STELLANTIS MOTORSPORT STARS AIM TO SHINE ON 2023 RALLY SEASON: STARTING IN MONTE-CARLO

Following a brilliant 2022 rally season for Stellantis Motorsport, including more than 20 titles worldwide, expectations are even higher for the 2023 season that gets underway this week on the most famous event of them all: Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Stellantis Motorsport – which incorporates the Citroën Racing, Opel Motorsport, and Peugeot Sport brands in rallying – has a firm mission to build on its achievements in customer racing with its three models: the flagship Citroën C3 Rally2, the Opel Corsa Rally4 and the Peugeot 208 Rally4. The four-wheel drive Citroën competes at the top level of national and international rallying, whereas the two-wheel drive Opel and Peugeot are a useful tool for up-and coming drivers to get familiar with an advanced rally car, providing a ladder of progression and opportunities in a multitude of competitions around the world. The forthcoming season promises to be rich in excitement, technology, and emotion.

• Rallye Monte-Carlo gets underway on Thursday, January 19 and takes in 18 special stages over 325.02 competitive kilometres. The event is renowned for changeable asphalt conditions with ice and snow, putting the emphasis on driver experience, car control and tyre choice. It begins with two stages in darkness on Thursday night, opening with a run up to the legendary Col de Turini – which also hosts two stages on Sunday.

• The Citroën C3 Rally2 line-up on Rallye Monte-Carlo features 2021 WRC3 champion Yohan Rossel and his co-driver Arnaud Dunand (PH Sport), along with promising young Spanish talent Alejandro Cachón and co-driver Jandrín López (Sports & You). Reigning Belgian champion Stéphane Lefebvre and his co-driver Andy Malfoy (DG Sport) will also be strong contenders for success in Monte–Carlo, while the American crew of Sean Johnston and Alex Kihurani (Saintéloc Racing) will embark on their third WRC2 campaign this year. In total, eight crews are competing with the Citroën C3 Rally2; the second-highest number of Rally2 cars from one individual make at the WRC2 season opener.

• In the Rally 4 category, Stellantis Motorsport is well-represented with 11 of the 12 cars entered.  The Customer Success programme has driven the accomplishments and popularity of both the Peugeot 208 Rally4 and Opel Corsa Rally4. The former is the championship-winning car in the European Rally Championship’s ERC4 category, while the latter won the ERC4 Junior crown last season.

• Joining the #C3Rally2Family ranks this year is Finland’s Niclas Grönholm. His six-round campaign in the Finnish national championship began last weekend on the snowy roads of Rovaniemi, where he placed a promising fifth on the famous Arctic Lapland Rally.

• Other championships and competitions where Stellantis Motorsport cars will be represented throughout 2023 include the promotional formulas in Belgium with the all-new Citroën C3 Rally2 Cup and Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux, plus long-standing cups in France and on the Iberian Peninsula (with new additions in Madeira and the Canary Islands) as well as in Hungary. Timo Schulz, having graduated from the 2022 ADAC Corsa e Rally Cup, will drive a Corsa Rally4 on the European Junior championship this year.

• The first C3 Rally2 has been delivered to Uruguay, showcasing its strong presence and rise in popularity in South America.

WHAT THEY SAID…

Didier Clément: Stellantis Motorsport Customer Racing Promotion Manager

“The season is set for a great start at the iconic Rallye Monte-Carlo, especially with such a diverse team featuring talented crews at the wheel of the Citroën C3 Rally2! For the 2023 season, we’re hoping for great success and plenty of emotion for all our customers across all of our brands. As well as the World Rally Championship, we will be present on the European rally championship and in numerous national championships, including France, Italy, Ireland, and Finland: with our newest member of the #C3Rally2Family, Niclas Grönholm. Our objective is simply that each crew finds in the car exactly what they are looking for. On Rallye Monte-Carlo we also have a fine fleet of Rally4 cars that dominate the category. We can expect some good results from our cars that have become benchmarks of performance and reliability for several seasons now. We wish a strong and enjoyable season to all our competitors!”

Yohan Rossel : C3 Rally2 WRC2 Driver, PH Sport

“I am very happy to continue my collaboration with Stellantis Motorsport, starting my eight-round programme this year at Monte Carlo. Since 2014, we have been climbing the motorsport ladder together; always with the same objective. I’m also very excited to rediscover the C3 Rally2, which is constantly evolving. As drivers, we have to maximise every opportunity that the cars provide to us, and given the potential of the C3 Rally2, we’re really optimistic about the year ahead.”

Alejandro Cachón: C3 Rally2 WRC2 Driver, Sports & You.

“It's a dream to participate in a rally with as much history as Rallye Monte-Carlo. It will undoubtedly be a difficult challenge, but the whole team is feeling confident. In 2023, we have a really international calendar, something that has always been a personal goal. It is certainly ambitious, but we are motivated and not lacking in ambition either! The support of Citroën Racing means a lot to me; it is a privilege to carry the brand's colours at the highest level.”

CONTACTS

Didier Clément: Head of Customer Racing

+33 6 87 71 71 85 – didier.clement@stellantis.com

Sonya D’Artois: Communications

+33 6 27 81 68 28 – sonya.dartois@external.stellantis.com

Vehicle commercial department (Peugeot Citroën Racing Shop)

+33 1 30 11 27 00 - racingshop@stellantis.com