Juniors head for the Middle East

Martin Prokop and Aaron Burkart, long-time participants in the C2 Junior Experience, will not be present in Jordan as the event does not form part of their planned schedule for this year. Consequently, Shaun Gallagher will be the only driver at the wheel of the Citroën C2 Super 1600 in the C2 Junior Experience. The Irishman, who struggled in the extreme heat of Mexico, is aiming to make back the lost ground in Jordan and profit from the absence of his two key rivals to take maximum points in the championship.

« We know that this rally could be an extremely difficult event for the Juniors, » said Jean-François Liénéré, who is responsible for Citroën Sport’s customer competition programme. «This new rally will be a voyage of discovery for all, and it is sure to be very physically demanding because of the local climate. The Citroën drivers will have to be ready to face high temperatures but they also will need to watch out for punctures and other obstacles throughout the route. The other challenge will come from the competition, as there are some new drivers joining the series in Jordan whose performance is still an unknown factor. »

As for the R2 class, Jordan will be the place where the new Citroën C2-R2 MAX makes its debut outside Europe. Hans Weijs Jr and his navigator Hans van Goor will drive the car prepared by Belgian team My Racing, which is directed by Yves Matton – the former team manager of Citroën Sport. Their programme will be backed by the Dutch Motorsport Federation this year. Despite his young age Hans has already accumulated plenty of motorsport experience and should be amongst the favourites in his class. Francisco Fanari will complete the R2 line-up in his Citroën C2-R2. Following his debut in Mexico, he will try to avoid the punctures that cost him a place in the final classification.

Samuel Barraud, who works in the technical department of the customer competition division explains : « A big difference to the previous round in Mexico will be that the drivers are sure to benefit from all the available engine power, as Jordan is right down at sea level. Nonetheless, this rally will put a big strain on the cars due to the high temperatures that have been forecast. We do not really know how rough the rally will be as it is a brand new event, but it seems to be smoother than Sardinia – which will be the following round for the Juniors. »

Finally, after taking part in the recce for Rally Argentina, Sébastien Ogier will take the start of round two of the Junior Championship in his C2 Super 1600 run by PH-Sport (which is not participating in the C2 Junior Experience programme). Both he and his codriver Julien Ingrassia will be attempting to repeat their excellent result in Mexico and score maximum points in the Junior Championship – which they are currently leading.

Quotes… before the Jordan Rally

Francisco Fanari (I) – Massimiliano Bossi (I) (Citroën C2-R2) Born 07/07/83 – Single – Lives Spello (Italy) « I’m very keen to get going as I have not been testing since Mexico. I don’t know a lot about this all-new event, but Gigi Galli’s co-driver has told me that the stages in the area are fantastic : very quick and very wide. I’ll have the smaller-engined car for Jordan, and my objective will be to get to the finish of the rally without any problems. I’ve got a good feeling with the car but naturally I prefer the C2-R2 MAX, which would allow me to compete on equal terms with my rivals. I should have this new car in time for the Sardinia Rally. »

Shaun Gallagher (EI) – Michael Morreffy (GB) (Citroën C2 Super 1600) Born 07/06/80 – Single – Lives County Donegal (Ireland) « Jordan is an entirely new rally so I don’t really know what to expect. Whatever happens, I hope that we can get a better result than we did in Mexico. Martin Prokop and Aaron Burkart – my key rivals – won’t be there, and I want to take advantage of their absence to score the maximum possible points. The challenge for me and the team will be to try and take a podium. »

Sébastien Ogier (F) – Julien Ingrassia (F) (Citroën C2 Super 1600) Born 17/12/83 – Single – Lives Forest St Julien (France) « We start this rally with the same objective as we had in Mexico. We’ve got to try and get to the finish without breaking the car and avoid punctures. Of course we were very pleased by the result in Mexico, but we’re keeping our feet firmly on the ground. There’s bound to be a lot of stiff competition in Jordan with the arrival of some new drivers. Equally, nobody knows what the stages will be like, so it’s very hard to predict how we might get on until we arrive there. »

Hans Weijs (NL) – Hans Van Goor (NL) (Citroën C2-R2 MAX) Born 19/12/86 – Single – Lives Elst (Netherlands) « I’m very pleased to start my Junior World Championship career in the ‘‘C2 Junior Experience’’. Participating in this series is a brilliant opportunity for both me and my backers. I’m sure to learn a lot through competing against ambitious young drivers like myself. Jordan will be my very first Junior World Championship rally, and above all it will also be my first chance to drive the Citroën C2-R2 MAX in competition. I was able to drive the car for the first time at the official Citroën Sport presentation in France, along with Simon Jean-Joseph and Sébastien Ogier. So I’m starting a big new challenge along with my team, and I’m hoping to be as far up the classification as possible by the end of the rally. »