That means regular Citroen works driver and Loeb's teammate Dani Sordo will be demoted to Citroen Junior Team for Rally Finland, Rally Japan and Rally Great Britain, while resuming his duties with the leading Citroen team for the 4 remaining rounds, ran on asphalt: Bulgaria, Germany, France and Spain.
So far, Ogier has scored some impressive results in the gravel rallies, scoring four Top 4 results in 5 events, including a win in Portugal and a runner-up spot in New Zealand. Those results lifted him to 2nd overall in the drivers' classification, almost 40 points ahead of Sordo.
“Even if we currently hold the advantage in both World Rally Championship classifications, we need to make sure that every opportunity comes our way. Looking at the way things have gone in the first part of the season, it seems that Sebastien Ogier and (his co-driver) Julien Ingrassia would be able to help us to achieve our objectives on gravel,” said Quesnel, according to Autosport.
“But I do not want people to think that this reflects in any way badly on Dani Sordo and (his co-driver) Marc Marti. They have had a slightly troubled start to the season and they need to get their confidence back. Driving in the Citroen Junior Team will give them the chance to compete without pressure and rediscover their form,” added the Frenchman.
In the gravel rallies this season except for Rally Jordan, Sordo is yet to outscore Ogier. Whether this last move from Citroen is a clear sign of the French team's plans for the future, we'll probably find out in the late stages of the 2010 season, when the contract discussions will kick off within the Citroen organization.
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