Thanks to their victories in 2007 and 2009, Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and the Citroën C4 WRC are unbeaten in Rally Portugal. On their third outing in this event they are determined to score a hat trick, which will help them to extend their lead in the Drivers' World Championship. In the Manufacturers' title chase, the Citroën Total World Rally Team has a 5-point lead over its nearest rival. More than ever, the support of Dani Sordo and Marc Marti will be crucial to make the break before the summer interlude.
Rally Portugal was one of the great events in the World Championship up till 2001. It was reinstated on the calendar four years ago. The rally, now based in the Algarve, enjoys the type of popularity common to south European events. "We love the enthusiasm of the spectators," smiles Sébastien Loeb. "The region is very pleasant; it's usually fine and you really feel the people's love of rallying. What more can you ask for?"
The six-time world champion has won the event on his two participations and he has but a single aim: score his fifty-eight career victory. "I like this rally very much but it's not all that easy," explains Seb. "Since the start of the season in each event the stages have had a lot of overcrests; those little humps that prevent us from reading the corners that lie just behind. Portugal will be the pits in this area! Apart from that you can't say that the rally is a very difficult one. It's a kind of digest of everything that you'll find on gravel - wide quick sections, others that are slow and twisty."
Thanks to his three victories and two podium finishes in five rallies Loeb has a comfortable lead in the world championship. Although he scored his worst result of the season in New Zealand - third (!) - he's drawn positive conclusions from his trip to the Antipodes. "We arrived in Auckland with a forty-point lead over Petter Solberg and we came home with thirty-six points in hand over Jari-Matti Latvala. Four points lost with one less rally to go is a pretty good operation. This season there are six drivers capable of winning each event. Finishing among the front-runners is good for us for the moment, but it's not the time to relax."
For Dani Sordo, Rally Portugal will be another home event: "With Mexico and Spain, it's a rather special rally for me. The spectators cheer us on more than elsewhere as we're defending the colours of the Iberian Peninsula! But this doesn't change the way I'm preparing for the event. I know Citroën is counting on me to score the maximum number of points towards the Manufacturers'' Championship. As usual, I'm starting the rally with the aim of finishing on the podium. I came third in my first two outings here; I'd be happy to do just as well this year!"
For this rally, the Citroën Total World Rally Team C4 WRCs will carry the colours of the road safety campaign, Make roads safe, set up by the FIA and backed by Citroën Racing and its crews Redacteur: PB Citroen Racing | Foto's Citroen Racing
