Rally Australia (3-6 September 2009) – Preview The heads Down Under

After a month-long summer break, the Citroën Junior Team returns to action on Rally Australia, round 10 of the 12-round 2009 FIA . Sébastien Ogier / and / will drive the two Citroën C4 WRC entries on this brand- new event based at Kingscliff in New South . After 19 years in Perth, to the west of the country, Rally Australia now moves to New South Wales for the 2009 event. This 3600-kilometre move gives an opportunity to all the World Rally Championship crews to branch out into new and unknown territory. Located in the north east of New South Wales, the town of Kingscliff is in a national park only a 100 kilometres or so away from Brisbane. The acclaimed Gondwana forest, which forms part of the route on the final day, has been a Unesco world heritage site since 1986 and is subject to more than 1100 millimetres of rainfall per month. The organising committee has worked hard with local authorities to reduce the environmental impact of the rally and to highlight the extraordinary ecosystem that characterises the area. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia and Conrad Rautenbach / Daniel Barritt have been nominated to score manufacturer points for the Citroën Junior Team in their C4 WRCs. Sébastien Ogier is currently eighth in his first season at the top level of the FIA World Rally Championship, thanks to a series of remarkable performances that have amply underlined his potential. After finishing second in Greece and just missing out on a podium in Poland, the Frenchman also set a fastest time on the legendary stages of . He said: « Myself, Julien and the rest of the team are now reaping the rewards of all the hard work we have put in since the start of the season. I’m feeling more and more comfortable with the C4 WRC and I can’t wait to get back into it for my first Rally Australia. » As this event is brand new for all the crews, Sébastien Ogier will start the rally on a level playing field with everybody else. « For once we do not begin with a lack of experience compared to the other drivers » he added. « It’s just an event like any other for us. And the main objective is also the same as we have on all the other rallies: we need to be there at the finish. » Just like the other drivers, Zimbabwe’s Conrad Rautenbach is expecting some radically different new territory. « We really don’t know what will be waiting for us as we head off to the recce » he said. « We’ve never rallied in this part of Australia before and it seems that the conditions will be very different from how they were in Perth. On the east coast, the stages are likely to be wider and quicker, a bit like they are in New Zealand or Finland. It’s the sort of thing that I think I will like. There are several stages and the long final day could be tricky. I can’t wait to get there now because Australia is a place I absolutely love! »

Three questionsto Sébastien… Ogier

So did you manage to fit in some holidays during August?

« Not exactly! I was able to escape the rally world for just a few days, but of course I was sticking to my usual exercise regime. I also went on a high-altitude physical training course run by Xavier Feuillet, who looks after several drivers. I originally met him through the FFSA Rallye Jeunes programme. We went to Font-Romeu in the Pyrenees in order to work through a specific routine. The different elements to the course helped me to improve my reflexes and power. But for my proper holidays, I will stay on in Australia after the rally. »

It’s an all-new Rally Australia this year. Is it an advantage for you to take part in a rally that everyone is learning for the first time?

« You cannot really say that it is an advantage. However, it means that we will not have less experience of the route than the other drivers, which is normally the case, so at least we do not start at a disadvantage. Everything will be new to us from start to finish, so this will be pretty much the same situation that we have faced all year. But for the team it will be a little bit different, as they will not have all the information needed for the car set-up. It will be more important than ever for us to do a good job during the recce. As far as we know the stages will be fast and flowing, with a few more twisty sections as well. »

Do some of your recent performances mean that you can target a good result?

« Both myself and my co-driver Julien Ingrassia are feeling more and more confident with the Citroën C4 WRC. But equally we know that we can take nothing for granted and that it is very important for us to keep on working hard. Since the middle of the season, we’ve definitely been going down the right road. Despite a few mistakes, we’ve learnt a lot from our first few events and this experience is beginning to pay off now. I’m getting increasingly used to the speed of a WRC machine and the hard work from the team has allowed us to get some good results. In Australia, our priority once more is to be there at the end. In the normal course of events I think we could aim for top-eight finish; maybe higher depending on how things go. Then we will have to see what the strategy from the team is. I’ve got complete confidence in the Citroën Junior Team and I cannot wait to get back behind the wheel of my C4 WRC! » Useful information

Rally Australia (round 10/12) (3-6 September) Surface : gravel Where: Kingscliff Practical information: Rally HQ is in the Mantra building on SALT Beach at Gunnamatta Avenue in Kingscliff. The media centre is in Peppers SALT Resort and Spa on Bells Boulevard. The service park is located at Kingscliff sports field, five kilometres away from Rally HQ. There is an eight-hour time difference between Australia (GMT +10) and central Europe (GMT +2). So when it is 20:00 in New South Wales, it is 12:00 in France. During the rally, the sun will rise at 05:55 and set at 17:35. The local currency is the Australian dollar (1 Euro = 1.70 Australian dollars). Technical: The Citroën C4 WRCs will be equipped with engines that have to be used again in Spain then in Great Britain. For Rally Australia and Rally Great Britain, each car is allowed two gearboxes and two sets of differentials for the pair of rallies. Each car is also allowed a spare turbo on each rally. The steering racks and subframes will be sealed before the start of the event.

