WRC

CITROËN BEGINS A NEW CHAPTER IN ITS SPORTING HISTORY WITH THE C3 WRC

The moment that WRC fans have been desperately waiting for is finally upon us: in a few days, the 2017 World Rally Championship will get underway on the stages of the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo. The Citroën C3 WRC – designed to meet the new FIA regulations – will be making its competitive debut. Driven by Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle and Stéphane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau, two cars have been entered for this, the opening round of the season.

RALLYE MONTE-CARLO: SIMPLY ICONIC!

Quite apart from the prestige invoked by its name, Rallye Monte-Carlo owes much of its reputation to the unpredictability of the racing conditions. In January, the roads in the hills of the south-west of France can be snow-covered, icy, wet or… just dry! The most “amusing” part is that a single stage can feature all of these conditions. Tyre choice is therefore of critical importance here. It’s all about estimating, for an entire loop of stages, what represents the best compromise. Gaps can open up and disappear very quickly, making the race even more exciting…

On this, the 85th running of the event, the oldest rally in the world will be spread over four days of racing. On Thursday, 19 January, the rally will get underway in the evening, with the ceremonial start in Monaco. The crews will then head towards Gap, where they will tackle two evening stages, one of which is new this year. After a short night’s rest, day two promises to be incredibly intense, with two loops of three stages contested in the Isère and Hautes-Alpes departments. On Saturday, the competitors return to Monaco, completing five stages on the way. The final leg, contested with no service, will see the crews tackle the famous Col de Turini. The rally is scheduled to finish in the Principality on Sunday, 22 January, in the early afternoon.