SUMMARY

France: The Lyon-Charbonnières Rally marked

the debut of the Citroën Racing Trophy on the

French Rally Championship.

UK: McCormack made it one all on the Pirelli.

Ireland: Moffett won

France: A double podium on the Alsace-Vosges

Rally

France: Amourette 1st in Group R at Dieppe

Belgium: The <rst event of the Belux Trophy

and victory for the up-and-coming hopeful

Thierry Neuville.

France: Full house for Bryan Bouf<er on the

Auxerre Rally: victory in Group R, victory in the

two-wheel drive category and 7th overall!

France: Xavier Hourcade won Group R at the

Lozère Rally.

Number 2 - Thursday 14th May 2009

Now that rally championships all over the world are underway, the Citroën

C2-R2 MAXs have been making their presence felt at the top of the time

sheets. Within the next few weeks, the latest initiative from Citroën Racing

is going to be making more and more headlines with the Drst rounds in Po-

land and also the Czech Republic, where a Trophy is about to be launched.

In Belgium, rising star Thierry Neuville got the better of several more experienced crews on the

Rallye de Wallonie. In France, with the maximum number of 35 entries having been reached, the Cit-roën Racing Trophy is at full strength.

On the Alsace Vosges Rally, there were two C2-R2 MAXs on the podium. In Dieppe, Marc Amourette was first in Group R and fourth overall. On gravel, in Auxerre, Bryan Bouffier made a remarkable debut by winning Group R on his first event in the C2-R2 MAX. On the same weekend, Maxime Hourcade also won Group R on the Lozère Rally. Beforehand, the Citroën Racing Trophy was also present on the French Champi-onship, at a Lyon-Charbonnières Rally that provided a formidable challenge for the C2-R2 MAX.

The rally scene in Portugal took a month’s break dur-ing April, but the duel in the UK between Jason Pritch-ard and Marty McCormack continued, with both drivers claiming a victory apiece.

The C2-R2 MAXs come out on top!

TERRE DE L’AUXERROIS

Three C2-R2 MAXs on the podiumOn the fast and challenging Auxerre stages, round two of the Championship, the 11 Citroën Racing Trophy competi-tors formed a highlight of the action. Bryan Bouf<er moved ahead straight away and claimed an excellent seventh overall as well as winning the Group R and two-wheel drive classi<cations, in front of several more powerful four-wheel drive cars.The Frenchman said: “At the start of the rally I took some time to get used to front-wheel drive again and re<ne my driving style in the slower sections. The suspension, traction and engine of the

C2-R2 MAX were really impressive in the technical bits of the rally. I had a lot of fun driving it.”A number of drivers tried to keep up with the two-time Polish Rally Cham-pion, but it was <nally Marc Amourette who <nished runner-up in the Group R class. Jérôme Jacquot completed the po-dium after a lengthy scrap with Gérald Lonjard and Frantz Comoli. Three Bel-gian crews were welcome visitors to the event, with Claudie Tanghe coming off best in Auxerre. He claimed eighth in Group R, with six Citroën C2-R2 MAXs <nishing in the top 20 overall.

: Bryan Bouf<er

: 31 years old

: C2-R2 MAX

: Die (France): “While it looks

like a small car from the outside,

I always knew that the Citroën

C2-R2 MAX was well-built, giving

it many of the qualities of a much

larger car. It all adds up to a lot of

enjoyment for the driver. Finan-

cially, it’s also very affordable.”

: Having grown up

with motorsport from a young

age, Bryan won the Rallye Jeunes

selection for young drivers in

1999 and contested the Peugeot

Cup from 2000. In 2002 he won

the championship and became

a Peugeot factory driver on the

French Rally Championship for

three years in a 206 S1600. In

2006 he embraced the interna-

tional scene by taking part in sev-

eral European races with a Super

2000 207. Bryan

then became a factory

driver for Peugeot Po-

land, taking two titles

in 2007 and 2008.: “First of all,

it’s a great opportunity to come

back to drive in France again.

Secondly, the prize structure

should cover some of the budget

needed to compete. The fact that

you are competing against crews

with exactly the same equipment

is also attractive, as well as the

challenge of trying to beat cars

that are more powerful. Finally,

there are also good opportuni-

ties to go and drive on rallies

in different countries, which is

obviously very interesting.”

