Citroen has been using a number of high-profile guest drivers to finalise the new car’s development - including Kris Meeke and Stephane Sarrazin - with Ogier the latest driver to put the new 1.6 turbo Group R car through its paces.
Having climbed to seventh at the end of day two on the all-asphalt Rallye du Var, the final round of the French Rally Championship, a final push from Ogier saw him finish fifth - around three minutes behind Renault’s Formula One star Robert Kubica, who was fourth in a Renault Clio S1600 after setting three overall fastest stage times.
“We’ve driven well and made a good contribution to the development of the car on this unique territory,” said Ogier, who was contesting the Rallye du Var for the first time. “We’ve come across the worst possible conditions but the DS3 R3 has shown itself to be consistently competitive, particularly on the soaking wet roads of Sunday.”
At the beginning of next year, the new car will be available to customers, and it is expected to become a highlight of the Production Car World Rally Championship, which will admit two-wheel drive cars from next year.
“This victory in Group R is a great reward for everyone’s efforts,” added Ogier. “I’m sure it’s going to lead to plenty more. This car is very sophisticated: I think of the DS3 as a halfway house between the C2 and the C4 World Rally Car.”
Former Peugeot factory driver Cedric Robert won the event in a 307 WRC, while second place for Bryan Bouffier in a Peugeot 207 S2000 was enough for him to clinch the French title. Endurance racer Stephane Sarrazin was third in another Peugeot 207, ahead of Kubica.
Source: http://www.wrc.com