Citroën to enter the FIA WTCC with Sébastien Loeb in 2014

Motor racing is hard-coded in
Citroën’s DNA, but it comes in many shapes and sizes. After dominating
several road-based events around the world for over twenty years, the
Brand is now set to turn its attention to track racing, entering the FIA
World Touring Car Championship [FIA WTCC] from 2014 onwards.




This will be a new challenge both for Citroën
Racing and for Sébastien Loeb, who will be driving one of the cars
entered in the championship. 

After first mentioning that it was considering taking part in the FIA
WTCC at the opening of last year’s Paris Motor Show, Citroën can now
confirm it will be joining the championship in 2014. Holder of five
Cross Country Rally World Cups and eight World Rally Championship
Manufacturers’ titles, Citroën will therefore be entering an
international track racing championship for the first time. This strong
message underlines the importance of motorsport for Citroën, a
technological laboratory for the French manufacturer, and the Brand’s
determination to continue its fantastic relationship with Sebastien Loeb
by taking on this new challenge together.



“Citroën Racing has spent the last few months looking in detail at
the opportunity of going ahead with this programme,” revealed Frédéric
Banzet, CEO of the Citroën Brand. “The WTCC is based on several aspects
that are essential to Citroën: extensive media coverage, regulations
that keep costs down and a genuinely global race calendar. Our
involvement in this championship will give us not only another chance to
showcase our Créative Technologie but it will also help us to
develop the Brand in promising, growth markets such as China, Russia and
South America. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our
longstanding partner, Total, who will remain at our side for this new
adventure.”



Citroën Racing’s entry into the world of track racing will coincide
with the introduction of a new generation of cars, which are more
spectacular than the current crop. “Competing in a category for the
first time, starting from scratch, gives our division a superb
challenge,” confirmed Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal.
“Having said that, we will be able to re-use a large part of our
existing expertise, starting with the DS3 WRC’s 1.6-litre direct
injection turbo engine. Work has already begun in our Versailles
technical centre and is set to be stepped up in the coming weeks, with
the first tests of our car and the start of our development programme to
prepare for the 2014 season. Obviously, we’re still committed to
rallying and we’ll continue to work hard to try and get the best
possible result in 2013. Our partnership with Abu Dhabi is set to be
reinforced, enabling us to continue to be involved in WRC with a new
system and with new objectives.”



Citroën Racing will be taking part in the entire 2014 FIA WTCC
season. Obviously, the name of the first driver is already familiar:
after winning nine World Rally Championship Drivers’ titles in a Xsara,
C4 and DS3 WRC, Sébastien Loeb has made no secret of his enthusiasm
about tackling this challenge with his favourite team: “First of all, I
am pleased that this has been confirmed. It’s a bit of a dream to think
that we are going to write a new chapter in our history. I can’t wait to
get out on track in the car and start testing. I have used this
transitional year to try out various experiences and to improve my track
driving skills. I don’t expect to win straight away, but I am
determined to get there one day.”




Source : Citroen Press Release