Photo Credit: Citroen Racing Following the news that Kris Meeke has signed for Citroen until the end of 2018, details of the marque's participation in the 2016 World Rally Championship have been revealed. The team will be represented in 2016, with cars prepared by PH Sport, and will be competing under the Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team banner. The programme will act as a "transitional stage" before Citroen Racing returns as a works outfit for 2017. It is therefore very similar to the situation that occurred 10 years ago, with Kronos running Citroen Xsaras for Sebastien Loeb, Dani Sordo and Xevi Pons and on occasion Colin McRae. The team are to compete in "several rounds" in 2016 in Europe, and we already know who will be driving for them in January's Rallye Monte-Carlo and February's Rally Sweden. Kris Meeke will naturally drive in both events, but three other drivers have been handed the opportunity to compete with the DS3. For Monte-Carlo, Meeke will be joined by 2014 JWRC Champion and rising star Stephane Lefebvre. The Frenchman competed in Monte-Carlo in a DS3 R5 last year, and now has a few WRC drives under his belt so will be looking to continue his progress. For Sweden, Meeke will be joined by Khalid Al Qassimi (chairman of Abu Dhabi Racing) and Irishman Craig Breen. This marks a potential break through for Breen who has been on the fringes of the WRC for a good few years now. A statement from Khalid said, "After a successful three-year partnership with Citroen, we are pleased to maintain our presence in the WRC. It's a programme that has been approved by Citroen Racing and which benefits from the expertise of PH Sport. As lead driver, Kris Meeke will contest several rounds, whilst prioritising his development work with Citroen Racing." “We will also be aiming to provide opportunities for talented young drivers from the PSA Peugeot Citroen group. Supported by the expertise of the team, they will be able to add to their experience and show what they can do.” Kris Meeke, who will also be spending 2016 developing Citroen's 2017 challenger, said, "Being able to contest a certain number of rallies in 2016 was important when deciding about my future. I would therefore like to thank Abu Dhabi, Total and all the partners who have made it possible for us to compete in very good conditions at these events. This programme will enable me to keep my hand in as regards racing and continue to learn about the WRC events." “From that point of view, it seemed essential to compete at Monte-Carlo. It is such an unpredictable rally, where experience counts more than anywhere else. I can't wait to get back into the car for pre-event testing to prepare for this first race.” The remainder of the 2016 programme is yet to be confirmed, but this marks a fantastic opportunity for Lefebvre and Breen in particular to impress boss Yves Matton to put their names in the ring for a 2017 works drive.
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WRCArticles covering the World Rally Championship Archives
January 2018
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