CITROËN CLAIMS A ONE-TWO FINISH AND MOVES BACK INTO THE TITLE HUNT

Citroën’s crews secured an excellent one-two finish at this weekend’s Rally Turkey, whilst Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia scored three extra points with the third fastest time on the Power Stage. As the Citroën Total World Rally Team arrived for Sunday’s final stages, the tactics were fairly straightforward.

Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm’s job was to maintain a decent pace so as to secure second place and avoid the risk of being caught out. Meanwhile, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia needed to confirm their pace notes on Marmaris (7.05km), the day’s opening speed test that would also be used as the Power Stage. They then had to look after their tyres on the next two stages so they could push as much as possible on the final test in the hope of collecting a few bonus points.

This one-two finish is the Citroën Total World Rally Team’s first such result since the 2015 Rally Argentina and is the team’s third win this season, following victories in Monte-Carlo and Mexico. It also marks the team’s ninth and tenth podiums of the year. This weekend’s impressive result signals the French team’s return to the front with an impressively fast and robust C3 WRC and illustrates its determination to fight all the way in the championship.

The result is excellent news for Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who move back up to second in the standings, just seventeen points behind the leaders, with up to ninety points left up for grabs in the three remaining rounds of the season.

Third on the road on Friday, Sébastien and Julien got off to a frustrating start with a puncture six kilometres from the end of the first proper stage. However, they moved back up to third place on the next stage and ended the day in second overall, 17.7 seconds behind their team-mates, setting two consecutive third fastest times in the process.

A bold tyre choice for Saturday morning’s opening stage in the very hot conditions (three medium and two hard Michelin tyres) enabled them to claim their first stage win of the weekend on Yesilbelde (33km), leaving their rivals at least a minute behind. The French duo then focused on taking as few risks as possible and controlling their pace, whilst still managing to secure the second fastest time on the repeat of Yesilbelde, which took them into the overall lead. They were therefore well placed on Sunday to bring home their third win in the C3 WRC and their seventh podium in 2019.

Making the most of their position down the running order (ninth) on day one, Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm impressed on SS2 with a second fastest time. They then took the overall lead on the following test with their first stage win. Clearly at home in the C3 WRC, Citroën’s Finns were as calm and focused as they were impressive, despite their road position being a disadvantage on certain very rough sections of Friday’s afternoon loop and having a tyre package ill-suited to the rain that began to fall late in the day. The Finnish pair even added two stage wins to their tally and led the rally until a brief stall on SS12 saw them relinquish the lead to their team-mates. A minor mishap that didn’t prevent them from heading into Sunday’s final leg in a strong position to claim their third podium of the season, after also finishing as runners-up in Sweden and Finland.

REACTIONS FROM…

Sébastien Ogier, Citroën Total WRT driver: “We really needed this win if we were to have a chance of getting back into contention in the championship so I’m very happy to bring it home for the team this weekend. We knew that anything could happen at a rally like this where it is really rough but we managed to keep out of trouble by adopting a smart approach. It’s a good morale boost for everyone as we move into the end of the season. We all know that we have to keep working really hard but we’ll savour this win and then get down to work again tomorrow.”

Esapekka Lappi, Citroën Total WRT driver: “It was a very demanding event, one which I didn't really enjoy last year, so I’m obviously pleased with my performance this weekend. We managed to have two very good first legs, displaying the same kind of pace as Seb and Julien, which is no easy feat. By Sunday, the challenge for us was to get the car over the line and help them as much as possible. Our C3 WRC was perfect this weekend. We had no issues whatsoever and that was one of the keys to us securing this great result.”

TWO QUESTIONS FOR PIERRE BUDAR, CITROËN RACING TEAM PRINCIPAL

What can you say about the team’s one-two finish this weekend?

I'm incredibly proud of what we have all managed to achieve this weekend. It’s certainly going to help us as we move into the last few rallies of the season. After the disappointment in Germany, I think the team proved that it had recovered well. We were united and have shown real strength of character to manage to bounce back like that this weekend. We came away from four days of testing in Greece feeling optimistic about our chances and this weekend was a nice confirmation that we were right to feel positive.

Everyone worked really hard to provide our crews with a C3 WRC that was both extremely robust and very quick on these rough gravel roads, which are some of the most demanding all season. The crews rounded off the job with a great deal of talent, producing an authoritative, dominant performance this weekend, claiming five stage wins in total. Rest assured, we’ll be driven by the same determination and fighting spirit right until the final stage of Rally Australia.

How would you describe the performances of your crews?

Perfect. Esapekka and Janne made the most of their road position on Friday morning, before proving to be extremely solid when the conditions were no longer particularly kind. They led the rally for nine stages, finding the right balance between pushing and controlling. They then clearly understood that the team needed them to not take any risks and potentially endanger what was shaping up to be a great result. I would like to pay tribute to their superb team spirit. They have clearly made another step forward in the C3 WRC on gravel and will now be a definite asset in our attempt to win the world title with Sébastien and Julien.

Sébastien and Julien managed perfectly to deal with their position in the running order on Friday, ending the day ideally placed. They then produced the kind of performance of which only they are capable on Saturday morning, showing their unrivalled ability when it comes to tyre management. The sign of a true champion is knowing when is the right time to strike. Over the years, they have also become known for never giving up and they certainly reminded everyone of that this weekend.

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEKEND

Yesilbelde (33km), Saturday’s opening stage and one of the slowest and most technical of the weekend with average speeds of just over 75kph, saw the Citroën Total World Rally Team crews establish their future one-two finish with authority.

This very rough stage was clearly the big challenge of Saturday’s leg. Despite having already been at the sharp end in the C3 WRCs the day before on the very long Çetibeli stage (38.15km), Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia and Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm disregarded the length of the test and the stifling heat to produce impressive performances. The French crew recorded a genuinely breath-taking time thanks to a bold tyre choice, whilst the Finns finished 16.7 seconds behind to make it a one-two on the stage.

Further back, only Andreas Mikkelsen came close to the Citroën crews, whilst the rest of the field was at least a second per kilometre off the pace, a huge gap at this level. This performance also left the Citroën Total World Rally Team’s closest rivals a minute adrift, enabling the team to approach the afternoon loop, expected to be very demanding, in a more relaxed mood.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

JOHN HANDCOCK, HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS

07810 180249

john.handcock@citroen.com

SIMON BROOME, PR MANAGER

07827 840 050

simon.broome@citroen.com

EMMA GAFFNEY, MEDIA RELATIONS EXECUTIVE

07747 898130

emma.gaffney@citroen.com

CRAIG MORROW, PRESS FLEET OFFICER

07747 764745

craig.morrow@mpsa.com

JEREMY TOWNSEND, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

07827 896480

jeremy.townsend@mpsa.com

FOLLOW CITROËN ON TWITTER AT: www.twitter.com/citroenuk
FIND CITROËN ON FACEBOOK AT: www.facebook.com/citroenuk
FOLLOW CITROËN ON INSTAGRAM AT: www.instagram.com/citroenuk

The Citroën Brand
At the heart of the automotive market, Citroën has asserted itself since 1919 as a popular brand in the true sense of the word, making people and their lifestyles its first source of inspiration. A spirit underlined by its ‘Inspired by You’ signature and embodied by cars combining unique design and benchmark comfort. Within the sector of mainstream brands, Citroën also stands out with a unique customer experience (Citroën Advisor, ‘La Maison Citroën’, etc.). In 2018, the Brand sold 1.05 million vehicles in over 80 countries.

Citroën media site: https://uk-media.citroen.com/- @CitroenUK