the citroën ds3 wrc top the bill in Portugal

After its victory in Rally Mexico, the Citroën DS3 WRC could be considered as a benchmark on gravel in the World Rally Championship. On its return to Europe, the Citroën Total World Rally Team has but a single aim – continue its winning streak.

The organizers of Rally Portugal are determined to promote their race and they have innovated for the 2011 event. The start has been moved to Lisbon, 270 kms north of Faro. The change to the capital of the country – for the first time in 37 years – is highlighted by a super special in the centre of Lisbon opposite the Mosteiros dos Jeronimos and the Belém cultural centre.

On Thursday, several promotional activities are scheduled with autograph signing sessions and a parade in the town itself. In the evening, the teams will leave the estuary of the Tagus and head for the Algarve on the south coast.

Less than a year ago, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia scored their maiden world rally championship victory in the Algarve, and they will start this year’s event as favourites to repeat this success as the layout is 80% identical to that of 2010. “It’s a great memory, one that I’ll never forget,” admits Ogier. “We drove an almost perfect rally, and we pushed from start to finish. Even though we were first out on the road on days two and three, we still managed to fight off our rivals.”

After their accident in Mexico, they will have a better starting position in Portugal: “Although we didn’t score points in Mexico there are a number of positive conclusions to be drawn from the first gravel rally of the season. Despite having to do a lot of sweeping, I think we showed our competitiveness. Here in Portugal, I’m determined to make the most of our starting position on the opening day. It will help us to plan our rally more easily than in Mexico. We’ve only competed in two out of the thirteen events on the calendar, so there are still plenty of opportunities left to score good results”

“The Citroën DS3 WRCs were very quick in Mexico, but they have always dominated their rivals in this rally. If the weather is good in Portugal, we’ll find out just how competitive the cars really are in fairly standard conditions: namely, those similar to the ones we’ll have to cope with in several other rallies. This race combines all the difficulties we’ll meet in the championship. The rhythm changes often from quick sections to more twisty ones with lots of crests that require very accurate pace notes. Our aim is to do as well as in Mexico and that means only one thing - victory!”

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