Citroen Total World Rally Team
Based out of Versailles, in France, the Citroen Total World Rally Team has been one of the front runners in the World Rally Championships, since it's inception in 1989. With the World Champion, Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo behind the wheel, the team is looking to better on their record of 4 Drivers' Championships and 3 Manufacturers' Championships in the last 5 years.
History however, has been different for the French Team. Up until 1996, Citroen could barely claim any success at the highest level of rallying. Their main focus was on off-road endurance events. By the mid – 1990s, The focus was being put back on rallying as the prestige of the competition grew. The Citroen ZX Rally Raid gave way to the ZX Hatchback version that was to be their main weapon of choice. Early developments on this model, in 1996 and 1997, led Jesus Puras to claim their first major victory in the Spanish National Title in 1997.
1998 saw the brand new Xsara come out into the fray and then, in 1999, started some serious work on the new World Rally Car.
But it wasn't before 2001 that the Xsara could actually come out onto the tracks in the team's colours. Things, from that point forth, were on all part of an upward swing on the graph. Puras and Bugalski, their two drivers, started the debut race for the new car in Catalunya in impressive style. Both retired with mechanical problems after leading the race with a one-two. The gravel tracks of Greece saw Bugalski come in at sixth but it was on asphalt that the car was really a sight to behold. Puras led the race at Sanremo and then won in France. Meanwhile, a relatively unknown but highly rated driver was coming up the ranks with a win in the Super 1600 title with Citroen's Saxo. The dynamo joined the first team and scored an incredible second place in Sanremo. This man was instrumental in their future challenges for the World Title and later became one of the most well known names in the history of Rallying. He was also known as the 'Michael Schumacher of Rallying' and aptly so, as Sebastien Loeb was just getting ready to rule the world.
Citroen just took part in 8 rounds in the 2002 season and continued testing the car outside of the race track. This proved crucial in their full fledged assault launched in 2003. A star studded line up of drivers faced Sebastien Loeb in the 2003 season and included people of the likes of Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae. All the early races had mixed results for the team but once the Asphalt tracks started, things started looking up for the team. Loeb raised his game to an incredible level. He pushed Petter Solberg and his Subaru to the edge, almost winning the Drivers' title. He did, however, help Citroen bag the Manufacturer's title that year. 2004 came and brought forth what is probably the most dominant season ever in the history of the sport. Loeb took the Drivers' title easily and Citroen, the Manufacturers'.
They started developing the new C4WRC and the off-season focus gave the impression that Citroen would probably not be as invincible as they were the season before. However, up stepped Loeb and destroyed the competition. With 10 wins, Loeb set a new World Record for the most wins in a season, Citroen won 11 races. Loeb also won six successive titles, an unprecedented feat, as well as both the titles.
In 2006, Citroen took a break and were represented by Kronos Racing, a privateer outfit. The car used by the team was an updated version of the Xsara WRC and this gave Sebastien Loeb his third successive title.
The C4WRC came in to the picture in 2007 and Loeb was back in the familiar Red and White overalls. Dani Sordo joined him in the quest for a title. The story was the same. Loeb signaled the inevitable with a win at Monte Carlo in the first round and despite some heavy fighting fro Marcus Gronholm, he went on to take the title with 8 wins in the season.
The 2008 season will see Loeb and Sordo push for the title again, in the C4WRC. They will be back in the title hunt and Olivier Quesnel, their new team principal, will be looking to end Ford's dominance in the manufacturer's championships.
History however, has been different for the French Team. Up until 1996, Citroen could barely claim any success at the highest level of rallying. Their main focus was on off-road endurance events. By the mid – 1990s, The focus was being put back on rallying as the prestige of the competition grew. The Citroen ZX Rally Raid gave way to the ZX Hatchback version that was to be their main weapon of choice. Early developments on this model, in 1996 and 1997, led Jesus Puras to claim their first major victory in the Spanish National Title in 1997.
1998 saw the brand new Xsara come out into the fray and then, in 1999, started some serious work on the new World Rally Car.
But it wasn't before 2001 that the Xsara could actually come out onto the tracks in the team's colours. Things, from that point forth, were on all part of an upward swing on the graph. Puras and Bugalski, their two drivers, started the debut race for the new car in Catalunya in impressive style. Both retired with mechanical problems after leading the race with a one-two. The gravel tracks of Greece saw Bugalski come in at sixth but it was on asphalt that the car was really a sight to behold. Puras led the race at Sanremo and then won in France. Meanwhile, a relatively unknown but highly rated driver was coming up the ranks with a win in the Super 1600 title with Citroen's Saxo. The dynamo joined the first team and scored an incredible second place in Sanremo. This man was instrumental in their future challenges for the World Title and later became one of the most well known names in the history of Rallying. He was also known as the 'Michael Schumacher of Rallying' and aptly so, as Sebastien Loeb was just getting ready to rule the world.
Citroen just took part in 8 rounds in the 2002 season and continued testing the car outside of the race track. This proved crucial in their full fledged assault launched in 2003. A star studded line up of drivers faced Sebastien Loeb in the 2003 season and included people of the likes of Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae. All the early races had mixed results for the team but once the Asphalt tracks started, things started looking up for the team. Loeb raised his game to an incredible level. He pushed Petter Solberg and his Subaru to the edge, almost winning the Drivers' title. He did, however, help Citroen bag the Manufacturer's title that year. 2004 came and brought forth what is probably the most dominant season ever in the history of the sport. Loeb took the Drivers' title easily and Citroen, the Manufacturers'.
They started developing the new C4WRC and the off-season focus gave the impression that Citroen would probably not be as invincible as they were the season before. However, up stepped Loeb and destroyed the competition. With 10 wins, Loeb set a new World Record for the most wins in a season, Citroen won 11 races. Loeb also won six successive titles, an unprecedented feat, as well as both the titles.
In 2006, Citroen took a break and were represented by Kronos Racing, a privateer outfit. The car used by the team was an updated version of the Xsara WRC and this gave Sebastien Loeb his third successive title.
The C4WRC came in to the picture in 2007 and Loeb was back in the familiar Red and White overalls. Dani Sordo joined him in the quest for a title. The story was the same. Loeb signaled the inevitable with a win at Monte Carlo in the first round and despite some heavy fighting fro Marcus Gronholm, he went on to take the title with 8 wins in the season.
The 2008 season will see Loeb and Sordo push for the title again, in the C4WRC. They will be back in the title hunt and Olivier Quesnel, their new team principal, will be looking to end Ford's dominance in the manufacturer's championships.
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