Citroen Underlines WRC Commitment

Citroen has underlined its commitment to the FIA World Rally Championship beyond the end of the 2012 season.

The French manufacturer has always talked of its long-term commitment to the WRC, with team principal Yves Matton emphasising that fact with his efforts to unearth a natural successor to Sebastien Loeb, the Frenchman who has won eight world titles and 72 rounds of the championship in a Citroen.

Despite difficult mid-year results from patent company PSA Peugeot Citroen, a Citroen spokesperson said: “The announcement of last week, won’t impact our WRC programme. However, we are doing our best to look at options to reduce the financial support of the brand in our sporting package.”

Loeb has a signed Citroen contract until the end of 2013, but the title leader is currently deciding whether or not to retire - he has a clause in his Citroen agreement that allows him to leave at the end of 2012 if he wishes.

With Citroen, Ford and MINI being joined by Volkswagen for next year, the 2013 season looks like being one of the most eagerly anticipated in the WRC’s recent history.

The next round of this year’s world championship is Neste Oil Rally Finland from 2-4 August.