The World Rally Championship is one of the most exciting racing series in the world that brought us many great moments over the years, specially in the 80's and 90's. Who doesn't remember Walter Röhrl, Ari Vatanen, Jean Ragnotti, or more recently, the crazy Gigi Galli, Carlos Sainz and the late Colin McRae? Enjoy the videos.
As we know the French pilot, Sébastien Loeb, retired from the World Rally Championship (WRC) this year (he still participates in some events) and nobody knows what he will do the rest of the time. Now it seems he is testing the new Citroen DS3 that will take part on the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) and could even take part in that championship for the 2014 season.
In the video below we see a Citroen DS3 driving around in a supposedly French race track. Some say it looks the regular WRC DS3 but the larger wheel arches and the lack of an air inlet in the roof of the car indicates this could really be the WTCC DS3.
As you remember Sebastien Loeb will participate in just four rounds of the World Rally Championship, but still continues to dominate as he wants, being first, on the first day of the Monte-Carlo rally, in the first race of the year. See the Day 1 highlights below.
After only four stages Loeb, in the Citroen DS3 WRC, is already 1 minute and 20 seconds ahead of his French compatriot, Ogier, driving the Volkswagen Polo R WRC. Hirvonen (Citroen DS3 WRC) is third, Sordo (Citroen DS3 WRC) fourth and Latvala fifth (Volkswagen Polo R WRC). The best Ford is driven by the Russian Novikov who is in sixth place.
Today Volkswagen held a press conference in a casino at Monte Carlo in order to indroduce to the press the new Polo R WRC that will compete next season, with the first race taking place precisely in Monte Carlo.
The drivers were already known, Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen has the third pilot. But only now VW released information about the technical aspects of the car. It has a 1.6 liter TSI engine producing 315hp and will do 0 to 100km/h (0 to 62mph) in 4.1 seconds, probably in all types of terrain.
From mid January the WRC will start with a new contender, Volskwagen, but will only have Citroen as a realadversary, and even Citroen won't have Loeb to make it easy for them.
Please come back Mitsubishi, Subaru, Ford, Peugeot, Lancia, Toyota,....
Peugeot Sport has revealed the replacement of the highly successful 207 S2000 used by drivers like Kris Meeke, Bruno Magalhães and Thierry Neuville. The car is lighter, more agile and powerfull, yet it uses a smaller displacement engine with a turbocharged 1600cc developing 280bhp and 400Nm.
The R5 category imposes certain limits. The weight cannot be under 1200kg, the cost of the vehicle can't be over 180.000€ (145.000£ or 231.000$) and the production model in which the R5 car is based needs at least 25,000 units built.
With four-wheel drive, a five-speed sequential box, long travel suspensions, no center differential and 18-inch wheels, it can take part in domestic and regional championships like the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).
Will this be a step closer to joining the WRC in a near future? We hope so. Everyone remembers the 205 Turbo 16, 306 Maxi, 206 WRC and 307 WRC.
