ERC stars ready new Citroën for action

Past ERC stars Craig Breen and Stéphane Lefebvre will be at the wheel of the C3 R5 as it undergoes its initial development testing ahead of customer sales beginning.

“We are reaching an important milestone this week with the first development tests of the car, which is already close to the finished product," explained Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal.

"The specifications given to the technical teams are clear: we want the Citroën C3 R5 to set new standards in the category, in terms of performance, reliability and controlled operating costs. In order to create an entirely new product, we used all of Citroën Racing's experience in the WRC, adding contributions from leading technical suppliers such as Sadev for the transmission and Reiger for the suspension systems.”

Design work on the Citroën C3 R5 began approximately one year ago with the bulk of the mechanical components tested on ‘mules’ since the start of 2017.

"For the first outing of the full car, we are already pretty close to the definition that will be offered to customers,” said Pierre Budar, Development Director, Customer Racing Vehicles. “The sessions are being held on gravel, on sufficiently varied road surfaces to test the car's robustness and begin fine-tuning the basic set-up.

“There is a direct link between the C3 R5 and the C3 WRC: for example, the roll cage of the two cars was designed by the same engineer. Some solutions have been re-used, whilst adapting them to the constraints of the regulations and small-scale production. Similarly, the engine has been developed in-house, based on the unit used on the production model, therefore providing the greatest potential in terms of performance and reliability. We have also chosen to work together with the best suppliers. Overall, we have an even, consistent product, capable of meeting the goals of the customers that choose the Citroën C3 R5."