One month before the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship gets underway at Rallye Monte Carlo, Citroën Racing officially unveils its C3 WRC in Abu Dhabi.

Complying with the new FIA regulations, which see the introduction of a new generation of World Rally Cars, the C3 WRC heralds the return of Citroën, with eight manufacturers’ titles and no fewer than 96 wins to the brand’s name. For the 2017 season, the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT will enter between two and four C3 WRCs for its crews; Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle, Craig Breen/Scott Martin, Stéphane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau and Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi/Chris Patterson.

When asked what role has Kris Meeke played in the development of the Citroën C3 WRC, Yves Matton, Citroën Racing said: In a word, vital. We needed a leader, who had plenty of technical experience and knowledge in terms of development. Kris has been developing racing cars for the PSA Group for more than ten years. He is a trained engineer and that means he has been able to provide detailed analysis at certain points. He is undoubtedly one of the main reasons we were able to stick to the schedule and meet our goals."

Matton also explained why they chose Craig Breen and Stéphane Lefebvre for 2017. “To meet our first goal, which is to win rallies in normal racing conditions in 2017, we already had Kris under contract. He showed throughout the 2016 season that he is capable of fighting for victory on every surface. For the other crews, there were then two ways we could go. We could either go for an experienced driver with established pace, who might challenge Kris for the role of team leader. Or we could proceed in line with the vision of the brand, which is to have a different approach that puts faith in talented young drivers. Having said that, it's also an approach that is entirely consistent with what Citroën Racing has been doing for more than twenty years. Craig and Stéphane's results have shown that we have two very talented, promising drivers in our stable. So we decided to give them their chance. In the medium term, they are the future of the WRC."

"In 2017, we want to win races in normal conditions, by beating our competitors. And then in 2018, our goal is to bring home at least one of the world titles."
The 2017 season sees the introduction of a new generation of cars, designed to be the fastest and most spectacular ever seen on the stages of the World Championship.