After a seven-year absence, the World Rally Championship returns to the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Light drizzle greeted the competitors rather than autumn sunshine, however, as the Citroën Racing crews produced some fine performances in this morning’s Tour de Corse shakedown. Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were the team’s top performers, finishing second in their DS 3 WRC.

The shakedown was organised close to the service park, set up on the Corte airfield. After some light showers, the DS 3 WRCs completed the final test session on damp roads before setting off to Ajaccio for this evening’s ceremonial start.

Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle set the second fastest time and were the quickest of the crews with Michelin tyres (2:19.8).

“It looks set to be a very interesting challenge,” explained Kris. “There are only nine stages altogether, but they are especially long and winding. Given the weather forecast for this weekend, it’s going to be difficult for everyone. This morning, it was vital to keep on the damp tarmac. I’m pretty happy with how the shakedown went in terms of our preparation for the rally. Without the split times in the car, a driver can very quickly lose one or two seconds a kilometre and the gaps could be very big. Our aim this weekend is to make it to the finish.”

Back in the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team following his accident during recce at Rally Australia, Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson are ready to tackle one of the most demanding events on the calendar. They ended the morning in sixth position (2:21.4).

“On the stages, I didn’t feel restricted at all,” stressed Mads. “The start of the rally will be difficult, because heavy rain is forecast. I have already taken part in the Tour de Corse once before, in 2008, but I get the impression the stages are even more challenging on this new itinerary. We tried a few different set-ups during shakedown and the feeling in the DS 3 WRC was pretty good. A top-five finish would be a good result and I’m still aiming to defend my position in the championship.”

For the third rally running, Stéphane Lefebvre and Stéphane Prévot are taking part in a DS 3 WRC. The talented young Frenchman will be driving a four-wheel drive car for the first time at the Tour de Corse after recording the twelfth fastest time in the shakedown (2:23.7): “It’s a legend. There is a good reason it’s known as the Ten Thousand Corner Rally – there are turns everywhere! It is very easy to make a mistake on these incredibly narrow roads. The conditions were tough this morning, but I had a good feeling in the DS 3 WRC. I want to put together my race at my own pace and am looking to finish in seventh or eighth position. We’ll be especially focussing on the gaps by kilometre and how we improve.”

The ceremonial start will be held this evening in Ajaccio. The first leg gets underway tomorrow morning at 8am with the opening stage (Plage du Liamine – Sarrola-Carcopino) due to begin at 9.23am.

By taking pole position and winning both races at the Shanghai circuit, Citroën has retained its FIA WTCC title*.

In Race 1, the Citroën Total team took all three podium places, thanks to José María López, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb. Yvan Muller produced a magnificent comeback to emerge victorious in Race 2, with Pechito López joining him on the podium. José María López, who scored more points than anyone else this weekend, is now one step closer to the Drivers’ title, which he could make his in Thailand (31 October – 1 November).

The day began with qualifying, postponed from Saturday. The four official Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs all made it through to Q3 to battle it out for pole position. Yvan Muller was the first to go. He made a little mistake in the last sector and it was no surprise when his time was beaten by Nick Catsburg, the only driver to seriously challenge the Citroën boys’ supremacy this season. Sébastien Loeb couldn’t outdo the Dutchman, but Ma Qing Hua managed it two minutes later. José María López then rounded off the session in style by picking up his fifth pole position of the season!

A few hours later, the drivers lined up on the starting grid for Race 1. When the lights went out, Ma Qing Hua was left stranded on the grid, while José María López immediately took the lead. The first lap was chaotic, with five cars forced to withdraw after a number of collisions.

The safety car was brought out and the pack closed up, with José María López, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb leading the way. After five laps, the pace was stepped up again. Pechito put himself out of reach of his teammates, who in turn moved well clear of Catsburg. In the chasing pack, Ma Qing Hua climbed to eighth position, but was then forced to abandon his race due to a broken transmission.

With a 1-2-3 finish for López, Muller and Loeb, Citroën scored enough points to secure the WTCC title with five races to spare.

After the podium ceremony, the cars returned to the overheated asphalt for the second race of the day. It was Tarquini who took control at the start, with Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb going at it door-to-door behind him. The four-time WTCC World Champion finally got the better of the nine-time World Rally Champion. Lying in wait behind his teammates, José María López took advantage to slip in between them!

Muller never let Tarquini get away, and made his move just after the halfway mark, sneaking past his rival at his first attempt at the end of the long straight. Once he found himself out in front, the man from Alsace soon put himself in an unassailable position.

