman of the Managing
Board of PSA Peugeot Citroën, Jean Martin Folz, said could not be
justified.
But he left the door open for a return if the FIA changed the rules to stop
the runaway cost of rallying at the highest level.
Surveys conducted by Citroën have clearly revealed that the WRC continues
to stand out as the ideal form of motor sport for the brand. Citroën's
involvement in the sport at the highest level has coincided with a sharp
cut in the average age of Citroën buyers and a more defined reputation for
Citroën as not just technology leader in all areas, but also a trendsetting
company. Sébastien Loeb, with not just his remarkable record breaking
performances, but also with his loyalty to Citroën and strong personal
image and reputation, has also proven to be an excellent spokesperson for
the Sport and Citroën.
An official return to the series in 2007 was consequently possible so long
as the overall budget it was necessary to invest was very significantly
reduced. Thanks to the new regulations, these cost considerations have been
met.
"As a result, the decision to return to the World Rally Championship was
taken very quickly," says Citroën Sport Director Guy Fréquelin. "The new
regulations allow us to meet our budget targets. There is no longer
anything standing in the way of our return to the sport. For the team, for
the fans and for all those who have supported us during our past three
complete seasons in the World Rally Championship, this decision couldn't
have come at a better time. I am delighted."
The 2006 season will consequently be a year of transition with, on the one
hand, the presence of a Citroën Xsara WRC for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel
Elena run by a private team and, on the other, the re-staring of the new
Citroën C4 WRC's development programme. Citroën Sport will return to the
championship full time from 2007.
For Citroën, the pursuit of its commitment to rallying is in keeping with a
veritable competition-related philosophy with a sport that has always
fascinated, well beyond Citroën's two Manufacturers' titles in 2003 and
2004 and the two Drivers' crowns secured by Sébastien Loeb and his
co-driver Daniel Elena in 2004 and 2005.
CITROËN: WE'LL BE BACK
Citroën has confirmed the rumours are true. The team that has dominated the
World Rally Championship for the past three years will return to the sport
in 2007 following the announcement that the sport's organising body, the
FIA, has agreed rule changes to slash the cost of competition.
Citroën, along Peugeot, announced earlier this year that this would be
their last season due to escalating costs that Chairman of the Managing
Board of PSA Peugeot Citroën, Jean Martin Folz, said could not be
justified.
But he left the door open for a return if the FIA changed the rules to stop
the runaway cost of rallying at the highest level.
Surveys conducted by Citroën have clearly revealed that the WRC continues
to stand out as the ideal form of motor sport for the brand. Citroën's
involvement in the sport at the highest level has coincided with a sharp
cut in the average age of Citroën buyers and a more defined reputation for
Citroën as not just technology leader in all areas, but also a trendsetting
company. Sébastien Loeb, with not just his remarkable record breaking
performances, but also with his loyalty to Citroën and strong personal
image and reputation, has also proven to be an excellent spokesperson for
the Sport and Citroën.
An official return to the series in 2007 was consequently possible so long
as the overall budget it was necessary to invest was very significantly
reduced. Thanks to the new regulations, these cost considerations have been
met.
"As a result, the decision to return to the World Rally Championship was
taken very quickly," says Citroën Sport Director Guy Fréquelin. "The new
regulations allow us to meet our budget targets. There is no longer
anything standing in the way of our return to the sport. For the team, for
the fans and for all those who have supported us during our past three
complete seasons in the World Rally Championship, this decision couldn't
have come at a better time. I am delighted."
The 2006 season will consequently be a year of transition with, on the one
hand, the presence of a Citroën Xsara WRC for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel
Elena run by a private team and, on the other, the re-staring of the new
Citroën C4 WRC's development programme. Citroën Sport will return to the
championship full time from 2007.
For Citroën, the pursuit of its commitment to rallying is in keeping with a
veritable competition-related philosophy with a sport that has always
fascinated, well beyond Citroën's two Manufacturers' titles in 2003 and
2004 and the two Drivers' crowns secured by Sébastien Loeb and his
co-driver Daniel Elena in 2004 and 2005.
