Citroën C3 R5/Rally2 Explained

Car Name:Citroën C3 Rally2
Category:R5/Rally2
Constructor:Citroën Racing
Predecessor:Citroën DS3 R5
Team: Citroën World Rally Team
CHL Sport Auto
DG Sport
Drivers: Yoann Bonato
Stéphane Lefebvre
Alexey Lukyanuk
Mads Østberg
Simone Tempestini
Ole Christian Veiby
Nikolay Gryazin
Andrea Crugnola
Technical Ref:[1]
Length:3,996 mm
Width:1,820 mm
Wheelbase:2,567 mm
Track:1,618 mm
Engine Name:Citroën Racing A00[2]
Capacity:1598cc
Turbo/Na:turbocharged
Engine Position:front transverse
Gearbox Name:SADEV
Gears:five-speed
Type:sequential
Differential:4-wheel drive
Weight:1,230 kg
Debut:2018 Tour de Corse (WRC-2)
First Win:2019 Rally Argentina
Races:13
Wins:1
Podiums:6
Cons Champ:0
Drivers Champ:0
Teams Champ:0

The Citroën C3 Rally2 (originally known as the Citroën C3 R5)[3] is a rally car built by Citroën World Rally Team. It is based upon the Citroën C3 road car and is built to R5 regulations.[4] The car made its début at the 2018 Tour de Corse where it was driven by the French crews of Stéphane Lefebvre and Gabin Moreau, and Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud.[5]

Background

In early 2017, Citroën began the development of the C3 R5. The C3 would be designed to improve on the previous offerings of Groupe PSA in the R5 discipline, the Peugeot 208 T16 and the Citroën DS3 R5, both of which proved problematic and unpopular with R5 customers.[4] The C3 had little relation to its predecessor, the DS3.

Development

Throughout summer 2017, Citroën Racing Technologies employed factory Citroën drivers Stéphane Lefebvre and Craig Breen as part of the development team for the C3, along with Yoann Bonato, who was hired for the project.[6] The first working model was completed in September of 2017, and a month later the test C3 made its public debut at the Rallye du Var, with Bonato driving a few stages as a non-competitive entrant to the rally.

Competition

The Citroën C3 R5 passed international homologation on 1 January 2018, and was now ready for competition. It made its competitive rallying debut at the Tour de Corse in April of that year, with Yoann Bonato taking second place in the WRC-2 class, and 10th overall in the rally.

Including the original test cars, a total of 26 C3 R5s had been constructed by 1 May 2019, with 22 having been sold to independent teams. In the hands of Yoann Bonato, the C3 R5 won the French Rally Championship in 2018, and continues to be used by the Citroën World Rally Team in the WRC-2 Pro class of the World Rally Championship, in the hands of Mads Østberg. Østberg would give the C3 R5 its first World Championship-level victory at the 2019 Rally Argentina. Although Citroën withdrew from the World Rally Championship in 2020, it continued as a manufacturer team in the WRC-2 and made the C3 R5 available to privateer teams in the WRC-3.

The C3 R5 was renamed the Citroën C3 Rally2 ahead of the 2021 championships.[3]

Rally victories

World Rally Championship-2 Pro

YearNo.EventSurfaceDriverCo-driver
20191 2019 Rally SwedenSnow Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
2 2019 Rally ArgentinaGravel Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
3 2019 Rally CatalunyaTarmac Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
Sources:[7]

World Rally Championship-2

YearNo.EventSurfaceDriverCo-driver
20191 2019 Monte Carlo RallyMixed Yoann Bonato Benjamin Boulloud
2 2019 Rally CatalunyaMixed Eric Camilli Benjamin Veillas
20203 2020 Monte Carlo RallyMixed Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
4 2020 Rally SwedenSnow Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
5 2020 Rally EstoniaGravel Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
6 2020 Rally MonzaTarmac Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
20217 2021 Croatia RallyTarmac Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
8 2021 Rally CatalunyaTarmac Eric Camilli Maxime Vilmot
20229 2022 Croatia RallyTarmac Yohan Rossel Valentin Sarreaud
10 2022 Rally de PortugalGravel Yohan Rossel Valentin Sarreaud
11 2022 Ypres RallyTarmac Stéphane Lefebvre Andy Malfoy
202312 2023 Monte Carlo RallyMixed Yohan Rossel Arnaud Dunand
13 2023 Croatia RallyTarmac Yohan Rossel Arnaud Dunand
202414 2024 Monte Carlo RallyMixed Yohan Rossel Arnaud Dunand
15 2024 Croatia RallyTarmac Nikolay Gryazin Konstantin Aleksandrov
16 2024 Rally ChileGravel Yohan Rossel Florian Barral
17 2024 Central European RallyTarmac Nikolay Gryazin Konstantin Aleksandrov
Sources:[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

