Having been improved yet again this year with the addition of some substantial new technical upgrades, the C3 Rally2 has confirmed its status as category leader. The car has impressed in the WRC2, the ERC and various national championships where it has been used by more than 150 members of #C3Rally2Family.
These results would not have been possible without the Customer Excellence Programme set up by Citroën Racing which aims to provide advanced sporting and technical support to #C3Rally2Family crews.
With racing having resumed after the summer break, Yohan Rossel – one of the #C3Rally2Family’s standard bearers in the WRC2 – made a strong start to the autumn when finishing third in class at the formidable Acropolis Rally, renowned for its incredibly rough stages, signing 10 stage wins out of 15. Earlier in the season, Yohan and Nikolay Gryazin claimed a double podium at Monte-Carlo (Rossel 1st and Gryazin 3rd), before securing a one-two finish in Croatia (Gryazin ahead of Rossel). The C3 Rally 2 enjoyed similar success in Portugal and Sardinia, as Gryazin took a superb RC2 class win near Porto, before Rossel made an incredible comeback to finish as runner-up on the Italian island. Their strong showing has put Yohan Rossel third in the WRC2 championship standings, whilst Nikolay Gryazin lies sixth.
Wins have also been claimed in the ERC by Yoann Bonato (Rally Islas Canarias) and Andrea Crugnola (Rally di Roma Capitale), whilst Mads Østberg finished third at Rally Estonia. Unfortunately, injuries suffered by Bonato and Østberg have compromised the ambitions of the #C3Rally2Family in the championship.
#C3Rally2Family crews are however flying high at the top of the French Rally Championship, with Léo Rossel-Guillaume Mercoiret and Yoann Bonato-Benjamin Boulloud finishing second and third recently at Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine. They also hold the top two places in the overall standings after six rounds of the championship.
With three wins so far this year (Rossel at Le Touquet and Vosges-Grand Est and Bonato at Rhône Charbonnières), this confirms that the C3 Rally2 is fast on all surfaces. This feat is especially remarkable given that Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud spent almost three months on the sidelines recovering from an accident in mid-June in the Vosges.
In fact, the lengthy list of championships in which the C3 Rally2 dominates the top positions shows its versatility: Niels Reynvoet leads the Belgian Rally Championship, Alberto Heller tops the RC2 Pro series in Chilli, Gary Chaines is clear in the overall standings of the Ivory Coast Rally Championship after winning every round so far, Ricardo Cordero holds first place in the Mexican Rally Championship, whilst Kenneth Madsen also holds a 100% record and therefore leads the Danish Championship, not forgetting Rachele Somaschini, who tops the Tour European Rally standings after winning in Greece at the Fthiotidos Rally.
These impressive results obviously owe much to the technical upgrades constantly introduced on the C3 Rally2, something that has been achieved through work undertaken by Stellantis Motorsport and Citroën Racing’s teams, from the design office to race operations, and including the development team. They also come from systematically implementing a Customer Excellence Programme, a detail-oriented programme that is designed to support #C3Rally2Family member initiatives as effectively as possible. Technical advisors are sent to various parts of the world, providing sporting and technical support to crews, their teams and engineers, whilst a highly-responsive after-sales service and spare parts truck also attend rounds of the French and European Rally Championships, covering any unplanned needs. Lastly, the programme includes providing ongoing feedback and sharing knowledge acquired with all those involved in the competitive outings of the C3 Rally2, regardless of the event or championship.
THEY SAID…
Didier Clement: Stellantis Motorsport Customer Racing Sporting Manager
“Over the last few months, especially, we have conducted further extensive development on the C3 Rally2, covering a host of minor details that can make the difference at elite level. The results obtained so far in the various events we are competing in clearly indicate that the changes made have been effective, although in all honesty, I believe we deserved to win recently at the Acropolis Rally. We are going to keep moving in this direction, trying to support #C3Rally2Family members more and more effectively, so that we can continue to see our cars dominate the podium places.”
Yohan Rossel, Citroën Racing works driver, currently third in the WRC2 championship:
“I’m pleased with the way in which the season has gone so far, both in terms of the progress I have made in my driving and in the competitiveness of the car. The development and operations teams are always working hard and in close conjunction, and with Nikolay, we’re also pushing each other to raise the bar. Obviously, there is some competition between us, but above all, we respect each other and share information so that we can all improve together. The season is not over yet and we’re going to keep fighting right to the end to try and secure the title.”
Nikolay Gryazin, Citroën Racing works driver, WRC2 class winner at Rally Croatia
“I feel really comfortable in the C3 Rally2 and with the team as well, and together we’re going to keep pushing to get the best possible results. I’m a competitor and although it looks like it will be tricky to win the championship now, I’m certainly not going to stop trying to win rallies. We have been a bit unlucky at times, but there are still one gravel and two tarmac rallies to go. I’ll be doing my utmost to get some good results and rest assured, I’ll keep fighting right to the end.”