The battle for second place was far from a foregone conclusion, however. López tried to slip past Tarquini whenever the opportunity arose. But at the finish line, it was the Italian who clinched the runner-up spot by just 0.025s! Sébastien Loeb, who was struggling with a tyre that was in danger of going flat, played it safe and settled for fourth. Ma Qing Hua ended up eighth, just behind Mehdi Bennani. The Sébastien Loeb Racing driver also claimed his second victory of the weekend in the Yokohama Trophy (for independent drivers).

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

Yves Matton (Team Principal, Citroën Racing): “First of all, I would like to thank our drivers for the work they have done and for their sense of fair play. Even with the best car and the best team, you can’t achieve these kinds of results without exceptional drivers. In particular, I would like to thank Yvan, who was the first to join us and made sure we were ready from the very start of the 2014 season. When we talk about Citroën Racing, that also includes all the staff at our technical centre. You don’t see them on the television, but they are an integral part of this World Championship title.”

José María López: “Congratulations to the whole Citroën Racing team: the people who are here, but also those who stay in Versailles while we are at the circuits. As for today’s action, I was a little worried at the start of Race 1. I couldn’t see Ma Qing Hua in my rear-view mirrors and I thought he was next to me. Actually, he had had a problem at the start and I was able to take the lead. After that, I tried to avoid making any mistakes so I could be sure of scoring some valuable points. In Race 2, the battle with Gabriele Tarquini was great. That’s why I love motorsport! I couldn’t get past him, but it doesn’t matter. With a 75-point lead with two meetings to go, I have achieved my goals.”

Yvan Muller: “I struggled in free practice yesterday. But after putting in some hard work with my team, I managed to qualify for Q3 and then followed that up with two good races, with plenty of overtaking! My win in Race 2 came from a strategy of protecting my tyres when Gabriele was a little bit quicker. I then tried my luck and, although he put up a good fight, I made it past! Congratulations to Citroën. They deserve this title, because, quite simply, they are the best. Without all the people who work so hard behind us, we couldn’t do any of this.”

Sébastien Loeb: “Even with the long straight, it was difficult to overtake another Citroën out there. It’s been quite a frustrating weekend for me. I’ve lost ground on Yvan and that wasn’t really what I was hoping for. That said, I felt in good rhythm in the races. Congratulations to all the members of the team on this title, which extends a long run of success dating back to 2003.”

Ma Qing Hua: “I’m really disappointed, as we worked really hard to prepare for this meeting. I was happy with my qualifying performance, as I won a place on the front row. But I had a technical problem at the start of Race 1. I couldn’t believe it! In Race 2, I managed to gain a few places, but my tyres were very worn and I lost my rhythm as the laps went on. In any case, I’m very proud to be part of this team and to have contributed to this title. I hope to stay with Citroën for a long time to come!”

RESULTS

QUALIFYING
1. José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
2. Ma Qing Hua (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
3. Nick Catsburg (Lada Vesta WTCC)
4. Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
5. Yvan Muller (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)

RACE 1
1. José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
2. Yvan Muller (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
3. Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
4. Nick Catsburg (Lada Vesta WTCC)
5. Mehdi Bennani (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
Fastest lap: José-María López (1:52.401)

RACE 2
1. Yvan Muller (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
2. Gabriele Tarquini (Honda Civic WTCC)
3. José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
4. Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
5. Rob Huff (Lada Vesta WTCC)
6. Tiago Monteiro (Honda Civic WTCC)
7. Mehdi Bennani (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
8. Ma Qing Hua (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
Fastest lap: Sébastien Loeb (1:52.191)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: DRIVER STANDINGS
1. José-María López: 396 points
2. Yvan Muller: 321 pts
3. Sébastien Loeb: 282 pts
4. Ma Qing Hua: 177 pts
5. Norbert Michelisz: 172 pts
6. Gabriele Tarquini: 171 pts
7. Tiago Monteiro: 163 pts

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
1. Citroën: 879 points
2. Honda: 609 pts
3. Lada: 320 pts

* Subject to official publication of the results by the FIA.

The FIA WTCC qualifying session initially scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Shanghai circuit has been postponed for safety reasons. The battle for pole position will now take place on Sunday morning, just a few hours before the races. A busy day lies in store for the drivers and their technical teams!

With the best time in both free practice sessions, Ma Qing Hua was the quickest man on track today. Citroën remains well-placed to secure a second consecutive FIA World Touring Car Championship title.

A few minutes before they were due to climb into their cars for qualifying, the FIA WTCC drivers learned that the session had been postponed for safety reasons. An accident during the GT Asia race had caused serious damage to the safety barriers and their fastenings. Since significant repair work would be necessary, the officials decided to reschedule the session for Sunday morning. Q1 will begin at 8.40 a.m. and the drivers’ positions on the starting grid should be settled 5 hours before the start of the first race.

