Citroën, Loeb and Sordo gunning for more titles!
Rally Sweden (11 – 14 February 2010) – Presentation

The Citroën Total World Rally Team and its two crews will start Rally Sweden, the first round of the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship, with their motivation at an all-time high! Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena will be gunning for a seventh consecutive title, while Dani Sordo and Marc Marti will be the key men in Citroën’s conquest of a sixth crown in the Manufacturers’ World Championship.

The FIA World Rally Championship will kick off after a 3-month break on the icy roads of Sweden. The greater part of Rally Sweden, still run around Karlstad, will take place in the Hagfors region, where the service park will be located.

The specials, run on frozen gravel, are wide and fast. Sébastien Loeb does more than just defend his corner on this type of surface on which the Scandinavian drivers are much more at home than their Latin rivals. Remember that the six-time world champion scored his first victory on a surface other than asphalt in Sweden in 2004. Last year, he also won in Norway in his C4 WRC. Despite this, Seb doesn’t feel that he is the favourite for the opening round. “I like starting the season with this rally but it looks like the conditions are going to be very difficult (see further on). You just have to stay on the road, which isn’t all that easy when I think back to the 2008 rally. My only aim is to rack up another world title, but the way last season panned out shows that you can’t count your chickens before they’re hatched!”

Dani Sordo’s season began a few days ago. In order to get back in the groove, the young Spaniard raced in the Arctic Lapland Rally, the opening round of the Finnish Championship. It was a success, as he set all the fastest times in the rally. “It was a great way of boosting my confidence on this surface. Even though I didn’t really have any rivals there’s nothing like competition to get you back into the right rhythm and feel the reflexes coming back! Unlike a test session where we use the same route so we know it by heart, each special was a new challenge for me and I had to analyse the behaviour of the C4 WRC. The route was very similar to that of Rally Sweden so I feel absolutely ready.”

Dani’s main aim hasn’t changed in relation the previous seasons, which is a crucial factor in the conquest of the Manufacturers’ title. “You have to be quick, consistent and score the maximum number of points in each rally. That’ll still be the case in 2010 but I want to push even harder. I’m really determined to win my first WRC rally this year. I know I can do it, and whether it comes in one of the asphalt rounds or the gravel events that I like very much such as Mexico, New Zealand or Portugal, doesn’t make any difference.”

“You don’t change a winning team so we’re tackling 2010 with the same crew as the previous seasons. The final year of the World Rally Cars looks like being a great one for the World Championship - and for Citroën - which has a real dream team,” adds Olivier Quesnel, the Citroën Racing Team Principal. “The drivers of the five C4 WRCs entered this season have all been word champions in motor racing: namely, Sébastien Loeb, Dani Sordo, Sébastien Ogier, Kimi Raïkkönen, and Petter Solberg with his own team. Difficult to do much better!”

Three questions to Sébastien Loeb
Unlike most of your rivals in the world championship, you’re starting your season in Sweden. Is the lack of competition a handicap?
“Holidays are pretty good too! Between testing, prize-giving and promotions I’ve not had enough time to get bored since we last saw each other in Cardiff! I’m happy that I was able to take a breather, but the two days practice I did in Sweden got me back into the swing of things. Now I can’t wait to be at the start of the first special.”

What about the rally? As the winner of the last winter rally do you think you’re the favourite?
“The conditions will be very different to those of the 2008 event. Snow’s fallen on frozen gravel, the temperature hasn’t risen above zero and the snow hasn’t been transformed into a layer of ice. We’re faced with a layer of powdery snow covering frozen earth so the grip level is going to keep on changing. It’s a bit like Russian roulette, and I’d really prefer a good layer of ice with constant grip. I don’t think I’m the favourite, as the Finns will feel much more at home than me. But you just have to keep it between the hedges!”

You’re aiming for a seventh consecutive world title. Did the way the second half of the 2009 season panned out change your approach?
“Since I lost the title by one point (in 2003) I’ve always applied the same logic. Every point is vital when you want to win a championship as difficult as the WRC. The way things went last year only confirmed this viewpoint. This being said, when Lady Luck deserts you, there’s nothing you can do! With this season about to begin I’m still in the same frame of mind as last year. I’ll start every rally with the intention of winning it.”

Useful information
Rally Sweden (round 1/13) (11-14 February)
Surface: ice and snow
Where: Karlstad
Practical information: The service park is situated at Hagfors airport, with a satellite press office nearby. The Media Centre and HQ is at the Elite Stadshotellet in Karlstad. There is no time difference between Sweden and central Europe. On the first day of the rally, Thursday 11 February, the sun will rise at 07:53 and set at 16:48. In February, the ambient temperature ranges between 0°C and -20°C. The local currency is the Swedish kronor (SEK). 1€ = 10.75 SEK.
Technical: The engines used in Sweden will be used again in Jordan and New Zealand.
Tyres: Each crew will have 42 Pirelli Sottozero WRC tyres at their disposal for the event. Tyre warmers and cutting the tyres is forbidden.
Reconnaissance: This will take place on Tuesday 9 February between 08:00 and 18:00 and Wednesday
10 February between 08:00 and 21:00, with a maximum of two runs over each special stage. The maximum speed allowed is 70 kph unless local signs indicate a lower limit.
Shakedown: Thursday 11 February between 08:00 and 12:00 at Hagfors, on a four-kilometre special stage to the south of the service park.
Press conference: Thursday 11 February at 13:30 in the Media Centre.
Start: Thursday 11 February at the horse-racing track in Karlstad at 20:00 before the superspecial Route: Total distance is 1879.23 km, of which 345.15 km are competitive. There are 21 special stages (11 different stages).
Final podium: Sunday 14 February, from 15:30.
Final press conference: Sunday 14 February at 16:30 in the Media Centre.

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