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rally australia presentation (3 - 6 septembre 2009)
After the month-long summer break, the Citroen Junior Team returns to action on the forthcoming Rally Australia, running two C2 WRCs for its drivers Sebastien Ogier and Conrad Rautenbach.
Q&A with Sebastien Ogier
It’s an all-new Rally Australia this year. Is it an advantage for you to take part in a rally that everyone is learning for the first time?
"You cannot really say that it is an advantage. However, it means that we will not have less experience of the route than the other drivers, which is normally the case, so at least we do not start at a disadvantage.
"Everything will be new to us from start to finish, so this will be pretty much the same situation that we have faced all year. But for the team it will be a little bit different, as they will not have all the information needed for the car set-up. It will be more important than ever for us to do a good job during the recce. As far as we know the stages will be fast and flowing, with a few more twisty sections as well."
Do some of your recent performances mean that you can target a good result?
"Both myself and my co-driver Julien Ingrassia are feeling more and more confident with the Citroen C4 WRC. But equally we know that we can take nothing for granted and that it is very important for us to keep on working hard. Since the middle of the season, we’ve definitely been going down the right road. Despite a few mistakes, we’ve learnt a lot from our first few events and this experience is beginning to pay off now.
"I’m getting increasingly used to the speed of a WRC machine and the hard work from the team has allowed us to get some good results. In Australia, our priority once more is to be there at the end.
"In the normal course of events I think we could aim for top-eight finish; maybe higher depending on how things go. Then we will have to see what the strategy from the team is."
There has been a four week break since the last round in Finland; did you manage to take any time off?
"Not exactly! I was able to escape the rally world for just a few days, but of course I was sticking to my usual exercise regime. I also went on a high-altitude physical training course run by Xavier Feuillet, who looks after several drivers. I originally met him through the FFSA Rallye Jeunes programme. We went to Font-Romeu in the Pyrenees in order to work through a specific routine. The different elements to the course helped me to improve my reflexes and power. But for my proper holidays, I will stay on in Australia after the rally."