Before the announcement was made, the Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs had taken part in two free practice sessions, with Ma Qing Hua clocking the best time on both occasions. “Everything went well today. I found a good rhythm in both sessions,” explained the man from Shanghai. “We were planning to improve a few details to challenge for pole position, but that will have to wait for tomorrow now! I think the officials took the right decision by making safety their number-1 priority. Of course, it will make our task a little more difficult. The track conditions will be different and we will have to react very quickly to adapt our setups.”

The two races will take place at 2.45 and 3.55 p.m. (GMT+8), as originally planned. To claim a second FIA World Touring Car Championship title, Citroën will have to score 58 points over the course of the day.

Ma Qing Hua and Sébastien Loeb talk about the features of the Shanghai International Circuit, where Citroën try to win a new title this weekend.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team heads for Corsica and the eleventh round of the 2015 World Rally Championship season. The two DS 3 WRCs driven by Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson and Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle will be eligible to score points towards the Manufacturers’ standings.

After spending five years on the roads of Alsace between 2010 and 2014, including three memorable wins for Citroën Racing, the Rallye de France heads back to Corsica at the start of October. One of the oldest events in world rallying, the Tour de Corse returns in a classic configuration.

For the Versailles-based team, this return to Corsica brings back many fond memories: a World Championship win in 1999 for Philippe Bugalski and Jean-Paul Chiaroni, the first WRC win for the Xsara of Jesus Puras and Marc Marti in 2001, the first world title for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena in 2004 and Loeb and Elena’s historic clean sweep, when the pair won every stage at the 2005 rally.

Far from the petal-like itineraries typical of WRC rounds since 1997, the route is as innovative as it is emblematic of the history of the “Ten Thousand Turns Rally”. The crews will complete a tour of the island with the service park based in Corte. However, each day will be a genuine leg, from Ajaccio to Bastia on Friday, from Bastia to Porto-Vecchio on Saturday and from Porto-Vecchio to Ajaccio on Sunday.

This new configuration has called for a lot of work in terms of logistics in order to support the team’s efforts and follow the movements of the drivers throughout the three days of racing. From a sporting perspective, Rally Corsica is set to offer very different conditions to those on the other rounds on the WRC calendar.

A unique, traditional world championship event, the Tour de Corse features a completely revamped course. The event is made up of only nine stages – contested without the crews knowing each other’s split times – and the drivers will have to contend with some very long tests, of up to 48 kilometres.

The roads are just a series of bends on which the DS 3 WRCs will never hit top speed. And more than anything else, the island’s weather is particularly unpredictable in early autumn. A new high of 35°C was set just a few days ago, but storms are never far away, especially in the mountains, with one section peaking at over 1,300 metres above sea level.

Given the challenge posed by tarmac stages of over thirty kilometres, the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s technical unit has scheduled three days of pre-event testing in preparation for the rally. The aim is to fine-tune the set-up of the DS 3 WRCs with the Michelin Pilot Sport tyres used this season. The car has to be efficient on the most uneven sections and maintain its balance over long distances. The consistency of the handling will be one of the key factors in determining driver performance.

Forced to withdraw from Rally Australia after suffering an accident during recce, Mads Østberg has recovered from his injuries in time to compete. Required to rest for around ten days, he resumed normal activities a week before the start of the Tour de Corse. Pre-event testing scheduled for this Friday will give him the opportunity to get back up to speed behind the wheel of a WRC before beginning recce on Monday, whilst Jonas Andersson has made a full recovery following the accident.

Kris Meeke is familiar with the previous configuration of the Tour de Corse, having competed here on three occasions in two-wheel drive cars. In securing a podium-finish at Rally Australia, Kris finally turned a series of good performances into a result and established himself as the leading British driver in the championship standings. In Corsica, he returns to a surface on which he has become accustomed to doing well.

As was the case in Germany and Australia, the two Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers will be accompanied by Stéphane Lefebvre. The young Frenchman has once again been given a drive in a DS 3 WRC as he continues to learn about world rallying. He won the Junior European Rally Championship last year in Corsica.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

Yves Matton (Citroën Racing Team Principal): “We are treating the Tour de Corse like a new round on the WRC calendar. Its unusual format makes it a different rally; we started planning for it several months ago. The spread-out nature of the course, especially as regards the parc ferme, is something we needed to analyse in order to factor in all the potential situations. Apart from the logistics side of things, the event isn‘t that different from the others and we always set our sights pretty high on tarmac. Citroën Racing has a lot of experience on this type of event. We’ll fine tune the set-up of our DS 3 WRCs in pre-event testing and then treat the rally with the respect it deserves. The Tour de Corse remains a tough event, but we’ll be looking to collect a large haul of points. Kris and Mads will need to make the most of the performance of their cars and be very competitive right from the start of the race. We may adapt our strategy, depending on how the rally unfolds. By the end, we need to take points off our direct rivals in the manufacturers’ championship.”

