2007 World Rally Championship Japan: Citroen Sport Preview

10/22/2007, Japan -- The anti-penultimate round of the 2007 World Rally Championship takes crews to Japan where Citroën Sport has entered two Citroën C4 WRCs for its usual line-up of Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí.

After back-to-back visits to Catalonia and Corsica, WRC competitors barely had a week to catch their breath before heading out to Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido, which hosts the calendar's 14th round, the action of which takes in gravel roads near the city of Obihiro.

Since its incorporation in the sport's premier series in 2004, Rally Japan has established a reputation as a complex rally. To begin with, the glum road sections from service to the stages are so long that they call for somewhat unfamiliar event timing! But while this could give a negative image of the event, the specific features of the stages themselves make up for the lengthy run-outs and give the rally a distinctive flavour.

Sébastien Loeb, who will be second on the road on Day 1 thanks to his ranking in the provisional Drivers' standings , will be able to profit from the lines of his rival on the Friday. Along with his co-driver Daniel Elena, he notched up his 35th world class win in Corsica and currently trails the championship leader by just four points. The objective of the three-time World Champions will obviously be to close the gap even further and, after coming out of last year's Japanese thriller on top, they are fully aware of what is required of them this time round.

Driving at maximum attack over the fast Japanese stages calls for a certain amount of experience of the event, which is something Dani Sordo does not yet have. This will only be his second visit to Obihiro, so he faces a steep learning curve, although that doesn't mean he won't be aiming for another top result.

Indeed, both Citroën crews will be able to count on the speed of the Citroën C4 WRC to target a strong finish in conditions that promise to be a cocktail of what they have already encountered this year in Portugal, Argentina and New Zealand. The C4 showcased its potential on all three of these events and the Japanese terrain should also suit the car.

"I think we can expect another exciting but difficult fight in Japan," says Guy Fréquelin. "Sébastien, Daniel and the Citroën C4 need to try to win if they are to steal more points from Marcus Grönholm who will be a tough opponent, as we saw last year. Dani and Marc also have a fight on their hands, but more against the terrain and their lack of experience. For the car, this is another new rally which has a lot of specific features, but everyone at Citroën Sport is very much looking forward to the challenge that awaits us in Japan."

Source: Automobiles CITROËN