Citroën C4 WRC

The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC. The car was introduced for the 2007 World Rally Championship season and has taken the drivers' title each year since in the hands of Sébastien Loeb, as well as the manufacturers' title in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Citroën C4 WRC
CategoryWorld Rally Car
ConstructorCitroën Racing
PredecessorCitroën Xsara WRC
SuccessorCitroën DS3 WRC
Technical specifications[1]
Length4,274 mm (168.3 in)
Width1,800 mm (70.9 in)
Axle track1,598 mm (62.9 in)
Wheelbase2,608 mm (102.7 in)
Engine1,998 cc (121.9 cu in) I4 Naturally-aspirated
Weight1,230 kg (2,711.7 lb)
Competition history (WRC)
Debut 2007 Monte Carlo Rally
First win 2007 Monte Carlo Rally
Last win 2010 Wales Rally GB
WinsPodiums
3687
Constructors' Championships3 (2008, 2009, 2010)
Drivers' Championships4 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)

The C4 WRC and Loeb maintained a 100% record on asphalt events during its WRC career, winning all 13 pure asphalt rounds of the World Rally Championship.[2]

Competition history

2007

The car made its debut at the 2007 Monte Carlo Rally in the hands of Citroën World Rally Team drivers Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Sordo. Loeb won the rally after leading throughout, with Sordo finishing as runner-up, with the pair winning the first nine of 15 stages. Loeb went on to win seven of the remaining 15 rallies that season to beat Ford's Marcus Grönholm to the title by nine points. Sordo finished fourth in the standings.

2008

Citroën retained Loeb and Sordo in their team for 2008, with Loeb winning 11 out of 15 rallies to take the title, while Sordo finished third in the standings. This was enough for Citroën to regain the manufacturers' crown.

C4 WRCs were also run by privateer squad PH-Sport for Conrad Rautenbach and Urmo Aava during the season, as well as for Junior World Rally Championship winner Sébastien Ogier at the final event of the season, Rally GB. Ogier lead the event early on despite it being his first in a WRC car.

2009

In 2009, Loeb and Sordo once again drove for the factory squad, with Loeb winning the first five events of the year and then winning the final two to beat Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen to the title by just one point. Sordo finished a solid third as Citroën retained the manufacturers' title.

PH-Sport ran a second team of C4 WRCs under the Citroën Junior Team banner for Rautenbach and Ogier, with Evgeny Novikov, Chris Atkinson and Aaron Burkart also appearing under the banner during the year. Petter Solberg ran an old Xsara WRC for his own team for most of the season, before switching to a C4 WRC for the penultimate round, and was then entered under the Junior Team banner for the final round of the season.

2010

Loeb and Sordo continued with the factory team into 2010, while the Junior Team ran Ogier and Kimi Räikkönen. Ogier, though, had a strong start to the season (including a win in Portugal) and so was swapped with Sordo for gravel rounds in the second half of the season. Ogier then won the 2010 Rally Japan as a factory driver.

Petter Solberg drove a C4 WRC for his own team and picked up eight podiums over the season, finishing third in the final standings, behind of work's drivers Ogier and Sordo.

WRC victories

No. Event Season Driver Co-driver
1 2007 Monte Carlo Rally 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
2 2007 Rally Mexico 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
3 2007 Rally de Portugal 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
4 2007 Rally Argentina 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
5 2007 Rallye Deutschland 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
6 2007 Rally Catalunya 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
7 2007 Tour de Corse 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
8 2007 Rally Ireland 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
9 2008 Monte Carlo Rally 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
10 2008 Rally Mexico 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
11 2008 Rally Argentina 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
12 2008 Rally d'Italia Sardegna 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
13 2008 Acropolis Rally 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
14 2008 Rally Finland 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
15 2008 Rallye Deutschland 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
16 2008 Rally New Zealand 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
17 2008 Rally Catalunya 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
18 2008 Tour de Corse 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
19 2008 Wales Rally GB 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
20 2009 Rally Ireland 2009 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
21 2009 Rally Norway 2009 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
22 2009 Cyprus Rally 2009 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
23 2009 Rally de Portugal 2009 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
24 2009 Rally Argentina 2009 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
25 2009 Rally Catalunya 2009 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
26 2009 Rally GB 2009 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
27 2010 Rally Mexico 2010 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
28 2010 Jordan Rally 2010 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
29 2010 Rally of Turkey 2010 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
30 2010 Rally de Portugal 2010 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia
31 2010 Rally Bulgaria 2010 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
32 2010 Rallye Deutschland 2010 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
33 2010 Rally Japan 2010 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia
34 2010 Rallye de France 2010 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
35 2010 Rally Catalunya 2010 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena
36 2010 Wales Rally GB 2010 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena

References

  1. http://juwra.com/citroen_c4_wrc.html
  2. David, Evans (25 October 2010). "Loeb praises C4's asphalt record". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
Awards
Preceded by
Ford Focus WRC
Autosport Awards
Rally Car of the Year

2008–2010
Succeeded by
Mini John Cooper Works WRC
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