Mads Østberg: “I have some very fond memories of the last time I competed in Corsica in a WRC. The roads are fantastic and very technical. It’s just one turn after another with loads of grip. So I’m pleased to be back in Corsica, even though preparations for the rally have been very unusual. Ordinarily, before each event, I do physical training, I work on my pace notes and look at on-board footage… This time, all I could do was rest. To be perfectly honest, I was really bored! Since Monday, I have felt more optimistic, because I have been able to start living normally again. I can drive now. I’m determined and I can’t wait to get back in the car. My aim is secure a top-five finish and defend my position in the championship.”

Kris Meeke: “It’s a new rally, really. I’m pleased to be back in Corsica, because this is a legendary World Championship venue. From what I have seen of the route, the roads should be less typically Corsican in most places than they are around Ajaccio. Although there are still a few narrow, bumpy sections elsewhere, the stages are wider, on the whole. And that just makes me even keener to get started because I love driving on tarmac. There are only nine stages, but they are very long and the weather could influence the outcome of the race. Our pre-event testing will give us the chance to define the set-up and work on the tyres. I am going to try to drive at my own pace and, if things goes well, we should be in a position to fight for a place on the podium.”

Stéphane Lefebvre: “We are going to try and do well at the return of this legendary rally to the world stage. The aim is to confirm and build on our performances in Germany and Australia. We have to up the pace but keep out of trouble. I don’t feel like I’m starting from scratch, because I’ve already found my bearings in the car. Having said that, the course is very different to Germany and is obviously nothing like Australia. But at least I’m on the pace! The rally starts for us with pre-event testing. We’ll need to pinpoint the areas that need improvement and make progress quickly. After finishing in the top 10 in Germany, I would like to move up the standings a little bit. I know that the pace will be very high, so it’s up to me to step up to the challenge. My goal is nonetheless to keep learning and finding my bearings so that I can be competitive if I get the chance to come back next year.”

THE TOUR OF CORSICA

By maintaining just the one service park, based in Corte in the middle of the island, the organisers of the Tour de Corse have designed an itinerary of three distinct legs. From Ajaccio to Bastia, from Bastia to Porto-Vecchio and from Porto-Vecchio to Ajaccio, the crews will only have nine stages to complete…

After three days of recce, the drivers will take on the shakedown on the Poggio di Venaco test (3.88km) on Thursday morning, completing a minimum of three mandatory runs from 8am onwards.

The rally will officially get underway on Friday morning at 8am opposite the Palais des Congrès in Ajaccio. The first tyre choice will be made at the airport before the crews tackle Plage du Liamone – Sarrola-Carcopino (29.12km) an hour later. After a first service period in Corte, the afternoon will feature two long stages, Casamozza – Ponte Leccia (43.69km) and Francardo – Sermano (36.43km), before a flexi-service and the end of the leg in Bastia.

From Place Saint-Nicolas, the crews will then set off on Saturday morning for Casamozza – Ponte Leccia (43.69km) and Francardo – Sermano (36.43km) before service in Corte. The longest stage of the rally, Muracciole – Col de Sorba (48.46km), which peaks at 1,300 metres above sea level, will be the only timed stage of the afternoon. It will be followed by another flexi-service, with the leg concluding in Porto-Vecchio.

On Sunday, the crews make an early start, setting off at 6.45am for three stages without a service break. The drivers will choose their tyres for Sotta – Chialza (36.71km) and Zérubia – Martini (41.46km) before being able to change them ahead of the Power Stage (Bisinao – Agosta Plage, 16.74km), which will be broadcast live on television from 12 midday. The rally is scheduled to finish in Ajaccio at 1.05pm.

In France, the rally will be shown live and in full on the subscription channel Canal + Sport.

Eleven under 28 year-old drivers are set to drive their DS 3 R3-MAXs at the Tour de Corse in the FIA Junior WRC category. This, the fifth round of the season marks the return of the Tour de Corse to the World Championship calendar. A winner of three events so far this year, Quentin Gilbert will have his first opportunity to seal the title.

On its much-anticipated return to the World Championship, the Tour de Corse welcomes the FIA Junior WRC drivers. Between 2001 and 2008, several promising young rally drivers won on the narrow, winding roads of Corsica, including Sébastien Loeb in a Citroën Saxo Super 1600 and Martin Prokop in Citroën C2 Super 1600.

