The Citroën Total World Rally Team was the Citroën factory backed entry into the World Rally Championship (WRC), run by Citroën Racing .
45-640: In 1998, following its withdrawal from Rally raid competition, Citroën Sport began developing the Xsara Kit Car . Citroën entered the French Rally Championship in 1998 with Philippe Bugalski , who won driver's titles in both 1998 and 1999; and Sébastien Loeb who won the driver's title in 2001. In addition, Citroën also entered the car on asphalt rounds of the World Rally Championship . Bugalski finished fifth on
90-421: A WRC car. For the 2002 season, Citroën contested 8 of the 14 WRC rounds. However, owner PSA still refused to allow them to enter the manufacturer's championship facing their other marque Peugeot.. Sébastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena provisionally won the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally but due to an illegal tyre change, received a time penalty demoting him to second. He later won his first rally driving
135-520: A chance with the third Citroën DS3 WRC in Finland. Sordo finished 5th, and Hirvonen 3rd despite a high speed, 6th gear spin. Meeke was on the pace of the WRC regulars even though he was held up by Qatar World Rally Team's Evgeny Novikov , although his rally ended when he rolled at high speed with only one stage to run. However, his performance left Sordo under pressure to perform to avoid losing his seat with
180-489: A few rallies in the third factory car. Al-Qassimi drove several races during the season again. Citroën's best result of the season was Rally Argentina. All three VW drivers retired due to engine problems and Meeke scored his first WRC victory. Østberg finished second and Al-Qassimi scored his season-best sixth place. After the season, Citroën announced that they would withdraw from the 2016 championship, to use all their resources to developing their 2017 car. In preparation of
225-405: A typically dominant year after the retirement of Grönholm, Loeb's eleven wins for the season broke his existing 2005 record (10) for the greatest number of wins for one driver in an individual season, as well as bringing his own career total of WRC rally victories to 47. A still winless Sordo, with 65 points, nevertheless accomplished third in the drivers' standings. Loeb and Sordo were retained for
270-631: Is a recent category built exclusively for vehicles running on renewable energies; such as the Audi RS Q e-tron . T1.1 (4x4) and T1.2 (4x2) are open to vehicles running on petrol and diesel fuels; including the Mini John Cooper Works Buggy , Toyota Hilux , and Peugeot 3008 DKR . Subclass T1.3 is open to vehicles conforming to SCORE regulations. This includes the Hummer H3 buggy and various other buggies. The T2 category
315-568: Is a type of off-road motorsport event for automobiles and motorcycles . Along with shorter baja rallies , rally raid constitutes cross-country rallying . Both the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) co-organise a common World Rally-Raid Championship featuring the same events for both types of vehicle. The length of a rally raid can be as short as 2–3 days to as long as 15 days with marathon rally raids like
360-817: Is awarded to drivers and co-drivers in this class. Rally Argentina The Rally Argentina ( Spanish : Rally de Argentina ) is an Argentine rally competition that has been a round of the World Rally Championship , the Intercontinental Rally Challenge , the South American Rally Championship and the Argentine Rally Championship. It is held in the area around Villa Carlos Paz in Córdoba Province , on narrow gravel roads best known for their water-splashes. The rally
405-617: Is made up of vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kg (7,716 lb). While originally designated as Group T4; they have recently been solely given the T5 category with the T4 group now referring to Side by Side (UTV) vehicles. Made up of both Prototype and Production Cross-Country Trucks; the class has been dominated by trucks built by Russian manufacturer Kamaz . Other competitors include Iveco , Hino , MAZ , Tatra , LIAZ , Mercedes-Benz Unimog , Renault Kerax , and various others. A FIA World Cup
