FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)
Citroën confirms its return in 2007

The World Council of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) has just validated the main lines of the future technical and sporting regulations that will apply to the World Rally Championship (WRC). These notably include measures aimed at achieving significant cost savings.

In November 2004, faced with the budgetary constraints associated with a presence in the World Rally Championship, the Chairman of the Managing Board of PSA Peugeot Citroën Jean Martin Folz announced that the two PSA Group brands could not take such costs onboard. The latest decisions, however, mean that the strategy laid down at the time by Monsieur Folz can now be applied

Surveys conducted in-house by Citroën have clearly revealed that the WRC continues to stand out as the ideal form of motor sport for the brand. An official return to the series in 2007 was consequently possible so long as the overall budget it was necessary to invest was very significantly reduced. Today, thanks to the new regulations, these cost considerations have been met.

"As a result, the decision to return to the World Rally Championship was taken very quickly," says Citroën Sport Director Guy Fréquelin. "The new regulations allow us to meet our budget targets. There is no longer anything standing in the way of our return to the sport. For the team, for the fans and for all those who have supported us during our past three complete seasons in the World Rally Championship, this decision couldn't have come at a better time. I am delighted."

The 2006 season will consequently be a year of transition with, on the one hand, the presence of a Xsara WRC for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena run by a private team and, on the other, the redeployment of the new Citroën C4 WRC's development programme. Citroen Sport will return to the championship full time from 2007.

For Citroën, the pursuit of its commitment to rallying is in keeping with a veritable competition-related philosophy with a sport that has always fascinated, well beyond Citroën's two Manufacturers' titles in 2003 and 2004 and the two Drivers' crowns secured by Sébastien Loeb and his co-driver Daniel Elena in 2004 and 2005.

Paris, October 26th 2005

yes!! thanks carrocker. hopefully it will be a subaru cup in 06 then, unless ford do better. it will still be a very gd programme to watch, marcos gronholm in the ford against petter in the impreza!! yay cannie wait ;)

they had to return, its the most illogical thing to pull both teams together, especially since one of them is doing really well at the moment, I can see why 2 is a bit pointless, but at least leave one.

Also they were saying this on the TV review of the Corsica WRC that it was most likely, nice to know its confirmed now though

I think that this was "confirmed" a lot before: You must have seen pictures or videos about the C4 Sport or the C4 WRC already...my point is why they developed a new WRC car if they were not gonna use it? It was pretty obvious they were going to return to WRC.

I saw the C4 WRC twice at different motorshows looks really nice, it was being developed before PSA announced their leaving WRC, as the C4 WRC car was supposed to be for 2006 entry, like the new shape Focus and Impreza

this is a link with some pics I took of the car at Paris last year (also the VTS says C6... it is a C4)
http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/events/2004paris_02.asp

and at Geneva earlier in 2004
http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/events/2004geneva_02.asp

i missed Paris and Frankfurt this year :( but i've already made plans for Geneva 2006 :)

^That was good news, I kind of expected it though. Thanks for the pictures I especially liked the fulgara down the bottom of that link.

Why did they leave the 2006 one? is it because the co driver died or something?

they announced it at the start of the year, I forgot the reason they gave, but its partly due to high running costs of 2 teams, and they felt they had lost the connection for road car sales i guess. Since they changed to the Pug 307CC WRC, they stopped winning, and people didnt buy the 307CC because of its rally traits like they did the 206 (damn good car people :cool: ) , and you dont see people buying the Xsara from the showroom to look like a short little french man who is particuarly good at racing one

Thank god.

I like that 407 Silhouette. It's good to hear that Citroen will be back, although i'm not big of WRC fan. i'm more of an F1 guy myself.
was that Veyron 1 shade or 2. either way that thing looked awesome.

Thanks for the pictures I especially liked the fulgara down the bottom of that link.
That thing also kicks arss