The eleven FIA Junior WRC crews will be tackling the new Corsican event for the first time, its itinerary closely modelled on the old route which toured the island. Starting in Ajaccio, the crews and teams will stop off in Bastia on Friday evening and in Porto-Vecchio on Saturday evening before making back to Ajaccio on Sunday, with a programme made up of nine stages varying between 16 and almost 50 kilometres in length.

The clear favourite after winning three of the first four rounds, Quentin Gilbert will have his first opportunity to become mathematically certain of winning the title. If he wins in Corsica, Gilbert will have an unassailable lead in the championship and will thus secure a WRC2 programme in a DS 3 R5 in 2016.

With the Finn Henri Haapamaki missing and the Italian Simone Tempestini competing but unable to score points, Ole Christian Veiby will be the championship leader’s main rival. Having secured podium-finishes in Monte-Carlo and in Finland, the Norwegian has been one of the season’s major revelations in the FIA Junior WRC. His progress on the most legendary tarmac rally will be followed with great interest.

The Swiss Federico Della Casa and the Emirati Mohammed Al Mutawaa will also have to contend with a formidable challenge from other French drivers because the home contingent features some of rallying’s most promising young talents.

Jean-René Perry, a regular challenger for a podium spot in the FIA Junior WRC, the young Pierre-Louis Loubet (18 years old), born in Bastia and living in Porto-Vecchio, Terry Folb, consistently one of the quickest since the start of the year, Yohan Rossel, guided by the FFSA, and Charlotte Dalmasso, the only woman competing in the championship, will all be looking to impress in their DS 3 R3-MAXs.

Two other French drivers will be making their bow in the FIA Junior WRC at the Tour de Corse: Jordan Berfa, who first experienced rallying two seasons ago in a DS 3 R1, and the Ajaccian Jean-Philippe Martini will be using the event’s return to Corsica to measure themselves against the category’s more seasoned competitors.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

Terry Folb: “This will be my first Tour de Corse. I’ll be relying on the experience of my co-driver Franck Le Floch, who has already taken part in this event and the historic rally, and the experience of the Daumas Racing team. In the first half of the season, we did a lot of work on gravel, a surface on which I had not driven before. The aim is now to achieve some good results to help us to secure the funding to compete next year. The context is fairly specific in Corsica, with some very long stages, but I have prepared well for the event both physically and mentally. I want to show that we are capable of being at the front. My aim is to finish on the podium and I know that I have the resources to achieve that, with a team that works very well.”

Mohammed Al Mutawaa: “I really can’t wait to take part in my first rally on tarmac this season. I still have to work on my pace notes to make them more precise, because there are some details that need fine-tuning. The goal for this rally will be to improve our pace notes on the two runs in recce and see if the corrections help us to make progress.”

THE ELEVEN CREWS ENTERED

51 – Charlotte Dalmasso (FRA) / Marion Renchet (FRA)
Date of birth: 15 October 1991
Team: ISC Distribution
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 7^th, Portugal, 10^th.

53 – Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) / Anders Jaeger (NOR)
Date of birth: 17 June 1996
Team: Printsport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 3^rd – Portugal, 5^th – Finland, 3^rd.

55 – Mohammed Al Mutawaa (ARE) / Stephen McAuley (GBR)
Date of birth: 02 December 1992
Team: Abu Dhabi Racing
2015 results: Portugal, retired – Portugal, 6^th – Finland, 6^th.

57 – Yohan Rossel (FRA) / Benoît Fulcrand (FRA)
Date of birth: 13 February 1995
Team: FFSA / PH Sport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 5^th.

58 – Terry Folb (FRA) / Franck Le Floch (FRA)
Date of birth: 26 May 1990
Team: Daumas Racing / Allsports Management
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, retired – Portugal, retired – Finland, 4^th.

60 – Quentin Gilbert (FRA) / Renaud Jamoul (BEL)
Date of birth: 29 May 1989
Team: DG Sport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 1^st – Portugal, 1^st – Poland, 7^th – Finland, 1^st.

63 – Federico Della Casa (CHE) / Domenico Pozzi (ITA)
Date of birth: 11 July 1991
Team: Delta Rally
2015 results: Portugal, 7^th – Poland, 5^th – Finland, 8^th.

65 – Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA)
Date of birth: 18 February 1997
Team: PH Sport
2015 results: Portugal, 2^nd – Poland, missed – Finland, retired.

66 – Jean-René Perry (FRA) / Christopher Guieu (FRA)
Date of birth: 25 December 1992
Team: MY Racing / Allsports Management
2015 results: Portugal, 4^th – Poland, retired – Finland, 5^th.

