After a fine season in 2003, which saw Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz finish 2-3 in the driver’s championship and a manufacturer’s championship, Citroen is poised to have another fine campaign in 2004. They are clearly the strongest team in the championship, with Peugeot putting all its muscle behind Marcus Gronholm. The Xsara has proven to be very quick on all surfaces, and it has been quite reliable as well. With both Loeb and Sainz returning, Citroen is once again the favorite for the manufacturer’s championship.
Sebastien Loeb has become the most dangerous driver in the WRC. Petter Solberg may have won the championship last year (thanks in large part to his partnership with Tommi Makinen and Solberg’s level of experience), but Loeb is clearly a threat in every rally he starts. He hit some rough spots last year, failing to finish several tarmac rallies (his speciality), but he also won several loose surface events, which was a bit of a surprise. And after his win at Monte Carlo last season (and his near-miss the season before), Loeb is poised to take the crown of the king of Monte Carlo from the now-retired Makinen (who won five straight).
Carlos Sainz, after toying with the idea of retirement during last season, has decided to go at it one more time. Sainz had a strong, consistent year where he was in the running for the championship going into Rally GB (he failed to capitalize, however, crashing out on day one). With Makinen’s retirement, Sainz is the elder statesman of the sport, and that experience shows. Like Richard Burns, Sainz fought for the championship with consistent results rather than a mix of wins and retirements. He is capable of finishing on the podium in every event he enters (and unless things go all wrong, you can bank on him finishing in the points).
Citroen has all the pieces in place to take over where Peugeot left off — dominating both the driver’s and manufacturer’s championship. The team was one point away from taking both titles last season, and I expect they’ll be in hunt for two trophies at the close of 2004 as well.
Posted on 6 January 2004