In contention for the WRC2 Championship title, Yoann Rossel and Valentin Sarreaud demonstrated the performance level and reliability of the C3 Rally2 on the Greek stages throughout the weekend.
Sadly, they were caught out on the final speed test, the Power Stage. The C3 Rally2 was also fighting for victory in other rallies around the world.
- After winning last time out in Belgium, the C3 Rally2 took on the legendary Acropolis Rally this weekend. Three #C3Rally2Family crews lined up at the start in Greece for this unmissable event: Yohan Rossel and Valentin Sarreaud, Jonathan Rieu and Jules Escartefigue, and Chrisostomos Karellis and Leonidas Mahaeras.
- Yohan Rossel and Valentin Sarreaud were perfectly prepared for the demanding Greek stages. After the French pairing completed Thursday evening’s opening stage, held in Athens’ Olympic stadium, where they lost a bit of time after being hampered by another car, the C3 Rally2 crew had to tackle a long first leg on Friday, with no service. Despite a lack of grip, Rossel finished day one in fourth place. On Saturday, he showed greater pace, notably grabbing a stage win on SS9. Despite picking up a puncture, Rossel maintained a good rhythm to end day two third in the WRC2 and tenth place overall. Unfortunately, whilst having a firm hold on third place in the WRC2 standings, Rossel and Sarreaud came a cropper on a tight hairpin during the final stage and were forced to retire from the rally. Now third in WRC2 championship standings, Yohan Rossel will compete at RallyRACC Catalunya – Costa Daurada in what will be his seventh event of the season, thus completing his programme in the WRC2.
- Competing in a WRC2 programme with the C3 Rally2, Jonathan Rieu and Jules Escartefigue continued to up their speed on the tricky Greek stages. Full of confidence in the C3 Rally2, they kept out of trouble throughout the weekend, ending the event in the top 15 of the WRC2 in 13th place.
- Chrisostomos Karellis and his co-driver Leonidas Mahaeras got their first taste of life in the WRC in the C3 Rally2. The Greek crew were enjoying a solid performance in the middle of the WRC2 field when they suffered an incident on SS10. After rejoining under “Super Rally” rules, they used the final leg to add to their experience at this level. The Greek driver pairing ended the rally in 23rd position.
- The C3 Rally2 also produced some impressive performances at various other demanding events around the world. In France, Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud won the 74th edition of the Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine. Yoann Bonato is now the sole holder of the record number of wins at the event, with six. The French pair were joined on the podium by Hugo Margaillan and Laëtitia Marsault, who finished third. Meanwhile, Alejandro Cachon and Alejandro “Jandrin” Lopez Fernandez grabbed first place at Rally Blendio Princesa de Asturias Ciudad de Oviedo on the final stage. On the other side of the Atlantic in Chile, the C3 Rally2 dominated the Rally del Bío Bío – Los Ángeles, finishing in all the top six places, with overall victory going to Mads Østberg alongside co-driver Patrik Barth.
WHAT THEY SAID…
Didier Clément, Head of Customer Racing, Citroën Racing
“The C3 Rally2 was fast all weekend. We used to the service periods to improve the set-up and that enabled Yohan Rossel to show strong pace as he tried to close the gap to second place, before he had a puncture on Saturday afternoon. It would have been a significant result to claim another podium on a rally that is so hard on the crews and the cars. Unfortunately, Yohan came a cropper on a low-speed hairpin and rolled off the road on the final stage, meaning he had no choice but to retire. We are nevertheless proud of the reliability and the performance of the C3 Rally2, which had no technical issues. We’ll head to Spain next month to conclude a season during which we have had some fantastic results in the WRC2.”