70 – Jordan Berfa (FRA) / Damien Augustin (FRA)
Date of birth: 31 March 1995
Team: CHL Sport Auto
2015 results: first appearance.

76 – Jean-Philippe Martini (FRA) / Ambroise Fieschi (FRA)
Date of birth: 9 September 1987
Team: Delta Rally
2015 results: first appearance.

FIA JUNIOR WRC STANDINGS

1. Quentin Gilbert 81 points
2. Henri Haapamaki 48 points
3. Simone Tempestini 47 points
4. Ole Christian Veiby 40 points
5. Jean-René Perry 22 points
6. Federico Della Casa 20 points
7. Christian Riedemann, Osian Pryce and Pierre-Louis Loubet 18 points
10. Mohammed Al Mutawaa 16 points
11. Terry Folb and Matthieu Margaillan 12 points
13. Yohan Rossel 10 points
14. Alessandro Re and Kornel Lukacs 8 points
16. Jari Huutunen 6 points
17. Charlotte Dalmasso 5 points
18. Daniel McKenna 4 points

NATIONS TROPHY

1. France 87 points
2. Italy 57 points
3. Finland 51 points
4. Norway 45 points
5. Switzerland 30 points
6. United Arab Emirates 20 points
7. United Kingdom and Germany 18 points
9. Hungary 16 points
10. Ireland 8 points

2015 CALENDAR

22-25 January                Rallye Monte-Carlo
21-24 May                    Rally de Portugal
2-7 July                         Rally Poland
30 July – 2 August         Rally Finland
1-4 October                   Rallye de France
22-25 October               Rally de España
12-15 November          Wales GB Rally

Citroën Total will be aiming to secure its second consecutive World Touring Car Championship title at the tenth meeting of the season in Shanghai. Ma Qing Hua cannot wait to drive his Citroën C-Elysée WTCC in front of his home crowd.

José María López, who now has a comfortable lead over Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb, will also be looking to move a step closer to a title that has become a three-horse race between him and his Citroën teammates.

Just two weeks after the Japanese round, the FIA WTCC is heading to Shanghai for what looks like being one of the highlights of the season.

Accounting for more than a quarter of Citroën’s global sales, China is the brand’s premier market, ahead of France. In 2014, Citroën’s growth in China (14%) outstripped that of the market as a whole (10%) and vehicles sales hit a record 320,000. This dynamism was driven in no small measure by an assault on the C-segment. From its first full year on the market, the Citroën C-Elysée was a bestseller, with more than 100,000 units sold. Its appeal has been confirmed in 2015, when figures have continued to rise.

The arrival of the Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs is therefore a major event for Dongfeng Citroën, which reaps the image benefits of the car’s involvement in motorsport all year round.
Just like last year, Citroën arrives in Shanghai in an ideal position to win the Manufacturers’ World Championship. Having emerged victorious in 15 races out of 18, the C-Elysée WTCC drivers have amassed 787 points, as against 560 for the second-placed team. However its rivals perform, Citroën requires only 58 more points to seal the title. Given that it has averaged 87 points per meeting thus far, the task is well within the reach of the team and its drivers!

“Winning our second consecutive world title in Shanghai would be the ideal scenario,” admitted Citroën Racing Team Principal Yves Matton. “But we never take anything for granted and we won’t relax until after the finish. We want to show a bit of panache like we did last year, when we claimed the top four places in an FIA WTCC race for the first time.”

MA QING HUA ON HOME TURF

Of all the Citroën drivers, one is feeling even more motivated than the others. He is, of course, local boy Ma Qing Hua! The 28-year-old has established himself as one of the rising stars of the competition. In the last three meetings (Paul Ricard, Vila Real and Motegi), he has been the second-highest-scoring driver, behind López but ahead of Michelisz, Loeb and Muller.

Second in qualifying and in Race 1 in 2014, Ma Qing Hua makes no secret of his ambition to make it onto the highest step of the podium this time around: ”Last year, I had a lot less experience. It was only my fourth race, but I managed to compete with Pechito. Since then, we have had the time to analyse the data with my engineers, and we know exactly where I lost time against him… This year, I’m coming into the meeting feeling confident after my recent results. We know exactly what we’re aiming for and I’m hoping to have a really good weekend. This is the race I want to win more than any other!”

Built in 2004 for Formula 1, the immense Shanghai circuit is very popular with drivers. Ma Qing Hua is no exception, although he insists he is no great expert on the 5.451 km track: “There are a lot of tracks in Europe I know better. But I have driven a lot of different cars in Shanghai: FR 2.0, GP2, F1, CTCC… Most of the time, they were just one-off experiences, so I’m happy to be back here at the wheel of the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC. It’s not an easy track, particularly with a front-wheel drive like ours. In terms of setup, you have to find a compromise between peak speed – because we’ve got one of the longest two or three straights of the season – and stability on the fast turns. Like a lot of drivers, I like the ‘snail’ combination on turns 1 to 3. It’s a unique venue where each driver can take a different line.”

