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Simon Jean-Joseph and Jack Boyere took their BFGoodrich-shod, PH Sport-run Citroen C2 S1600 to 8th place overall on this weekend’s Rally Turkey. They also secured victory in both Group A and the Super 1600 category.

Based in the Istanbul region, this gravel event was the second round of both the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and the European Rally Championship (ERC).
Although fast, its stages – which were new to the majority of competitors – were challenging and technically demanding, with somefairly rough portions and frequent changes in the amount of available grip.

Simon and Jack set off from this morning’s service park on the seafront in Pendik, not far from the Bosporus Straight, for a programme of 112.04 competitive kilometres divided into eight stages. The Citroen crew knew however that it would be tough to improve on 9th overall against the four-wheel drive machinery ahead of them on the leaderboard, but they were intent on defending their overnight position.

“I really had to concentrate hard on the slippery, 20.85km-long SS12/16 in order to lose as little ground as possible in the many places that called for hard re-acceleration,” explained Simon at the finish. “We were able to push harder on the other stages which were more like what we saw on Saturday.” In the end, Simon and Jack came through the weekend unscathed and profited from the clockwork reliability of their Citroen C2 to claim 8th overall.

“The stages were really magnificent,” concluded Simon. “The only thing is to perhaps drop the idea of running them in both directions. Apart from the places that were either unfavourable to us or else very rough, driving the Citroen C2 S1600 for the first time on the loose was great fun. Its potential and reliability are awesome, although it was always going to be difficult to beat the four-wheel drive cars in normal circumstances. After changing to a set-up more suited to the terrain, it was great to be in a position where I could push as hard as I wanted. We finished 8th, but we score the points equivalent to finishing 7th in the ERC, a result that seemed pretty much impossible before the start.”

Alexis Avril, the Technical Manager of Citroen Sport’s Customer Competition Department, was also very positive about the weekend: “We didn’t have any benchmarks with the C2 S1600 for the specific characteristics of these stages before the start. It was a case of trying to find the ideal compromise between a hard set-up, which would penalise traction, and softer settings that would detract from diving precision. In the end, the solution we found worked well.”

Customer Competition Manager Yves Matton was also pleased with the weekend in Turkey: “After a difficult start, Simon and the PH Sport team recovered well which shows that they operate well together. The stages weren’t ideal for two-wheel drive machinery but Simon and Jack pushed from start to finish and didn’t make the slightest mistake. We knew it wouldn’t be easy but thanks to the Citroen C2 S1600’s strength and qualities we come away with a top-ten finish on gravel which is an excellent performance.”

Simon Jean-Joseph and Jack Boyere parked up their PH Sport-tended Citroen C2 S1600 in this evening’s parc ferme in Pendik in 9th position overall and on top of both the Group A and Super 1600 leaderboards.

The opening leg of this gravel event, which is the second round of both the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and the European Rally Championship (ERC), featured a menu of 11 stages totalling 137.81km and was divided into several loops located essentially in the outskirts of Istanbul to the north-east of Pendik.

Annoyed by his mediocre run on Friday’s asphalt super-special which saw him post a lowly 39th quickest time, Simon was eager for action to resume this morning. “I drove terribly yesterday evening,” he admits frankly. “In fact I changed the way I drive so as not to make any mistakes because the stage was lined with high kerbs. As it turned out, however, being over-cautious ended up playing against me. This morning I was really looking forward to tackling the first real stages with my C2 S1600 in order to make amends.”

On his first return to service, the Citroen driver was quick to praise the route. “I had my reserves but I was pleasantly surprised because it was nothing like what Jack and I have come across on occasions in Turkey in the past.” His times, however, left him scratching his head a little… “Given the fact that I’m running fifth on the road, the stages hadn’t been completely swept clean and I had a lot of wheelspin. The set-up also needs changing to adapt it better to the terrain.”

“Along with the PH Sport mechanics, we changed the dampers to try and give Simon some more grip,” explained Alexis Avril, Technical Manager of Citroen Sport’s Customer Competition Department. “For the same reason, we also added extra cuts to the treads of his BFGoodrich tyres compared with this morning’s loop.” These changes had an immediate effect, enabling Simon and his C2 S1600 to battle directly with the pack of four-wheel drive cars as he fought his way back up through the field.

“The car is performing much better thanks to the changes we made to the set-up at service,” observed Simon. “Only the poorly swept portions are still a problem for us. I am pleased with the improvements we have made to the C2 and I have a good feeling with the car.” The Citroen driver posted several top-ten times to complete the day in 9th place overall.

Customer Competition Manager Yves Matton believes the day can be divided into two distinct halves: “After this morning’s difficult start, which was due notably to an inappropriate set-up for the opening loop, Simon Jean-Joseph and the PH Sport team succeeded in turning the tables to reveal the potential of the Citroen C2 Super 1600 on these stages which really favour four-wheel drive machinery. Simon is 9th overall this evening and will try to move further up the leaderboard tomorrow, but it won’t be easy.”