450-472: Is not allowed. Competitors have no knowledge of the course until they receive the roadbook and any sort of pre-running is prohibited; which highlights the adventure aspect of rally raid. This is in stark contrast to rallying and desert racing where pre-running or reconnaissance is required or recommended for optimal performance on the course. The roadbook that is used is not as precise as the pacenotes used in stage rally, making navigation just as important as
495-1133: Is open to Series Production Cross-Country Cars; primarily the Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol . Other prominent examples in the Car Class included the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero , the Volkswagen Race Touareg , the Bowler Wildcat 200 , the Mini All4 Racing and the Nissan Navara . While originally a sub-class under the car category and later a combined class; the T3 and T4 classes have been recently separated into their own respective categories. T3 (CHALLENGER) vehicles are officially described as Lightweight Prototype Cross-Country Vehicles and can include purpose-built machines such as
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#1732801725874540-796: Is the top moto class with riders and manufacturers eligible for the World Championship in FIM rankings. This class is only open to the most experienced competitors while Rally2 is available to any rider not considered RallyGP. Rally3 is for moto-enduro machines adapted for rally use. All three have a maximum capacity of 450cc. Rally2 and Rally3 are given World Cup status in the FIM-rankings. Popular motorcycles include those made by KTM , Gas Gas , Honda and Husqvarna because many of their bikes have finished in top positions. BMW motorcycles , Yamaha and Triumph have also been successful in
585-637: The 2-litre World Cup for Manufacturers . Bugalski won not only his class, but also the overall rallies of Catalunya and Corsica, beating the more powerful and four-wheel-drive World Rally Cars . Puras finished runner-up in Corsica. These results are credited with influencing the FIA's decision to ban the class and cup from the WRC at the end of that season. Citroën Sport converted the Xsara Kit Cars into four-wheel drive World Rally Cars, intending to contest
630-826: The 2006 season , the rally was held on April 28, 2006 through April 30, 2006 as the fifth rally on the World Rally Championship schedule for 2006. In order to attract more spectators, in 2007 one of the sections of the rally was run in Buenos Aires in the River Plate Football Stadium , and another section in the Chateau Carreras Stadium in Córdoba city . In 2012 , the route was expanded to include some 500 km (300 mi) of competitive stages, making it
675-609: The Budapest-Bamako has been considered the world's largest amateur rally raid spanning two continents and 9,000 km. The first African rally raid run was the Côte-Côte Rally, first held in December 1976. Navigation is primarily accomplished using a paper or digital roadbook in conjunction with a digital odometer to measure distance. The use of GPS or GPS-enabled devices, in contrast with desert racing ,
720-461: The Dakar Rally . With skill in navigation being key, the driving skill and endurance of riders, drivers, co-drivers, and machines are put to the test. The total distance covered can be between 600 km to over 5,000 km with terrain ranging from sandy dunes, forest roads, mountain roads, and dry river beds; among others. The Peking-Paris of 1907 was the first long distance rally raid,
765-565: The Red Bull OT3 and PH-Sport Zephyr while also allowing modified variations of vehicles built and sold by Polaris , Kawasaki , Yamaha , and Can-Am . The T4(SSV)category is for Modified Production Cross-Country Side-by-Side (SSV) vehicles; such as those built by Polaris and Can-Am , but built closer to production standards. Both categories must weigh no more than 3500 kg and are eligible for their own respective FIA World Cups. The Truck class, also known as "Camions" or "Lorries"
810-407: The 2001 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, however the owners of the company, PSA Group, forbid the application. The Citroën Xsara T4 WRC was entered into selected rounds of the WRC, debuting at Rally Catalunya . Bugalski would have won but for a time penalty applied in dubious circumstances. Jesús Puras won in Corsica, while at San Remo Sébastien Loeb finished second on his first rally in