THIS YEAR’S WORLD CHAMPION DRIVES A CITROËN

Before Motegi, seven drivers could still aspire to win the Drivers’ World Championship. Now, there are but three, and they have one thing in common: they all drive a Citroën C-Elysée WTCC! Realistically, things look very good for José María López. The Argentine now leads Yvan Muller by 74 points. “There’s not much suspense anymore! Even if Pechito were to come away from Shanghai without a point to his name, he wouldn’t be in danger, as he would still have a healthy lead with four races to go,” admitted the four-time World Champion. “You never know what might happen, but as far as I’m concerned it’s done and dusted. Nevertheless, I still want to enjoy the end of the season and push for victory.”

Yvan Muller, meanwhile, is just 17 points clear of Sébastien Loeb, meaning the battle for the runner-up slot could add some spice to the last few races. ”When you’re not first, it doesn’t really matter if you finish second or third. But second is still better than third,” philosophised the most successful rally driver of all time. “I’m not going to focus on that. Above all I just want to put in some good performances.”

“I’m sticking to my policy of trying to get the best possible result on every occasion,” said José María López. ”We saw at Motegi that you can find yourself out of contention after one turn. I can’t control everything. You also need a bit of luck to win races and titles. I’m happy to be returning to Shanghai, a circuit where I did well last year and which holds excellent memories for us, as it is where we won the Manufacturers’ title. I hope we do just as well this year. We’ve certainly got the potential to do so.”

THE PROGRAMME

The weekend’s racing schedule looks set to offer plenty of excitement for the crowd, with a total of 11 races spanning seven touring-car and GT competitions. The FIA WTCC TC1s will make their first appearance on track at 12.20 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, the two free practice sessions are scheduled for 8.30 and 11.10 a.m., while qualifying will start at 2.20 p.m. The two races will take place at 2.45 and 3.55 p.m. on Sunday, each lasting 14 laps. China is in the GMT+8 time zone, 6 hours ahead of France.

José María López secured his seventh race win of the season at Motegi, extending his lead at the top of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The Japanese meeting narrowed the field of possible title contenders, with Citroën Total drivers José María López, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb now the only men still in the running.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Leaders for almost half of Rally Australia, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle finished third overall in their DS 3 WRC. Last-minute replacements for Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson, Stéphane Lefebvre and Stéphane Prévot made it to the end and scored a point for the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

José María López secured his seventh race win of the season at Motegi, extending his lead at the top of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The Japanese meeting narrowed the field of possible title contenders, with Citroën Total drivers José María López, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb now the only men still in the running.

The Citroën team’s points haul from this weekend means it can wrap up the Manufacturers title in the next round in Shanghai on 25-27 September.

Despite the menacing skies and forecasts of rain, Race 1 got under way on a dry track. Norbert Michelisz was unable to take advantage of his pole position, with José María López getting a better start and passing him at the first turn! Sébastien Loeb, who was third on the grid, nestled in behind Michelisz, but found himself boxed in on the outside and was overtaken by Gabriele Tarquini and Yvan Muller, who shot out of the blocks like a cannonball from the fourth row.

Seb then locked horns with Ma Qing Hua, with the two Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs going at it door-to-door for a few bends before the Chinese driver had the last word. The race order at the end of lap 1, then, was López, Michelisz, Tarquini, Muller, Ma, Loeb, Bennani.

But the reigning WTCC champion had to wait until midway through the race to open up a significant gap on the chasing pack. With four laps to go, Ma Qing Hua pulled off a terrific manoeuvre to snatch fourth place from Yvan Muller. Loeb, too, then gained ground on the four-time WTCC champion, but there were to be no further changes in the standings before the chequered flag, giving José María López his seventh victory of the season!

With the first ten from the Race 1 starting grid lining up in reverse order for Race 2, the second race promised to be a trickier proposition for the Citroën team. The few drops of rain that fell during the repair time were not enough to soak the track, and all the drivers opted to stick with their slicks. The first turn was an eventful affair in the pack: José María López was rear-ended, sending him crashing into Sébastien Loeb. The Race 1 winner was forced to pull out of the running with a punctured front left tyre. Pushed into Hugo Valente by Gabriele Tarquini, Yvan Muller managed to hang onto third place, while Ma Qing Hua and Sébastien Loeb finished lap 1 in fifth and seventh respectively.

