citroen is gunning for another victory in jordan

The two crews will both be gunning for another victory on gravel in the fourth event held in Jordan. Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena already know the ropes as they won this rally held beside the Dead Sea last season!

After the snow in Rally Sweden, the altitude of Rally Mexico and the more traditional route of Rally Portugal, the teams in the FIA World Rally Championship will do battle in Jordan. The third running of the blue riband event in the Middle East is being run over its usual itinerary. The service park overlooks the Dead Sea and the start will be given in the ancient city of Jerash, while the stages are laid out in the Jordanian desert, known as the cradle of humanity.

Seven out of the ten stages are identical to the ones used in 2010, and the other three have been mainly selected from the 2008 route.

“The roads are fairly quick and have a very hard surface,” adds Sébastien Ogier. “Once the line’s been swept you have excellent grip, almost identical to that on asphalt. On the other hand, in this desert countryside the lack of landmarks is a real problem so the notes are even more important than elsewhere.”

“By starting in fourth place on the first day, we’ve got a slight advantage, but others will be even better placed,” continues the recent winner of Rally Portugal. “We have to get among the front-runners to be in a position to battle for the win at the end. Once again, it’s going to be a very closely-fought scrap and it’s important to bag good points for both championships.”

The rally’s schedule has been adapted to fit in with the Middle-Eastern weekend. The shakedown will take place on Wednesday 13th April at 15h00. The start of the first stage will be given on Thursday morning after a passage through Jerash. The finish will take place on Saturday 16th April in the late afternoon after 20 stages.

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