THE C3 WRC ALL SET TO SHOW OFF ITS ACROBATIC TALENTS!

As is traditional, the WRC returns to action after the summer break at Rally Finland, one of the highlights of the season, for round nine of the championship. Ultra-fast stages on roller-coaster roads provide a unique challenge, and Citroën Total World Rally Team crews Sébastien Ogier – Julien Ingrassia and Esapekka Lappi – Janne Ferm, both former winners of the prestigious event, will be determined to keep their run of podium finishes going here.

• Runners-up last year, with a total of five stage wins, the C3 WRC was the only car able to disrupt the domination of the local team. Having already secured seven podiums this season, including two wins (Monte-Carlo and Mexico), the Citroën-developed machine will be taking on this iconic championship event hoping, at the very least, to match last year’s performance. This is especially the case as the Ogier – Ingrassia and Lappi – Ferm crews have both already won here, in 2013 and 2017 respectively. They are clearly comfortable with the subtle demands of this tricky, high-speed balancing act, where speed, precision and confidence are the vital ingredients!

• Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are one of the few non-Scandinavian crews to win this event, which has long been dominated by Nordic drivers. Currently second in the championship (just four points behind the leader) and looking for a seventh consecutive world title, they will start the event in the C3 WRC with very high hopes.

• Like Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in 2008, Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm made their debut at this event in a C2 R2 Max three years later. However, the similarities end there between the Citroën Total World Rally Team crews: Lappi and Ferm won this rally on just their fourth outing in a WRC, thus confirming their rapid rise through the ranks at the time and their undeniable talent. There is no doubt that they will be determined to do well again this year at their home WRC event, driven on by the Finnish spirit, Sisu, this special form of grit and bravery that enables Finns to up their game when competing at home. The fact that the pair will be running eighth on the road may also prove to be a significant advantage if the weather stays dry.

Follow the rally on media.citroenracing.com and on social networks.
• Instagram: @CitroenRacing
• YouTube: youtube.com/user/citroenwrt
• C3 WRC LIVE on Facebook on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening: facebook.com/citroenracing
• Live Twitter feed during the race: @CitroenRacing
• Newsflash sent directly to your smartphone via WhatsApp: http://bit.ly/2FuO3MV