Lying in fourth spot after moving past Tarquini, Ma Qing Hua was sent crashing off by the Italian, relegating him to eighth. Tarquini was awarded a 30-second penalty for his manoeuvre after the race.

Yvan Muller, who had been pushing hard to try and snatch second place from Hugo Valente, was ultimately left with no choice but to throw in the towel. Having been damaged in the collision on the first bend, his bonnet fastener gave out and he was called into the pits for safety reasons.

The race remained lively until the last, thanks to an epic tussle between Rob Huff, Sébastien Loeb and Gabriele Tarquini. Despite launching countless attacks, Loeb just couldn’t find his way past Huff. Tarquini took advantage to slip past the nine-time World Rally Champion, before Seb reclaimed his spot just before the chequered flag!

The Citroën team scored enough points to keep them in an ideal position in the Manufacturers’ World Championship. Provided it doesn’t drop more than 37 points in Shanghai in two weeks’ time, Citroën will secure its second successive world title.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

Xavier Mestelan, Deputy Team Principal, Citroën Racing: “Despite carrying 60 kg of ballast, which is a major handicap on a circuit like this, we managed to perform well. First of all, I must pay tribute to Pechito López for his win. He got a terrific start and followed that up with a perfect race. Things didn’t go quite so well for him in Race 2, but that is sometimes how it goes when you’re in the pack. Sébastien Loeb, Ma Qing Hua and Yvan Muller put on a good show too, and I think the crowd here in Motegi has seen two entertaining WTCC races! Citroën is now in an ideal position to secure another World Championship title. That will be our ambition at the next meeting in China.”

José María López: “Japan has been pretty good to me! I got off to a great start in Race 1 and managed to overtake Michelisz before the first bend. I thought it would be harder to keep him at bay, as our 60 kg of ballast were a real handicap on this circuit. But as it turned out, I was able to pull away and get the win. In Race 2, another driver ran into me and I couldn’t avoid hitting Seb. I’m really sorry about that, but fortunately it didn’t totally ruin his race. Since Yvan didn’t fare any better than I did, the gap between us has widened. That means I can go into the next few races feeling quietly confident, but I certainly won’t be relaxing.”

Sébastien Loeb: “I took the wrong option at the start of Race 1. It could have paid off, but I found myself boxed in and I dropped a few places… I came back at Yvan in the last few laps. He made a little mistake but I wasn’t able to capitalise. Race 2 was decided at the start to a large extent, when Pechito ran into me, allowing Huff and Lapierre to overtake. The battle with Gabriele was really exciting. Fortunately I was able to take fourth place back from him on the very last bend!”

Ma Qing Hua: “Like yesterday, I felt good out there, and I was able to get the better of Seb and then Yvan in Race 1. In Race 2, Tarquini literally pushed me off, and that ruined my race. Without that incident, I think I could have challenged for a podium spot. I’m really looking forward to the FIA WTCC coming to my Shanghai, my home town!”

Yvan Muller: “It wasn’t a great weekend for me. I wasn’t totally happy with the car, but I tried to give myself the best chance I could. I got two good starts, particularly in Race 2. But the collision damaged my exhaust and I lost power as a result. Then the bonnet came loose and that put paid to my hopes. Otherwise, a podium place could have been on the cards.”

RESULTS/STANDINGS

RACE 1

1. José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
2. Norbert Michelisz (Honda Civic WTCC)
3. Gabriele Tarquini (Honda Civic WTCC)
4. Ma Qing Hua (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
5. Yvan Muller (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
6. Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
7. Mehdi Bennani (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
8. Rob Huff (Lada Vesta)
9. Tiago Monteiro (Honda Civic WTCC)
10. Hugo Valente (Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1)

Fastest lap: Gabriele Tarquini (1:57.136)

RACE 2

1. Tiago Monteiro (Honda Civic WTCC)
2. Hugo Valente (Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1)
3. Rob Huff (Lada Vesta)
4. Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
5. Ma Qing Hua (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
6. Tom Chilton (Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1)
7. Tom Coronel (Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1)
8. Nicolas Lapierre (Lada Vesta)
9. Stefano D’Aste (Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1)
10. Mehdi Bennani (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)

Fastest lap: Tiago Monteiro (1:57.513)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: DRIVER STANDINGS

1. José-María López: 351 points
2. Yvan Muller: 277 pts
3. Sébastien Loeb: 253 pts
4. Ma Qing Hua: 169 pts
5. Norbert Michelisz: 164 pts
6. Gabriele Tarquini: 153 pts
7. Tiago Monteiro: 151 pts
8. Hugo Valente: 94 pts

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: MANUFACTURER STANDINGS

1. Citroën: 787 points
2. Honda: 560 pts
3. Lada: 270 pts