Sebastien Loeb insists the best is yet to come from Citroen's all-new DS3 World Rally Car after the marque failed to post a podium finish for the first time in three years on Rally Sweden last week.
Loeb was restricted to sixth overall after losing time ploughing a clean line through the heavy loose-surface snow on day one. He also dropped ground with a puncture. His team-mate, Sebastien Ogier, took fourth with Petter Solberg fifth in a privately-entered DS3 WRC.
However, between them, they posted nine fastest stage times out of a possible 22 on an event that has traditionally favoured the rival Ford squad, which monopolised the podium places.
“We finished the rally and this is good,” said Loeb, winner of the world rally title for the past seven years. “I feel happy to finish because this was a very long and difficult rally. I’m also satisfied with the performance of our car even though our rally was not so good.”
Ogier and Loeb further underlined the potential of the DS3 WRC by setting the first and second fastest times respectively over the event-closing Power Stage, which awarded bonus points to the quickest three drivers and was shown live on television throughout the world.
“I’m pretty happy with the result on only my second outing in Sweden,” said Ogier. “We’ve got a lot of positive conclusions to draw from this event. Despite the difficulties, we’ve shown that the Citroën DS3 WRC is quick. I can’t wait to race on gravel where the car looks like it’ll run well.”
Citroen Racing chief Olivier Quesnel summed up the team’s Rally Sweden exploits: “For their first race, the Citroën DS3 WRCs proved both reliable and competitive throughout the weekend. Before the start we knew that we weren’t favourites on this very specific surface. Let’s wait for the first stages on gravel to have a better idea of each one’s potential.”
The last time that a Citroen driver failed to score a podium finish was in Sweden in February in 2008 when Jari-Matti Latvala headed fellow Ford Focus drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Gigi Galli.
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment