Citroën has pledged its future to the FIA World Rally Championship and will develop an all new car for 2017 built to the WRC's exciting new technical regulations.



This morning, Citroën CEO Linda Jackson confirmed the decision to concentrate all the firm's sporting efforts on the WRC, along with plans to make a fresh start in the sport it dominated between 2004 and 2012.

“With eight world titles and a record 94 wins, Citroën has certainly enjoyed unrivalled success in the WRC,” said Jackson

“Rallying is a fascinating sport, which tests the performance, reliability and solidity of the cars and drivers in some magnificent settings. The category is taking off again, with increasingly widespread live television coverage and the arrival of China on the calendar in 2016.

"In 2017, the appearance of a new generation of cars, which are purported to be very attractive, will coincide with our renewed involvement. Everything will therefore be in place for us to write a new chapter in our history. Given the brand’s rich heritage, this challenge had to be ambitious. We will however be modest in our approach, gradually stepping up our objectives to the very top.”

The decision to remain in the WRC will bring an end to Citroën's participation in the WTCC. Having dominated the sport for the last two seasons, Citroën's programme will conclude at the end of its third in 2016.

Citroën Racing boss Yves Matton said the 2017 changes to the World Rally Championship's technical regulations represented an opportunity to compete on equal terms with rival manufacturers, and to use lessons learned on the race circuit.

“We have never hidden our interest in the 2017 WRC regulations and the entire team is extremely motivated by this new challenge,” he said. “We like the freedom granted to make the cars more spectacular, but also the possibility of reusing development work done on the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC’s engine."

Matton confirmed that in order to hit the ground running in 2017 Citroën would not enter the 2016 World Rally Championship as a works team.

"With a view to managing our resources efficiently, we have decided to focus all our efforts on designing and developing our new World Rally Car," he said. "We will obviously be keeping a close eye on the WRC, both with the organisation of the FIA Junior WRC and with the WRC 2 programme for Quentin Gilbert, this year’s JWRC Champion.”

Citroën's announcement makes no reference to 2015 WRC season drivers Kris Meeke or Mads Østberg, both of whom were being considered for future opportunities with the squad.

http://www.wrc.com/en/

Ostberg leaves Citroen, Meeke could run partial WRC programme.

Citroen has confirmed World Rally Championship star Mads Ostberg will not form part of its plans in 2016 - but it is still in negotiations with Kris Meeke.
Ostberg is now almost certain to return to M-Sport for a full programme in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC next year.

Εδώ όλο το άρθρο --> http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121870

M-SPORT ANNOUNCE SUBSTANTIAL FORD FIESTA R5 UPGRADE



M-Sport's globally successful Ford Fiesta R5 will receive an extensive upgrade from 1 January 2016. The development will bring substantial performance enhancements to what is already a championship-winning vehicle.

Since its debut in the middle of 2013, the Fiesta R5 has become M-Sport's most successful global rally car. With more than 130 cars competing around the globe, the latest Fiesta can boast hundreds of class victories alongside outright wins and championship laurels.

The Fiesta was the first R5 on the market and – despite not receiving a single upgrade in the past two and a half years – remains one of the most competitive having been crowned this year's FIA European Rally Championship winning car in the hands of Kajetan Kajetanowicz.

Now, as M-Sport continues to make strides in development and has evaluated all of the other R5s on the market, the time is right to launch a comprehensive upgrade.

A dedicated team of M-Sport designers and engineers have been assigned to the project and six months of development has resulted in what the team believe to be their most substantial upgrade to date.

With eight allocated homologation jokers still available to use, the first five are solely aimed at increasing engine performance – updating the cylinder head, pistons, inlet and exhaust cam, exhaust manifold and a new clutch/flywheel.

M-Sport engineers have achieved an incredible gain of 32bhp at 4,500rpm and 56 Nm of torque at 4000rpm which represents the single best development step in any engine designed and built by the British firm.

The remaining three jokers will be used for chassis related upgrades which are due to be released in March 2016.

A number of other items are also scheduled for upgrade and M-Sport are currently investigating improvements to the rear aerodynamic device, front bumper, suspension arms, Reiger dampers as well as auxiliary lighting. These upgrades remain in the development phase with a scheduled release towards the end of the first quarter of 2016.

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

"I am extremely proud of all of the work that has gone into this project. The original Ford Fiesta R5 remains a reliable and competitive package, but these upgrades will see us take that performance to another level. We're constantly developing all of our products, but I have to say that this is the single biggest upgrade we have ever produced; and when you consider how competitive the Fiesta R5 currently is, that really is some achievement!"

Having driven the upgraded Fiesta R5, M-Sport test driver Matthew Wilson, said:

"The increase in power really needs to be experienced to be believed. The original Fiesta R5 was great to drive, but you really feel the upgrades as soon as you get behind the wheel and I have to say that this is the biggest step forward with a competition car that I have ever seen. The extra power of the engine is huge which dramatically improves response and makes it even easier to get the most out of what was already a fantastic product."

Tänak Rejoins DMACK To Launch First Ever WRC Team




Tyre manufacturer DMACK is stepping up its presence in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after signing speedy Estonian Ott Tänak and entering the DMACK World Rally Team in the race for the 2016 championship title.

In close partnership with M-Sport, DMACK will field a Ford Fiesta RS WRC for 28-year-old Tänak on all 14 rounds of the series, competing against the factory teams of Volkswagen and Hyundai in the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers for the first time.

