Citroen DS3 WRC New Photos Released

After taking the wraps off the new DS3 WRC rally car back in September 2010 at the Paris Auto Show, Citroen’s Racing Division today launched a new set of photos of the car that was recently tested in Sweden and Spain by Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier. After the Xsara and the C4, which won three world titles each, the DS3 WRC is now the next in line.

“The car feels very different to the C4. The DS3’s shorter and so it’s more agile in the tight corners, but it’s also twitchier in the faster sections,” said Loeb.

“Overall we’re going to have to do more work behind the steering wheel for several reasons: the behaviour of the car caused by its size, the lack of the central differential which shared out the traction between the front and the rear, the return to mechanical gear selection, which means we’ll have to let go of the wheel,” he added.

The Citroen Total World Rally Team’s aim is to win its seventh Manufacturer’s World Title. Three more DS3 WRCs will be driven by privateers: Petter Solberg, Kimi Raikkonen and Peter van Merksteijn.

The DS3 WRC complies with the new regulations drawn up by the FIA. The car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged direct injection 4-cylinder engine designed in-house by Citroen Racing. It is coupled to a 4-wheel drive transmission with a manually controlled sequential gearbox and with a constant power sharing system between the front and rear axles.

The DS3 WRCs will carry the Red Bull colors, as three brands will be back among Citroen’s partners, Michelin, which will supply tires for the cars, as well as Facom and Alcon.