: “My programme

after the Auxerre Rally hasn’t

been con<rmed yet. But I

would de<nitely like to take

part in more of the rounds.”

DRIVER PORTRAIT.. .

LYON-CHARBONNIERES

Keeping up the pace

A total of 10 Citroën Racing Trophy crews started the 61st Lyon-Charbon-nières Rally. For most of the drivers, this was their <rst event of the season and so it took some time to <nd the right rhythm. Many were getting used to the Citroën C2-R2 MAX for the <rst time as well. On abrasive and very quick roads, the Citroëns put on an impressive show. Benjamin Perrin was in the leading pack for a long time, be-fore <nally <nishing seventh. Philippe Aragneau was discovering the C2-R2 MAX for the <rst time. He gradually increased his pace; <nishing eighth in Group R. Julian Carret got off to an excellent start but was caught out on Saturday morning. He dropped to 64th overall. After a great <ghtback he made it to 37th overall by the <nish, with only one C2-R2 MAX failing to make it to the end.

ALSACE-VOSGES

A double podium

After two days of lat-out competition, made complicated by changeable weather, Jean-Renaud Marchal and co-driver Michaël Marchal claimed the honours for second place in Group R, taking home the accom-panying prizes. The French crew set times that allowed them to <gure constantly in the top three in class and <nish the rally in an excellent seventh overall. Benjamin Perrin, co-driven by his brother Quentin, led the Citroën C2-R2 MAX classi<cation for a long time, but fell down the order following a minor mistake. They were able to console themselves with third in Group R and ninth overall.

Amourette wins Group R

in Dieppe

Marc Amourette and Gwenola Marie put their Citroën C2-R2 MAX into the Group R lead on the fourth out of nine stages, and from there on remained un-beaten. They eventually <nished the ral-ly in an excellent fourth overall, getting the better of several more powerful cars.

Lozère: Hourcade shines

through at the Dnish

On his <rst rally in a Citroën C2-R2 MAX, Maxime Hourcade (23 y.o.) soon moved into the lead of Group R. Nonetheless, the Frenchman thought that victory would elude him after picking up a puncture two stages from the <nish. He ended the event in style though, winning the class by 3.5 seconds!

The second round of the British Rally Championship was the famous Pirelli Ral-ly, close to the city of Carlisle in northern England. On the fearsome stages of Kiel-der Forest, Marty McCormack and Phil Clarke were in a class of their own. They led from start to <nish, ending up as the <rst Citroën Racing Trophy crew home and claiming second in the two-wheel drive class. The winners of the opening round, Jason Pritchard and Andrew Edward, had to settle for third place after a dif<cult rally. Although several spectators came to their aid, the crew lost 30 minutes after going off the road on Friday. Their strong comeback drive on Saturday was delayed slightly by a puncture. This allowed Mark Gamble and Steve Link to take second place. The next round is on asphalt, with the Jim Clark International Rally.

PIRELLI INTERNATIONAL RALLY

McCormack steps up to the challenge

IRLANDE / MONAGHAN

Moffett by a

couple of seconds

The third round of the Citroën Racing Trophy Ireland was at the Monaghan Rally. Barry Evans, Sam Moffett, Martin Tynan and Adrian McElhinney all took turns to lead the event. Evans went off the road whilst leading and was forced to retire. McElhinney also made a mistake but salvaged third place, maintaining his lead of the Cit-roën Racing Trophy Ireland. After an impressive <nal push, Moffett won by just two seconds from Tynan.

You’ve only started rallying recently.

“I started in the sport about three years ago with my brother, driving a Ford Es-cort. In 2008 I decided to go for a C2, as they seemed to be very competitive. Citroën’s commitment to its customers is very good as well. On top of that, there’s the possibility to upgrade your car to a MAX version and make more progress. The way things have gone so far show that I made the right choice.”

Do you Dnd that there are big diffe-

rences between the standard C2-R2

“De<nitely! The MAX is certainly a lot quicker. There is more torque from the engine, the braking is better and the suspension set-up means that it is re-

markably well-balanced. I think that once we have got fully up to speed with the car, we’ll be able to be competitive with Group N and Super 1600 cars and be in contention for top 10 places overall.”

