the citroen ds3 wrc back on gravel

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia will also be gunning for a win in the rally in which they made their world championship debut.

Nine out of the thirteen rallies on the 2011 WRC calendar will be held on gravel. The Rally Guanajuato Mexico is the first of a world tour consisting of seven races on this type of surface. The first rally on asphalt will not take place until the end of August when the crews tackle Rally Germany!

The seventh Rally Mexico will see the introduction of a new stage run in the heart of the historic town of Guanajuato, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Guanajuato is famous for its architecture, its colours and its silver mines, and it will not only be the starting place for the event, but also the theatre of a competitive stage eagerly awaited by the Mexican spectators. The remainder of the route is very similar to the 2010 event with the addition of the Power Stage, the final stage of the rally, on an 8-km section of SS 13/17, part of Saturday’s loop.

Altitude is a vital factor in the Mexican round as it culminates at over 2000 metres with a spike of 2 700 metres. For this reason, the WRCs are specially prepared with particular attention paid to the engine mapping.

The Citroëns have always been well performing on this surface. The French make arrives in Mexico with a string of four victories in the event down to Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena with the Xsara WRC (2006), the C4 WRC (2007, 2008 et 2010). Last year, the C4 WRCs monopolized the podium thanks to Petter Solberg and Sébastien Ogier.

Sébastien Ogier, who was fourth in Sweden, is really looking forward to Rally Mexico with just a few days to go: “I’ve got good memories of Rally Mexico. In 2008, our first world championship rally in the JWRC in the C2 Super 1600 ended in victory and eighth place overall. Last year we had an exciting finish to the rally as we were battling with Petter Solberg for second place. This year, we’ll have a good position on the road on the first day. I feel confident in this rally with its stages that are great fun for the driver. Like all my rivals, I’m impatient to see if we’ve done a good job in testing.”

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