Legendary rally drivers Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena will be making a return to action for the opening round of the 2015 World Rally Championship season, Rallye Monte-Carlo.
They will be joining the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team for the race and getting behind the wheel of a DS 3 WRC.
These drivers are the winners of nine world titles and 78 rallies, seven of which were in Monaco. They will be racing alongside Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in another DS 3 WRC, as well as Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson.
For the start of the new season, a number of significant upgrades have been made to the three DS 3 WRC cars entering the race. These include changes to the engine, suspension, aerodynamics and gearbox.
Technical director for Citroen Racing Xavier Mestelan-Pinon explained: “The DS 3 WRC is a very accomplished car, but we have worked hard to make it even more competitive.”
“For example, we have focused our efforts on the engine so that it delivers more power and torque, whilst also improving reliability. Taking advantage of the changes in the regulations, we have reintroduced steering wheel-mounted paddles for the gear changes.”
In terms of changes to aerodynamics, the cars have been given a new spoiler and a new front end. Weight distribution will also be improved as the cars will use lighter parts. Rear suspension and kinematics have also been altered.
Mr Mestelan-Pinon said that work on the cars will continue over the next few months and that the team will be presenting another aerodynamic upgrade in the future.
The new DS 3 WRC cars will also come with new livery to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the original DS.
Winner of last year’s Junior WRC championship, Stephane Lefebvre, will be starting his season in a DS 3 R5 and will be joined by co-driver Stephane Prevot.
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