
As in
Sweden, the three crews will be Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle, Craig Breen/Scott Martin
and Khalid Al Qassimi/Chris Patterson.
Having emerged victorious at
Rally Portugal, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle but absent in Sardinia and Poland,
the duo will aim to build up their experience and hone their turn of speed with
the 2017 season in their sights. In eight appearances at Rally Finland, Kris’s
best result was a third place in 2014.
Having finished 8th in Sweden and
7th in Poland, Craig Breen and Scott Martin will continue their programme with
Abu Dhabi Total WRT.


Looking back on the past week, Kris was excited with the progress
the team is making with their 2017 world series challenger: “It’s exciting to
be driving the WRC on asphalt for the first time, Citroën Racing has always
made really good cars for this surface and I think this will be no exception!
On tarmac, you can really feel the changes introduced as a result of the new
regulations, such as the higher power, the increased width, the power of the
brakes… We are continuing the programme as planned and each run teaches us a
little bit more. Every phase of the project is just as exciting as the last!”
In terms of the regulations, the differences between a WRC’s gravel
and asphalt setups are minimal, but they are vital. “The biggest change is in
the suspension,” said Citroën Racing Technical Director Laurent Fregosi: “We
use lighter parts that allow us to reduce the ground clearance. The drivetrain
kinematics are also adapted to the 18″ wheels. Large wheels mean we can
increase brake disc diameter and use water-cooled callipers. We should also
mention the lighter body protection. On the aerodynamic front, we now have the
ability to adapt the lower part of the front bumper specifically for asphalt.”
“During this first session, we worked in particular on the
programming of the centre differential,” explained the engineer. “The aim is to
distribute power between the front and rear axles according to the situation.
Obviously, the settings will be different from one surface to another. The
drivers were also able to assess the effects of mechanical parameters, such as
spring stiffness, the anti-roll bar and the differential. Overall, the results
were positive and we know where we are at. Once again, the car’s reliability
allowed us to get plenty of kilometres in.”
(Thanks to Citroen Racing for the pics!)
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