Citroën C4 WRC
| Industry | Motorsport |
|---|---|
| Products | World Rally Cars (including Citroën C4 WRC) |
The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car engineered by Citroën Racing specifically for competition in the World Rally Championship. It is derived from the Citroën C4 production vehicle. Launched during the 2007 World Rally Championship season, this model replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC and achieved remarkable success by securing four back-to-back drivers' championships with Sébastien Loeb from 2007 through 2010. Additionally, it contributed to Citroën's manufacturers' titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
A highlight of the C4 WRC's legacy is its flawless record on tarmac rallies throughout its WRC career, winning every one of the 13 dedicated asphalt events contested.
2007
The debut of the C4 WRC occurred at the 2007 Monte Carlo Rally, piloted by Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Sordo. Loeb dominated the event by leading all stages and ultimately securing victory, with Sordo finishing right behind in second place. Over the course of the season, Loeb added seven more rally wins, clinching the drivers' championship by a margin of nine points over Ford's Marcus Grönholm. Sordo ended the year ranked fourth overall.
2008
For the 2008 season, Citroën continued with Loeb and Sordo as their primary drivers. Loeb claimed victory in 11 out of 15 rallies, successfully defending his title, while Sordo achieved third place in the driver standings. This strong performance enabled Citroën to regain the manufacturers' championship.
At the season finale, PH-Sport, a private outfit, entered C4 WRC cars for drivers Conrad Rautenbach, Urmo Aava, and Sébastien Ogier, who had recently won the Junior World Rally Championship. Despite it being his first WRC event, Ogier led early stages at the 2008 Rally GB.
2009
Loeb and Sordo remained with the factory team in 2009. Loeb secured victories in the opening five rallies as well as the last two events of the season, narrowly edging out Ford's Mikko Hirvonen by a single point for the championship. Sordo finished third overall, contributing to Citroën’s successful defense of the manufacturers' title.
A secondary squad operated by PH-Sport competed under the name Citroën Junior Team, featuring Rautenbach and Ogier alongside occasional entries from Evgeny Novikov, Chris Atkinson, and Aaron Burkart. Meanwhile, Petter Solberg initially campaigned an older Xsara WRC before switching to a C4 WRC late in the year, entering under the Junior Team banner for the final round.
2010
The factory lineup continued with Loeb and Sordo, while the Junior Team roster included Ogier and former Formula One driver Kimi Räikkönen. Ogier delivered an impressive start to his season—highlighted by a win at the 2010 Rally de Portugal—which led to a mid-season driver swap with Sordo on gravel rallies. Subsequently, Ogier secured victory at the 2010 Rally Japan as part of the factory squad. Räikkönen achieved his inaugural stage win driving a C4 at the 2010 Rallye Deutschland.
Competing independently, Petter Solberg ran a C4 WRC for his personal team throughout 2010. He attained eight podium finishes and concluded third in the championship standings, ahead of factory drivers Ogier and Sordo but behind champion Loeb.
WRC victories
No. Event Season Driver Co-driver 1 2007 Monte Carlo Rally 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 2 2007 Rally Mexico 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 3 2007 Rally de Portugal 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 4 2007 Rally Argentina 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 5 2007 Rallye Deutschland 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 6 2007 Rally Catalunya 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 7 2007 Tour de Corse 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 8 2007 Rally Ireland 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 9 2008 Monte Carlo Rally 2008 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena