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• With six crews competing in Sardegna (Østberg-Eriksen, Bulacia-Der Ohannesian, Rossel-Fulcrand, Camilli-Buresi, Ciamin-Roche and Johnston-Kihurani), the #C3R5Family boasted a strong line-up at the sixth round of the World Rally Championship.

• Having won eleven out the sixteen stages in the hands of Mads Østberg, the C3 R5 was once again one the leading lights of the WRC2 category at this, one of the most demanding events of the season. It was therefore all the more frustrating that the car lost time on the opening stages of the rally due to a transmission issue. The points for fourth place may nonetheless prove decisive in the WRC2 title fight.

• In the WRC3 too, the C3 R5 showcased its competitiveness with a total of seven stage wins scored by all of its crews. A competitiveness that was rewarded by the fine third place of Marco Bulacia, adding to his victory in Mexico and runner-up spot in Turkey and who continues to top the championship standings. Held up on SS2 by a puncture, he then put together an intelligent race, including one stage win, to sneak onto the podium. Fellow C3 R5 drivers Yohan Rossel and Nicolas Ciamin also deserved to feature on the podium. The two Frenchmen had made a fine start to the rally, ending the first leg second and third in the category respectively. However, on Saturday morning, both drivers suffered mechanical issues. They confirmed their high performance level on the stages with a fastest time apiece when they returned to action on Sunday. Meanwhile, Eric Camilli – brilliant winner in the WRC3 at Monte-Carlo – was impressive on his return to the category, running in second position on day one before suffering a technical issue and then having to retire at the start of the second leg following an off.

WHAT THEY SAID…

Didier Clément, Head of Customer Racing, Citroën Racing

“It has been a difficult weekend for all of us. The car was very quick – it shows it every weekend, at every rally – but for once, we a bit short on reliability. It’s frustrating because the speed was definitely there and our drivers showed that they were capable of putting C3 R5 among the front-runners on pretty much every stage of this very demanding Rally Sardegna. We are constantly working, every day, to provide our crews with an increasingly reliable and powerful car. This weekend was tough, but I have no doubt that our teams will be back stronger at the next events on the calendar.”

Marco Bulacia, third in the WRC3 with the C3 R5

“After the puncture at the start, we didn’t give up. We kept driving well in the hope of moving back up the standings, so I am extremely pleased with our result. I was really comfortable in my C3 R5. The car was very efficient and easy to drive on these rough stages. If we decided to take part in a fifth round, as permitted by the regulations, we would choose to compete at Monza.”

Mads Østberg

“Obviously, I’m disappointed with the start of the race, although there are a lot of positives to take away from the weekend, with two good legs on Saturday and Sunday. We did our very best to move back up the standings. We did manage to make up four of the six minutes lost on Friday morning. We’re now going to focus on the remaining tarmac rounds: we know the car is very competitive on this surface and I feel confident in my ability to fight for the win.”