#C3RALLY2FAMILY DOMINATE WRC3 CATEGORY AT WRC SEASON OPENER RALLY MONTE-CARLO

The C3Rally2 displayed outstanding reliability throughout the changing Rally Monte-Carlo climate by reserving five spots in the RC2 top 10. Put to the test in a mix of weather, visibility and road conditions; the snow, ice and rain were no match up against its consistency and versatility.

Despite jumping into the deep end for some following a complicated 2020-year, the RC2 competitors took advantage of the technical support and expert weather analysts made available to them by Citroën Racing and were able to conquer the conditions presented to them. Eric Camilli struggled finding his rhythm coming into the early stages, however the momentum developed stage by stage as he kept a steady pace allowing him to finish 3rd of WRC2 and in the top 10 of RC2. A first Rally Monte-Carlo at the wheel of a Rally2 car, Sean Johnston and Alex Kuhrani played it safe though their experience allowed them to build confidence and pace in the varied conditions finishing in 5th position.

It was a fair-play battle for the top three between Yohan Rossel, Yoann Bonato and Nicolas Ciamin on all stages as the drivers pushed the C3Rally2 for the WRC3 stage wins. CHL Sport Auto driver Yoann Bonato and his co-drive Benjamin Boulloud clocked in four scratch times and Santéloc Racing Team’s Yohan Rossel & Benoit Fulcrand with four. Rossel managed to grow the gap after his stage win on ES 10, while Bonato and Ciamin suffered a puncture. Nicolas Ciamin of Belgian team DG Sport, put the pressure on the two leaders with his five scratch times and showed outstanding performance with a best results of P7 in the overall standings on ES12. The reactivity of C3Rally2 to the different driving styles of the three Frenchmen saw them round off the WRC3 podium.

A first time in competition off the Belgian rally roads, the duo Davy Vanneste and co-driver Kris D’alleine got some quality experience on the World Rally Championship and Rally Monte-Carlo stage, who held onto their 6th WRC3 position throughout the entire rally. G.Car Sport’s Italian crew, Giacomo Ogliaro and Lorenzo Grnai brought their WRC experience to the stage and fought to keep a strong and steady pace throughout the entire rally.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE…

Didier Clément – Director of the Citroën Racing client competition:

“This Rally Monte-Carlo 2021 was an extremely difficult challenge, with some exceptional conditions. The collective result is an impressive one that shows the coherence between the C3Rally2Family and their ability to work together. To have all of the cars and crews finish the race is an accomplishment in itself, but with zero reliability or technical issues is even better. The tyre choice, which was never obvious, was always on point. We have concrete results with the impressive third place of Eric Camilli who has had very little driving time and the outstanding triple WRC3 podium with Yohan Rossel, Yoann Bonato and Nicolas Ciamin, which put forward the different drivers, tools and the C3Rally2.”

Eric Camilli – Sports & You – WRC2:

“We had a lot of fun on this first rally of the season. The result is ok, we obviously wanted more, but after a year without much driving time, we could not have done better. The time it took us to find our rhythm, it was already too late. The very muddy conditions were where we lost our time. It will not be easy to find time to get any more tests in, so our next stop will surely be Croatia or Portugal.”

Yohan Rossel – Saintéloc Racing Team – WRC3:

“I attained my objectives coming into Rally Monte-Carlo, which was to be first. I am happy of our performance and what we were able to prove during the rally. There are things to work on that I have already brought to the attention of with my engineer and the team and we are ready to start. We are happy that Citroën Racing is there to help us in finding the right set up and solutions for what we hope to achieve. Being ahead after the first race is always a good thing, and I am excited to see what we will be able to do next.”

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