Portugal was always an iconic event on the World Rally Championship, although it did not form part of the series from 2002 and 2006. It returned to the WRC last year, but this season forms part of the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge). The new-look Portugal Rally takes place entirely in the Algarve, the country’s most southerly region. A number of elements have been carried over directly from last year: the service park next to the Algarve Stadium and classic stages such as S. Bras Alportel (SS4-7) or Ourique (SS9-12). Other aspects, such as the timing of the event, are quite different. Just over 249 competitive kilometres have been spread over three days and 13 special stages – including a brand new all-asphalt superspecial stage that will run through the streets of Faro. The rest of the rally will take place on gravel.
« I’m very pleased to be getting to know this rally », enthused Simon Jean-Joseph. « Portugal is a country that I really love. Motorsport enjoys huge support there and every event turns into a massive party. The fans are extremely knowledgeable and we receive a very warm welcome. I’m even more motivated than ever following the mishap during our last rally with the C2-R2 MAX: I’m keen to put things right. I know that we have the chance of scoring a very good result, and our aim is to make that happen in Faro – where the quite smooth and fast gravel should suit our car. »
« We will be competing against an extremely high quality field, with a number of very well-known crews, » added the man from Martinique. « The traction, roadholding and user-friendliness of our Citroën C2-R2 MAX, matched to our excellent tyres supplied by BFGoodrich are our trump cards. This will once more allow us to take on some extremely talented drivers not just from our own class, but from the class above – which is again our objective. »
Jean-François Liénéré, in charge of Citroën Sport’s customer competition programme, commented: « From its very first rally on gravel in England, we could see how competitive the Citroën C2-R2 MAX was on this surface. Unfortunately, an impact with a big rock that was right on the racing line meant that Simon and Jack were not able to finish the job off. But the performances shown by drivers with far less experience than Simon, during the second round of the C2 Junior Experience on the Jordan Rally, underlined the car’s excellent potential. In Portugal, the Citroën crew is going to once more try and punch above its weight. The day after the rally, in collaboration with Citroën Portugal and the Algarve Automobile Club, we will be hosting a day of promotion and presentation of the C2-R2 MAX, which will allow Portuguese media and drivers to sample the new car for themselves. »
The Portugal Rally will also be the third round of the ‘Citroën C2 Challenge’, organised by Citroën Portugal.
Tags: Citroen C2, R2 Max