Having experienced a handful of mechanical and reliability issues in Sweden – most were related to the new tires provided by Michelin – Citroen tried to secure a better knowledge of the compounds given the conditions they will be racing in Mexico. So they picked Spain for the job, with Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier doing more than 450 km in damp conditions.
Although the atmospheric conditions in Mexico could not be simulated – the high altitude in the Rally Mexico stages make it difficult on the engines and braking – Citroen's technical boss Xavier Mestelan-Pinon revealed the test was more than successful.
“We’re satisfied because the car seemed to work very well when we tested,” said the Citroen technical head, while admitting however that the team hasn't had any benchmark to follow in Spain.
“We are still alone in the testing and even if the driver says the car is perfect we will not know how we will perform against our rivals until we get to the first stage in Mexico.”
In addition, Mestelan-Pinon made it very clear that the only aim for the team in Mexico is a rally win, especially after Ford dominated the field like it did in Sweden. And it's not going to be easy, especially since gravel is not exactly Loeb's favorite surface (this is more like Ogier's territory).
“For sure Sweden is a specialist rally but we were not happy with the handling of the car in slippery conditions. In Mexico we try to win because even though we were quick on the second day we lost to our rivals in Sweden and we don’t want to repeat that,” he concluded.
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