World Rally Championship-3

YearNo.EventSurfaceDriverCo-driver
20201 2020 Monte Carlo RallyMixed Eric Camilli François-Xavier Buresi
2 2020 Rally MexicoGravel Marco Bulacia Giovanni Bernacchini
20213 2021 Monte Carlo RallyMixed Yohan Rossel Benoît Fulcrand
4 2021 Rally Italia SardegnaGravel Yohan Rossel Alexandre Coria
5 2021 Ypres RallyTarmac Yohan Rossel Alexandre Coria
Sources:[14] [15]

European Rally Championship

YearNo.EventSurfaceDriverCo-driver
20191 2019 Rally Islas CanariasTarmac Pepe López Borja Rozada
2 2019 Rally PolandGravel Alexey Lukyanuk Alexey Arnautov
20203 2020 Rally di Roma CapitaleTarmac Alexey Lukyanuk Dmitriy Eremeev
4 2020 Rally Fafe MontelongoTarmac Alexey Lukyanuk Dmitriy Eremeev
20215 2021 Rally PolandGravel Alexey Lukyanuk Alexey Arnautov
6 2021 Rally HungaryTarmac Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen
7 2021 Rally Islas CanariasTarmac Alexey Lukyanuk Alexey Arnautov
20228 2022 Rally de CatalunyaTarmac Yoann Bonato Benjamin Boulloud
20239 2023 Rally Islas CanariasTarmac Yoann Bonato Benjamin Boulloud
10 2023 Rally di Roma CapitaleTarmac Andrea Crugnola Pietro Ometto
11 2023 Rally HungaryTarmac Mads Østberg Patrik Barth
202412 2024 Rally Islas CanariasTarmac Yoann Bonato Benjamin Boulloud
13 2024 Rally di Roma CapitaleTarmac Andrea Crugnola Pietro Ometto
Sources:[16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Rally results

WRC-2 Pro results - factory team

YearTeamDriver1234567891011121314Points
2018 Citroën Total Rallye Team Stephane LefebvreMONSWEMEXFRA
Ret
ARGPOR
3
ITA
8
FIN
13
DEU
8
TURGBR
5
ESP
15
AUS13th33
Simone TempestiniMONSWEMEXFRAARGPORITA
Ret
FIN
9
DEU
10
TURGBRESPAUS15th*28*
Ole Christian VeibyMONSWEMEXFRAARGPORITAFINDEUTURGBRESP
9
AUS7th*47*
2019 Citroën Total WRT Mads ØstbergMONSWE
1
MEXFRAARG
1
CHI
2
POR
3
ITA
3
FINDEU
4
TURGBR
5
CAT
1
AUS2nd145

WRC-2 Results - third party entrants

YearTeamDriver1234567891011121314Points
2018 CHL Sport Auto Yoann BonatoMONSWEMEXFRA
2
ARGPORITAFINDEU
11
TURGBRCATAUS21st18
Simone Tempestini Simone TempestiniMONSWEMEXFRAARGPORITAFINDEUTUR
2
GBR
7
CAT
10
AUS15th*28*
2019 CHL Sport Auto Yoann BonatoMON
1
SWEMEXFRA
12
ARGCHIPORITAFINDEUTURGBRCATAUS5th25
DG Sport Guillaume De MéviusMON
Ret
SWEMEXFRA
7
ARGCHIPORITAFINDEUTURGBRCATAUS21st6

- * scored points with different entries.- ** season still in progress.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CITROEN C3 RALLY2 .
  2. News: A00 Engine C3R5. Citroën Racing. 12 November 2024.
  3. Web site: Citroën C3 Rally2: First pictures.
  4. News: Citroen starting from scratch with WRC2 car. David. Evans. autosport.com. Motorsport Network. 31 May 2017. 3 June 2017.
  5. News: Corsica linea Tour de Corse 2018 Entry List. tourdecorse.com. tourdecorse.com. 15 March 2018. 15 March 2018. 16 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180316023141/http://www.tourdecorse.com/site/download/official_documents_uk/entry_list/Corsica-linea-Tour-de-Corse-2018-Entry-List.pdf. dead.
  6. Web site: Rallye du Var : Yoann Bonato lance la C3 R5.
  7. Web site: WRC2 Pro 2019. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  8. Web site: WRC2 2019. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  9. Web site: WRC2 2020. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  10. Web site: WRC2 2021. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  11. Web site: WRC2 Open 2022. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  12. Web site: WRC2 2023. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  13. Web site: WRC2 2024. eWRC-results.com. 20 October 2024.
  14. Web site: WRC3 2020. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  15. Web site: WRC3 2021. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  16. Web site: ERC 2019. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  17. Web site: ERC 2020. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  18. Web site: ERC 2021. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  19. Web site: ERC 2022. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  20. Web site: ERC 2023. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.
  21. Web site: ERC 2024. eWRC-results.com. 15 October 2024.