Sunday 24th November 2019

Citroen WRC | Pic of the Week

After nearly 20 years in the WRC, Citroen will be no more as a manufacturer - shame

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Think of all the storied WRC manufacturers, and which brands come to mind? Lancia, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Audi, just for starters. It might be a little while before Citroen is mentioned, and that is grossly unfair. Because with the help of one man named Sebastien, the double chevron took more than 100 victories and eight manufacturer titles. Measured by titles, they're the most successful in WRC history.

Therefore news that Citroen won't compete in WRC next year can only be viewed as sad outcome for the sport, even if recent years haven't been the most successful. The fact that Citroen made their decision to leave following the departure of Sebastien Ogier has some cruel aptness to it, too; we all imagined the departure of a Monsieur Loeb might do it for Citroen, only for it to happen a few years later when another fast Frenchmen followed him out the door.

Regardless, it remains significant for both WRC and the wider motorsport world that Citroen has quit "due to the absence of a first-class driver available for 2020 season." Make your own theories up on that one, but one less WRC team is a benefit to no-one. To celebrate the manufacturer's years of rally success, it only seemed right to dedicate Pic of the Week this Saturday to the record they'll leave behind. This pic is from this year's Rally Mexico, an event won by Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in the C3, in what would prove to be the second of only three victories this season. So while Citroen's role in world rallying died out with a bit of a whimper, its contribution to the sport - an emphatic domination for many seasons - should never be forgotten.

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[fortfive]

Great photo. Woman MD now, only interested in car seats and soft suspension.

[Don Roque]

Citroen's car just wasn't up to scratch this year against the competition in Hyundai and Toyota. Even just by looking at the aero, you could see it maybe hadn't had the development that the Yaris and i20 had. Some drivers had commented that it was hard to drive and it did look less stable and surefooted than the top cars.

Still, Citroen have a glittering record in rallying that may never be equalled. It's true that their success was forged on the back of Seb Loeb, a driver who will probably never be equalled for sheer talent, but Citroen were a top team and a dominating force. Hopefully another manufacturer will join the fray as the cars and action on the stages is incredibly exciting at the moment.

[Plate spinner]

Always find Citroen interesting... pump money into motorsport success with zero translation into new cars for sale in dealerships...
Not even as if they have a decent hot hatch / sports saloon to attach some association to or bung some decals on. Baffling way to run a business.
As an outsider not attached to the brand, it’s hardly surprising it was axed.

[ArnageWRC]

Plate spinner said:

Always find Citroen interesting... pump money into motorsport success with zero translation into new cars for sale in dealerships...
Not even as if they have a decent hot hatch / sports saloon to attach some association to or bung some decals on. Baffling way to run a business.
As an outsider not attached to the brand, it’s hardly surprising it was axed.

As I said on the Integrale thread, Citroen are the complete opposite of Lancia. For all the years of success, they haven't cashed in with any decent performance models (apart from the DS3 Racing, maybe).