The move also allows DMACK to challenge at the top level of the sport in direct competition with respected tyre manufacturers Michelin and Pirelli.

Tänak and co-driver Raigo Mõlder are no strangers to DMACK having competed for the firm’s WRC 2 team during 2014, helping them seal the WRC 2 Teams World Championship title. In 2011, Tänak made his world rally car debut with DMACK, finishing sixth overall on Wales Rally GB.

The pair are also familiar with the Fiesta when, after leading Rally Poland for most of the opening day, they scored a podium finish for the M-Sport World Rally Team in July.

Competing for a full season at the highest level of WRC sees DMACK step up its commitment to the championship and is the next phase in the company’s aim to supply a top factory team. In September, tyre technical expert Fiorenzo Brivio joined DMACK from Pirelli as the firm signalled its intention to ramp up both development and performance of its motorsport products.

After a two-day asphalt development session in Spain last month, DMACK and Tänak will take part in a cold-weather test at the start of December in preparation for the season-opening Rallye Monte Carlo in January.

DMACK will be represented across all levels of the WRC next season. The 2015 Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy winner Marius Aasen will take up his prize drive in WRC 2 at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R5 – he will be joined by Estonian Sander Parn in a two-car Drive DMACK team.

And, with the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy recently launched for 2016, aspiring drivers from across the world will be able to experience WRC action in the most affordable way possible – while also battling for the biggest prize in world rallying.

Dick Cormack, DMACK managing director, said: “We’ve been working on this programme for around six months as part of our three-year development plan. I genuinely believe the combination of M-Sport and Ott is the best platform to help us develop our WRC products and push for leading stage-times when the opportunity arises. DMACK has a clear strategy to challenge for the WRC title in the future and the only way to achieve this is to focus hard on product development and undertake a full WRC programme with the correct partners to prove our performance. Today is yet another step towards achieving our goal of competing at the pinnacle of world rallying alongside Michelin and Pirelli, so I’m looking forward to a great season in 2016.”

Ott Tänak said: “I’m very excited to be joining DMACK again and extremely motivated to carry on the hard work and get closer to the top. We have many good memories from 2014, the team is very hard-working and I know things have moved forward even more since then. We had a tough season but the speed was there and, now that we have much more WRC experience, we will only get better in the future. This is a perfect programme for me, a chance to help DMACK progress and an opportunity for me to demonstrate both my and DMACK’s pace. I can’t wait to start the season in Monaco.”

ØSTBERG AND CAMILLI JOIN M-SPORT

MADS ØSTBERG AND ERIC CAMILLI HAVE BEEN NAMED IN AN ALL-NEW LINE-UP AT M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM FOR THE 2016 WRC SEASON.

Østberg’s return to the squad, with whom he spent three seasons between 2011 and 2013, was expected after his Citroën team confirmed last week it would not enter the series next year while it develops a new car for 2017.
Camilli’s confirmation is a surprise as he has started only 10 WRC events and never driven a World Rally Car competitively. However, M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson made no secret that he was an admirer of the 28-year-old Frenchman during Camilli’s WRC 2 campaign this year.
Wilson has yet to decide whether M-Sport will tackle all 14 rounds with its Ford Fiesta RS.
“Next year, the development of our 2017 challenger will be of the utmost importance and we need to ensure that this will not be compromised before we make any decision on whether or not to contest all 14 events,” said a team spokesperson.
Østberg and Camilli replace Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans who both had disappointing seasons. It was confirmed on Friday that Tänak will drive all 14 rounds for the new DMACK World Rally Team while the M-Sport door is not closed for Evans.
“The team is still in discussion with Elfyn and there is potential for him to have some form of programme in 2016. News of this potential programme will be announced when known,” added the spokesperson.

M-Sport has not confirmed the length of contract for its new drivers but it is understood that Camilli's agreement is for more than one year.

Østberg finished fourth in the championship this year and believes he could challenge for wins in 2016.

"I've changed my driving style over the past two years so it will be interesting to see how that works with the Fiesta and whether or not I'll have to go back to my previous style. It's difficult to say how quickly we'll be able to adapt, but I remember the Fiesta being really easy to drive.

"I feel as though my driving has progressed a lot recently, and the plan is to continue that progression next year. I want to make another improvement in speed, challenge for more podiums and I think wins could also be a possibility. I want to get faster, and I think I can do that without sacrificing the consistency," he said.

Camilli finished 10th in WRC 2 last season in a Fiesta R5, only missing out on victory at the final round in Britain following final stage mechanical problems.

"The priority for next season will be to discover the level required to compete in a World Rally Car and to learn the Fiesta RS WRC. I know it will be fast - faster than anything I've ever driven before - so I'll need to take everything step by step and work hard to improve every aspect of what it takes to become a world class driver.

"I want to do the best job that I can, but I know that I can't put too much pressure on myself at the beginning. I'm very motivated, but I know every driver has to start somewhere and that I will require time to be competitive at the highest level," he said.

Wilson was excited about his new line-up. "We know what Mads is capable of and I believe he has the ability to put M-Sport and Ford back on the top step of the podium next year. There are a number of events in which he can challenge for victory and that has to be our aim for the season ahead.

"Eric's WRC experience is limited, but I truly believe that he has all the makings of a future world champion. He has already proven how quickly he can adapt to new cars and new events and I think his progression will be swift," he said.