Citroen Total World Rally Team

In an interview published in British-based motorsport magazine Autosport, the multiple rally world champion Sebastien Loeb has cast doubt on whether he will continue in the sport when the category introduces Super 2000 regulations, culminating in a complete switchover by 2011.

The five-time world champion, who also heads the 2009 standings after wins in both of the opening events, is quoted as having some damning opinions of the new regulations.

"I have a good idea of the speed [of S2000 cars], and the times are quite slow."

"The dream for the spectators won't be the same. When they are standing and watching a car thinking "maybe my own car is faster than this one," the excitement will not be the same as it is with the World Rally Car."

The S2000 rules are being introduced partially in the hope of boosting the flagging WRC and is part of the cost-cutting measures that many racing series are introducing to combat the economic downturn, especially that affect car sales.

However, Loeb is skeptical as to whether the purely economic benefits are worth the loss of the current specification. He said "I know it's important that we make some savings with the costs, but I don't think the turbo is expensive."

The turbo is the only major loss to the series should it switch to S2000 regulation (four wheel drive is allowed in S2000 rally cars, the only difference between them and the better known Touring Cars).

However, it seems Loeb is still to be convinced of the merits of the new rules.

Many have commented that Loeb could leave the WRC as soon as the end of this year, when his current contract with Citroen ends.

But what would he do next?

Loeb seems to be more than interested in the world of sportscars. He already has a second place in the Le Mans 24 hours to his name, when he completed the 2006 with Pescarolo Sport.

He already has a deal to test Peugeot's diesel 908 sportscar (Citroen and Peugeot are basically the same company) and is due to complete the test  "some time this season," he claims.

At first, it may appear this could in preparation to return to Le Mans with Pescarolo, who have entered a customer 908 in this year's race.

It would make sense, it keeps Loeb in the Peugeot-Citroen family and reunites him with Henri Pescarolo, and Loeb satisfies his main driver criteria, by being French.

However, hold the various racing calendars side by side, and you will see that this year's Acropolis Rally clashes directly with this year's La Sarthe race on the 12-14 June weekend, and Loeb would not miss a round of the WRC to compete, would he (would he?)

This makes it look like a long-term plan to move to sportscars with Peugeot, and the fact he is testing this year seems to suggest that any move is coming sooner rather than later.

Source and Quotes: Autosport, March 5

Name:	Citroen Total World Rally Team
Based:	Versailles, France
Established:	1989
Team principal:	Olivier Quesnel
Current car:	Citroen C4 WRC
Manufacturers' titles:	2003, 2004, 2005, 2008
Current drivers:	Sebastian Loeb, Daniel Sordo
Manufacturer WRC wins:	53 at end of 2008 season

Why support them?

• Sebastien Loeb is possibly the best ever WRC driver
• They're breaking WRC records left, right and centre
• They prepare the finest food in the WRC service park
• The word compromise is not in the Citroen dictionary

The results speak for themselves: Manufacturers' champions in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008, the power behind Sebastian Loeb's championship victories in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Over the last six years, Citroen has been the team all the others want to beat.

And it's all happened relatively recently. Prior to 1996, Citroen could boast little success at rallying's top level, preferring instead to focus on off-road endurance events with its ZX Rally Raid. By the mid-1990s, though, Citroen was turning its focus back to pure rallying. Early development in 1996 and 1997 focused on the ZX hatchback, which claimed the Spanish national title in 1997 at the hands of asphalt ace Jesus Puras. In 1998, though, the focus switched to the new Xsara and work started on a World Rally Car in 1999.

The Xsara made its WRC debut proper on the 2001 Rally Catalunya. It was an impressive start, with Puras and Bugalski running one-two until they retired with mechanical problems. Bugalski took sixth on the gravel of Greece, but the car showed its real forte on asphalt, with Puras leading Sanremo and winning in France. Meanwhile a young Frenchman called Sebastian Loeb won the Super 1600 title in a Citroen Saxo and joined the team to score second in Sanremo.

In 2002, Citroen competed in just eight rounds of the WRC, focusing on development of the car away from the stages ahead of its first full-time assault in 2003. Early results were mixed before the benefits of testing were felt with a strong performance in the Safari, but it was again on asphalt that Loeb and Citroen made their presence felt, with Sebastien winning in Germany.

For 2003, Loeb faced an all-star line-up of rivals including Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, but the team stalwart raised his game superbly, going head-to-head with Subaru's Petter Solberg for the title and helping the team to its first manufacturers' title. Citroen pledged to give Loeb the drivers' crown in 2004 and delivered in spades, with a campaign that remains one of the most dominant in the WRC's recent history.

Off-season focus on a new C4 WRC opened the possibility that Citroen could be beaten in 2005, but renewed focus, superb Michelin tyres and a stunning campaign by Loeb produced new WRC records for wins in a season (10 for Loeb; 11 for Citroen) and successive wins (six for Loeb) as well as both titles.

In 2006 Citroen took a year out of the WRC. The reigning manufacturers' champions were represented at rallying's top level instead by privateer outfit Kronos Racing which ran an updated, 2006-spec version of the Xsara WRC. The team gave Sebastian Loeb his third consecutive drivers' title.

For 2007 the full Citroen Sport squad was back, this time with the eagerly awaited C4 WRC. Loeb was back in red and white overalls too, with Dani Sordo supporting in a second C4. Loeb's title defence got off the best start with victory on the first round in Monte Carlo. And although he faced some tough competition from Marcus Gronholm, Loeb went on to take eight wins in the season and clinch his third consecutive drivers' title.

In 2008 the potent combination of Citroen, Loeb, Sordo and the C4 WRC were back in the title hunt and once again they delivered, scattering records left, right and centre. After securing his fifth consecutive drivers' title on the penultimate round in Japan, Loeb and Sordo wrapped up the manufacturers title for Citroen on the final round. Can they do it again in 2009?