In 2010, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia won Rally Portugal, and just under a year later they are continuing where they left off on their return to the Algarve. The Citroën DS3 WRC crew set the fastest time in the shakedown in front of their team-mates, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.
There’s never a moment’s respite in the FIA World Rally Championship. Three weeks after the Citroën Total Rally Team’s victory in Mexico thanks to Loeb/Elena, the Citroën DS3 WRCs had to be prepared for the start of the Vodafone Rally Portugal. And the difference between the two events? 2000 metres! In Portugal, the World Rally cars are racing at sea level in less specific conditions than those in the Rally Guanajuato Mexico in which the altitude required the modification of several parameters.
The two crews were able to fine-tune the setup of their Citroën DS3 WRCs during the shakedown held exceptionally on a Wednesday.
Ten months after scoring his first World Rally Championship victory in Portugal, Ogier was again quickest in the Algarve.
“It all went off without a hitch,” said the Frenchman as he got out of his DS3 WRC. “We didn’t make any major modification to the setup. Just a few small tweaks as we’d already done a good job during our last test session.”
Sébastien Loeb, who set the second-quickest time only a tenth of a second behind his team-mate, underlined the specific character of the shakedown: “It wasn’t that straightforward. The stage isn’t really representative of what we’ll meet on the rest of the itinerary, which is very technical and really sorts out the drivers. The setup’s perfect and it’s a great feeling to have the full power of the DS3 WRC engine under your right foot!”
Petter Solberg, Kimi Raïkkönen and Peter van Merksteijn also used the shakedown to give their cars a run. It provided the first opportunity to see the violet livery of the Citroën DS3 WRC entered by Van Merksteijn Motorsports.
This morning, cars and crews will head for Lisbon for a day in the Portuguese capital. The press conference is scheduled for 13h30. The starting ceremony will begin at 15h20 followed by the first stage in the streets of the famous city!