855-641: The 2009 season. Loeb won the opening five events of the season, but suffered a mid-season drop in form and fell behind Mikko Hirvonen in the standings. However, he won the title by one point after winning the final two rounds of the season. Sordo finished third in the standings, scoring seven podium finishes, but still no wins. Loeb and Sordo were retained again for the 2010 season. Loeb won in Mexico, Jordan, Turkey and Bulgaria. Citroën Junior Team driver and Citroën protégé Sébastien Ogier won in Portugal, increasing
900-442: The 2017 season, Citroën took a sabbatical to develop C3 WRC . Meanwhile, semi-works Abu Dhabi Total WRT participated in eight European rallies. Meeke, who had signed a three-year contract with Citroën, Lefebvre and Al-Qassimi drove some races, as well as Craig Breen . The car for the 2019 season was a Citroën C3 WRC driven by Sébastien Ogier and Esapekka Lappi with Julien Ingrassia and Janne Ferm as their co-drivers. At
945-629: The Championship, collecting eight podiums during the season. It was their first season without a win after 13 successful seasons in a row. Østberg and Meeke continued as factory drivers. Loeb made a guest appearance in the Monte Carlo rally. He challenged Ogier for win at first but punctured his tyre. Also Citroën's protégé Stéphane Lefebvre drove for manufacturer points in Rally Australia, replacing injured Østberg, and he also drove
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#1732801725874990-526: The Dakar. The class for quads was originally a sub-class for the larger moto-class, but has been given more prominence in recent years. The class also has World Cup status within the FIM . The car class is made up of vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kg (7,716 lb) and subdivided into several categories. The T1 Group is made up of Prototype Cross-Country Cars and is subdivided into four primary categories: T1.U, T1.1, T1.2, and T1.3. T1.U (T1 Ultimate)
1035-526: The Drivers' Championship. Duval took his debut win at the Rally Australia. Citroën took the Manufacturers' championship. For 2006, Citroën WRT took a one-year sabbatical, while developing a new car for 2007. Loeb was joined by Xavier Pons and third-driver Dani Sordo at the semi-privateer team Kronos Citroën , which received significant funding from Citroën Sport running their Xsara WRC cars. Sordo
1080-555: The French term of "raid" for an expedition or collective endeavour whose promoters, the newspaper "Le Matin", rather optimistically expected participants to help each other; it was 'won' by Prince Scipione Borghese , Luigi Barzini , and Ettore Guizzardi in an Itala . Well known rally raids include the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Rallye du Maroc which are included in the world championships. Others include
1125-433: The Manufacturers' championship. Sainz won on Rally Argentina and finished fourth in the standings. For the 2005 season, the primary drivers were Loeb and François Duval . Due to a string of poor performances, Duval was replaced by Sainz for Turkey and Greece. Loeb won the rallies of Monte Carlo, New Zealand , Italia Sardinia , Cyprus, Turkey, Acropolis , Argentina, Deutschland, France and Catalunya on his way to winning
1170-578: The Myherin stage which destroyed the car, although he and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen were uninjured. Sordo had a disappointing final rally for the Citroën Team finishing 7th after a time penalty early on in the event. Norwegian driver Mads Østberg , Kris Meeke from Northern Ireland, and Khalid Al Qassimi from UAE, competed for Citroën in 2014 driving the DS3 WRC. Citroën Racing finished second in
1215-718: The Rally de Portugal but he was disqualified due to his clutch and turbo being deemed illegal. Red Bull's sponsorship moved to Volkswagen Motorsport as the Citroën team began a new long term partnership with Abu Dhabi Racing . The season started off with a win at the Monte Carlo Rally for Sébastien Loeb, who was only competing in 4 rallies in what was due to be his final WRC season, whilst teammates Hirvonen and Sordo placed 5th and 3rd. In Sweden, Hirvonen and Sordo both crashed out, and Loeb narrowly missed out on another win as he
