The Citroën DS3 will make its motorsport debut this weekend (20-22 August 2010) and it has some mighty big shoes to fill, following as it does in the footsteps of some of the most successful motorsport cars of all time and prepares to take over from the Citroën C4 WRC, which has dominated the World Rally Championship since its launch in 2007.
The first motorsport version of the DS3 is the R3, the replacement for the Citroën C2 Super 1600, the car that has launched a host of motorsport careers in the entry levels of rallying, including Dani Sordo, Sebastien Ogier and Martin Prokop, each of whom won the Junior World Rally Championship in the car. This version will be joined next year by the DS3 WRC, the replacement for the C4 WRC, the car that has powered, along with Citroën Xsara WRC, Sebastien Loeb to become the most successful rally driver of all time.
The C2 S1600 has also proven a highly popular competition car with Citroën Racing’s many motorsport customers and the debut outing for the DS3 R3 is also an important launch for the commercial side of Citroën Racing as this car will also be their main commercial product and, like the C2, provide the basis for a range of customer competition cars. The C2, for example, produced two S1600 variants, as well as the R2 Max, the C2 R2 V07 and versions for the C2 Challenge and a Rallycross variant. Indeed, Citroën Racing have already prepared a brochure for the DS3 R3 and issued indicative pricing for Europe for both tarmac and gravel versions with deliveries due to start in November!
The Citroën DS3, which makes its road car debut in Australia and New Zealand in September, will open its motorsport career by contesting the Ulster Rally, based in Antrim to the north east of Ireland. The crew of Bryan Bouffier and Xavier Panseri are determined to showcase the capabilities of the latest challenger from Citroën to the best of their abilities in a an event which is renowned for its tough and demanding tarmac stages and variable weather.
Behind the scenes, the entire Citroën Racing team is eager to see their car in action, which was created in the French company’s workshops and then developed over a bespoke test programme. This will be the first time that the DS3 goes head to head with its rivals, before being offered for sale to customers.
In a baptism of fire, Citroën’s latest two-wheel drive machine, equipped with a 210 bhp engine, will rack up its first competitive miles on extremely specialised terrain. Irish asphalt is notorious for its lack of grip and bumpy surfaces, which the new car will face over the 205 stage kilometres of the rally.
The famously changeable weather in Ulster could also play a key role over the course of the event. Whatever happens, French driver Bryan Bouffier – who was an important part of the new car’s development programme – will be doing his best to take the DS3 R3 towards the top of the leaderboard, although he will face considerably more powerful local opposition.
Source:http://www.citroen.com.au/default.asp?action=article&ID=1219
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