After a second place on the Bulldog Ral-

ly and victory on the Pirelli Rally, you’ve

had a very promising start to the year…

“Things have got off to a good start, that’s for sure. I’d never done a gravel rally as long as the Bulldog before, and it’s a surface where I am still lacking in experience. I was a bit nervous before the start and so I was probably slightly too careful. The Pirelli Rally was a lot better for me though, which was a relief. Now we move onto asphalt for the next round. We’re also planning to contest the Ypres Rally and we’re thinking about entering a round of the Citroën Racing Trophy in France. I reckon two events like that would be really useful in terms of experience.”

3 questions to...

Marty McCormack

: Marc Amourette

: 36 years old

: C2-R2 MAX or S1600

: Realcamp (France)

: “I’ve got the chance

to drive a C2 Super 1600 or a C2-R2

MAX. Both cars are for rent. Depend-

ing on their availability, I will use either

one or the other. It also depends a bit

on how my Trophy season goes.”

Experience: Having begun his career

with the AX circuit racing Challenge

(in 1993), Marc moved into rallycross

and became French Champion in

a Saxo Kit Car. He was then nomi-

nated as Citroën’s factory driver in the

2002 French S1600 championship.

Marc won the C2 S1600 Challenge

in 2004 and then drove the C2-R2

in the French Gravel Championship

(2006). In 2007 and 2008, he drove

the C2 Super 1600 (Corsica 2007)

and also the C2-R2 MAX (Monte

Carlo 2007, Le Touquet 2008…).

: “It’s excellent news

that Citroën has come back to France.

My job in rally preparation is mostly

based around Citroën so it was logical

for me to take part in the CRT. The

fact that you do not

have to participate in

every round and that

there are opportunities

to compete abroad

is very appealing.”

Programme:

“I’d like to drive

on gravel as it’s

something I really

enjoy and also because it’s a surface

that is a little less restrictive than

asphalt. I think that the C2-R2 MAX

can be very strong on gravel.”

DRIVER PORTRAIT.. .

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WALLONIE

Neuville proves to be a quick learner

At the <rst round of the Citroën Racing Trophy Belux, up-and-coming young Bel-gian Thierry Neuville repaid the faith that has been shown in him by Belgium’s mo-torsport federation, the RACB. On a rally that favoured more powerful cars, Neuville claimed the <nal podium place in the A6-A7 class, equating to an impressive 12th overall. The Belgian felt instantly comfort-able at the wheel of his Citroën C2-R2 MAX and dominated the rally from the <rst stage to the last. « I really didn’t expect to be in front of all these drivers who are more used to the C2 than I am, » he said at the <nish. “I think we’re at the start of what is going to be a good season.” He <nished in front of Gilles Schammel, who was having his <rst taste of the C2-R2 MAX in competition. The Luxembourg driver was extremely enthusi-astic about his new car, pointing out the progress that had been made over the C2-R2 that that he used in 2007 as part of the C2 Junior Experience. Frédéric Beco, a loyal Citroën customer and a former winner of the AX Challenge, was third. Xavier Baugnet, Cédric Cherain and Luxembourg’s Jang Blom all retired due to racing incidents, but they will all be aiming to get their revenge at the next round, the Sezoensrally.

You’ve done two events with the Cit-

roën C2-R2 MAX now. How would

“Our first event with the car at the Épernay Rally was very rewarding. I benefitted from the feedback of a Cit-roën Racing technician, who was able to help me understand how the C2-R2 MAX worked. At the Wallonie event, we were able to put those lessons into practice. I also benefitted from the ad-vice of Kris Meeke at a test session we did together.”

And how was your Drst event in the

“Everything went perfectly. On Friday night, we set fastest time on a stage that I did not even particularly like. From then on, our C2-R2 MAX proved to be equally as competitive in the wet as it was in the dry. We won 22 out of the 26 stages that were run, without even really tapping into the full poten-tial of the car.”

“For the moment at least, the conclu-sion is extremely positive. I’m very pleased with my performances against drivers with a lot more experience than me. We were able to show a good turn of speed without making mistakes when conditions became slippery on Sunday. I just tried to drive cleanly and ef<ciently – and that tactic paid off!

3 questions to...

Thierry Neuville

NEXT RALLIES

16/17 MayPoland

Elmot-Remy

23/24 MayBelgium

Sezoensrally

23/24 MayUK

Jim Clark

23/24 MayIreland

Cavan Rally

23/24 MayCzech Republic

Rallye Česky Krumlov