1260-633: The TransAnatolia Rally Raid, Hellas Rally Raid, Dinaric Rally Raid, Borneo Rally Raid, and Raid De Himalaya . National cross-country rally championships are held in Poland , Portugal , Russia , Spain , and South Africa , among others. The most well known marathon rally raid is the Dakar Rally , which can last from 10 to 15 days. Other prominent marathon rallies include the Africa Eco Race and Silk Way Rally . For amateurs
1305-567: The World Rally Championship with the all new C4 WRC , driven by Loeb and Sordo. Loeb diced with Ford 's Marcus Grönholm throughout the year, only securing his record-equaling fourth straight Drivers' title at the final event, the Rally GB . Loeb won in Monte Carlo , Mexico, Portugal, Argentina, Germany, Spain, France and Ireland . Sordo ended the season in 4th place. At the end of the season, Guy Fréquelin resigned as team principal, and
1350-636: The Xsara at Rallye Deutschland . The team also got a third-place finish on the Safari Rally with Thomas Radstrom . Citroën Total World Rally Team contested their first full year in the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers in 2003, having previously competed occasionally as Automobiles Citroën . They signed former World Champion drivers Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz from Ford to join Loeb. Bugalski
1395-505: The car's WRC debut on Rally Catalunya in April 1998, while Jesús Puras retired with engine problems. On Tour de Corse , Fabien Doenlen finished seventh and Patrick Magaud finished tenth whilst Bugalski retired with broken suspension. On Rallye Sanremo , Magaud finished 11th, Puras retired with engine problems and Bugalski crashed out. In 1999, Bugalski and Puras were entered to the three asphalt rallies again, with Citroën also entering
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1440-448: The driving. Bike and quad riders also have to navigate on their own while riding their vehicle; making concentration key during a rally raid event. Rally raid is made of various different categories and classes of vehicles. Regulations from the ASO , FIA , and FIM define the rules for each category. The Moto class is divided between three groups: RallyGP, Rally2, and Rally3. RallyGP
1485-1584: The end of the season, Ogier left the team due to a performance clause in his contract. Citroën announced that they would be leaving the series due to no top-level drivers being available, ending the brand's involvement in the rally racing landscape. 1973 Alpine-Renault 1974 Lancia 1975 Lancia 1976 Lancia 1977 Fiat 1978 Fiat 1979 Ford 1980 Fiat 1981 Talbot 1982 Audi 1983 Lancia 1984 Audi 1985 Peugeot 1986 Peugeot 1987 Lancia 1988 Lancia 1989 Lancia 1990 Lancia 1991 Lancia 1992 Lancia 1993 Toyota 1994 Toyota 1995 Subaru 1996 Subaru 1997 Subaru 1998 Mitsubishi 1999 Toyota 2000 Peugeot 2001 Peugeot 2002 Peugeot 2003 Citroën 2004 Citroën 2005 Citroën 2006 Ford 2007 Ford 2008 Citroën 2009 Citroën 2010 Citroën 2011 Citroën 2012 Citroën 2013 Volkswagen 2014 Volkswagen 2015 Volkswagen 2016 Volkswagen 2017 M-Sport 2018 Toyota 2019 Hyundai 2020 Hyundai 2021 Toyota 2022 Toyota 2023 Toyota 2024 Toyota Rally raid Rally raid
1530-530: The final stage due to a puncture. Meeke showed strong pace again only to destroy his car after rolling down a steep bank. Rallye de France-Alsace was due to be the final rally of Sébastien Loeb's WRC career. The rally would see many different leaders and a rally long battle between Loeb, Sordo, Ogier, Latvala and Neuville. Loeb's rally ended when he rolled the car into trees on the final morning. Sordo came close to another win but missed out to Ogier. Rally de Catalunya would again see Sordo challenging for victory but
1575-519: The first stage of the Acropolis rally, Hirvonen's steering rack failed and came loose resulting in Sordo leading a lone challenge for Citroën, eventually finishing second. In Sardinia, the team struggled to take the challenge to Volkswagen, Hirvonen's DNF and Sordo's 4th place was a disappointing result. Because of a disappointing first half to the season, the team decided to give Ulsterman Kris Meeke
1620-508: The front left suspension broke on his car. Hirvonen managed to finish 3rd on the event. On the final event of the season, Wales Rally GB, recently crowned WRC2 champion and ex- F1 racer Robert Kubica made his WRC car debut with the team. He rolled during the Hafren stage on Friday morning, and subsequently rolled again on the Dyfi stage on Saturday morning. Mikko Hirvonen also had an accident on
