Zoom All Citroën C2 crews entered in the JWRC will be in Sardinia

Organised within the framework of the Junior World Rally Championship, the C2 Junior Experience will embark on its third round of the season at the Rally d'Italia-Sardegna, round six of the World Rally Championship. Six Citroën crews have entered in two of three types of C2 available: the Super 1600 and the new C2-R2 MAX.

The Rally d'Italia-Sardegna has been a constant feature of the Junior World Rally Championship since 2004, when it replaced Sanremo, and it is now running for the fifth time on the JWRC series. Since its World Championship debut the route has constantly evolved, with the organisers gradually replacing the roughest sections. This year is no exception, and there will be about 50 kilometres of new stages.

Just over 344 competitive kilometres are on the menu, concentrated on gravel roads in the island's interior. In fact, 16 of the 17 special stages run to the south of Olbia with only Lisia Ruja (SS17 – 2.69 km) running to the north of the host town on the coast. This stage is run on very rough gravel roads, and is deeply respected by all the drivers.

Samuel Barraud, who works in the technical department of Citroën Sport's customer division, explains: "While the actual roads on the last round in Jordan was not too tough on the machinery, the temperatures we experienced were a very tough test for both the cars and the drivers. Sardinia is a somewhat different prospect. It will certainly not be as hot, but the cars will suffer more because of the rocks hidden in the road surface, the ruts left by the WRC cars, and a number of jumps. In order to cope with these challenges as best as possible, we have formulated specific set-ups, as we do on every round of the C2 Junior Experience, to suit every type of car that is competing."

The two opening rounds of the Junior Championship delivered the same result. In Mexico and Jordan, a Citroën C2 Super 1600 claimed the spoils. Nonetheless, the two events were very different. In South America, the car took the lead at the end of the first stage and never lost it until the final podium. Near the Dead Sea, in the Jordan Valley, the same C2 won after fighting its way back up the field.

These wins from Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (who are backed by the French Motorsport Federation, the Equipe de France FFSA, but are not participating in the C2 Junior Experience) can only serve to inspire the other competitors.