Tyres: The crews will each have 42 hard compound Pirelli Scorpion WRC 265/65R15 tyres at their disposal for shakedown and the rally. Each car is allowed to carry two spare wheels but cutting the tyres is forbidden. Reconnaissance: This will take place on Tuesday 1 September from 07:00-17:00 and Wednesday 2 September from 09:00-19:00, with two passages allowed over each special stage. Depending on the stage, speed is limited to either 60, 70 or 80 kph unless local road signs indicate otherwise. Shakedown: Thursday 3 September between 08:00 and 12:00 at Dunloe Park, on a 3.29-kilometre stage 27 kilometres from the service park. Press conference: Thursday 3 September at 13:30 in the media centre. Start ceremony : A rally show will be held from 16:30 at Murwillumbah. Route: The total length of the route is 1733.75 kilometres, of which 344.72 kilometres are competitive. There are 35 special stages (16 different stages). Timing: Day 1 – 573.42 km of which 106.79 km are competitive (15 stages, 7 different stages). Thursday 3 September. Start at 18:45 – SS1: Tweed 1 (2.55 km) – SS2: Tweed 2 (2.55 km) – Parc fermé at 19:48. Friday 4 September. Service A (05:30/15 min) – SS3: Kyogle 1 (7.32 km) – SS4: Repco 1 (8.36 km) – SS5: Kyogle 2 (7.32 km) – SS6: CTEK East 1 (11.33 km) – SS7: Mooball (5.85 km) – SS8: Kidney Health 1 (5.74 km) – SS9: Castrol Edge East 1 (6.85 km) – Regrouping (12:45/20 min) – Service B (13:05/30 min) – SS10: Castrol Edge East 2 (6.85 km) – SS11: CTEK East 2 (11.33 km) – SS12: Mooball 2 (5.85 km) – SS13: Kidney Health 2 (5.74 km) – SS14: Tweed 3 (2.55 km) – SS15: Tweed 4 (2.55 km) – Service C (19:25/45 min) – Last car into parc fermé at 22:15. Day 2 - Saturday 5 September: 619.10 km of which 113.45 km are competitive (10 stages, 6 different stages). Service D (05:30/15 min) – SS16: Dayco 1 (20.31 km) – SS17: Bosch 1 (18.75 km) – SS18: Armor All 1 (8.20 km) – SS19: Urliup (5.24 km) – Regrouping (11:22/20 min) – Service E (11:42/30 min) – SS20: Armor All 2 (8.20 km) – SS21: CTEK West 1 (8.59 km) – SS22: Dayco 2 (20.31 km) – SS23: Bosch 2 (18.75 km) – SS24: Tweed 5 (2.55 km) – SS25: Tweed 6 (2.55 km) – Service F (20:10/45 min) – Last car into parc fermé at 23:00. Day 3 - Sunday 6 September: 541.23 km of which 124.48 km are competitive (10 stages, 6 different stages). Service G (05:00/15 min) – SS26: Monroe 1 (7.14 km) – SS27: Castrol Edge West 1 (21.52 km) – SS28: Gondwana 1 (10.88 km) – SS29: Upper Clarence 1 (6.94 km) – SS30: CTEK West 2 (8.59 km) – Regrouping (10:02/15 min) – Service H (10:17/15 min) – SS31: Monroe 2 (7.40 km) – SS32: Castrol Edge West 2 (21.52 km) – SS33: Gondwana 2 (10.88 km) – SS34: Upper Clarence 2 (6.94 km) – SS35: Repco 2 (live TV) (22.41 km) – Service I (16:04/10 min) – Finish at 16:46. Final podium: Sunday 6 September from 16:45. Final press conference: Sunday 6 September at 17:30 in the media centre. The crews before this rally: Conrad Rautenbach : First WRC rally: Monte Carlo 04 (ret.) – WRC rallies: 53. Daniel Barritt : First WRC rally: Great Britain 00 (ret.) – WRC rallies: 34. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia : First WRC rally: Mexico 08 (C2 S1600 / 8 th , 1 st JWRC) – WRC rallies: 17 – Junior World Rally Champions: 2008 (C2 S1600). The crews before the start of Rally Australia: Daniel Barritt : 4 th participation: 2004 (retired) – 2005 (10 th ) – 2006 (26 th ).

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Press contacts Citroën Racing Communication: Marie-Pierre Rossi (email: [email protected] – Tel: +33 676 870 212) Marek Nawarecki (email: [email protected] – Tel: +33 685 264 518)

Versailles, 27 August 2009