1665-480: The pressure on the still-winless Dani Sordo. Loeb took the driver's crown for the 7th time in a row, while Sordo managed 5th. Alongside Loeb, Sordo and Ogier's individual performances, Citroën took yet another manufacturer title. Loeb was joined by Ogier permanently for 2011, as he replaced Sordo. Ogier and Loeb took 5 wins each with the brand new Citroën DS3 WRC . Loeb finished again on top spot retaining his title for his 8th consecutive time while Ogier finished 3rd in
1710-430: The standings, Citroën also took the manufacturer crown. After Sébastien Ogier's departure to Volkswagen Motorsport , Mikko Hirvonen , released by the departure of Ford Motor Company , was signed by Citroën for 2012, driving the second Citroën DS3 WRC alongside Sébastien Loeb. Loeb took his first victory of the season on the 80th Monte Carlo Rally , and also secured wins in Mexico, Argentina and Greece. Hirvonen also won
1755-709: The team. Hirvonen finished 3rd on tarmac in Germany, his least favourite surface. Sordo was involved in rally long battle with Belgian Thierry Neuville and Finn Jari-Matti Latvala which lasted to the final stage. Sordo held a slim lead, but held on to win his first ever WRC event. It also meant that Citroën were the only team to win ADAC Rallye Deutschland since its addition to the WRC in 2002. Meeke competed in Australia in place of Sordo. Hirvonen had another consistent rally, but dropped from 2nd to 3rd on
1800-502: Was also entered in a fourth car on asphalt rallies. The team won the first event of the season, Rallye Monte Carlo, with a 1–2–3 finish with Loeb winning ahead of McRae and Sainz. Loeb also won Rallye Deutschland and Rallye Sanremo . Sainz won the Rally of Turkey . In their first full year, the team took the Manufacturers' championship, while Loeb finished second to Petter Solberg in the Drivers' championship. Sainz finished third and McRae
1845-493: Was denied by fellow Frenchman Ogier in the Volkswagen Polo R WRC . Loeb was absent at Rally Guanajuato México, meanwhile Hirvonen finished second with Sordo in fourth. During the next rally in Portugal, Sordo clipped a tree that ended his challenge whilst battling with Ogier. Hirvonen inherited a successive 2nd-place finish. The 33rd Rally Argentina would see the return of Loeb, who took a commanding final victory. During
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1890-621: Was first run in 1980 , in Tucumán Province and organized by the Automovil Club Argentino . The winners of that first edition were Walter Röhrl and Christian Geistdörfer (Fiat 131 Abarth). In the 1981 season the rally took again place in Tucumán, but in 1982 was not held. In 1983 it was moved to San Carlos de Bariloche , but in 1984 was moved to Córdoba Province , where it has been held ever since. In
1935-499: Was replaced by Olivier Quesnel. Loeb and Sordo continued as the team's drivers, whereas drinks company Red Bull joined the team as main sponsor. At the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally , Loeb won, while Sordo suffered engine trouble, and was forced to retire, rejoining under the Superally rules. The season culminated in the team winning both the drivers' (Loeb) and manufacturers' titles ahead of Mikko Hirvonen and Ford respectively. In
1980-629: Was seventh. Citroën reduced their team for 2004, due to new WRC rules that manufacturer teams could only enter two drivers at each rally. Loeb and Sainz were the two drivers retained, and McRae was dropped. Loeb won the Monte Carlo Rally , the Swedish Rally , the Cyprus Rally , the Rally of Turkey , Rallye Deutschland and Rally Australia . Sainz won at Rally Argentina . Loeb won his first Drivers' championship. The team took
2025-469: Was soon promoted to second driver over Pons. Meanwhile, Loeb again won the Drivers' title, despite missing events in Turkey, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain after breaking his arm in a mountain biking accident. He was replaced by former world champion Colin McRae for Turkey, who was then replaced by Pons for Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. For the 2007 season, Citroën officially re-entered
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