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Image credits: Citroen
The Citroën C4 WRC — Citroën Sport's new weapon — will be premiered on 5 September. Before making its debut in the World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2007, it is set to be one of the main attractions at the 2006 Paris Motor Show (28 September – 15 October).
The C4 Citroën Sport concept car was a vehicle symbolising the renewal of the Marque. It was the result of cooperation between engineers from the styling and sports departments. In the first instance, the project completely disregarded regulatory requirements. A true exercise in style, it met the challenge of developing a futuristic vision of a new car. A car to replace the Xsara WRC, winner of three world 'manufacturers' crowns between 2003 and 2005. In the expert hands of Citroën Sport's engineers at Versailles Satory, the C4 Citroën Sport concept car became the C4 WRC.
Adapting to regulations
Although the overall styling was maintained, the car had to be adapted to international regulations and performance requirements. This is where the design office of Citroën Sport stepped in. The project working group came up with a first rolling model of the Citroën C4 WRC that was already a long way from the original concept. The roof, for example, was no longer made of glass, since this is banned in rally racing. The front and rear wings, bumpers and spoiler were modified to satisfy regulations and performance criteria. To save time and money, a number of body parts were studied in wind tunnels on a scale of ¼ before validation of the full-size parts at the end of the project.
The main lines of the development programme
The role of the development programme was to validate the parts and powertrain sub-systems developed by the design office. Reliability was the first factor and performance the second. To achieve the desired result, several working sessions were necessary on both asphalt and gravel. The technical team of Citroën Sport then compared the performance of the C4 WRC with that of the Xsara, which remained the standard, the absolute reference. Although it is still in its development phase, the Citroën C4 WRC has shown real potential. Now, its performance can only truly be confirmed in rally conditions.
Expectations and objectives
The mechanics, engineers, crews and managers of Citroën Sport, are impatient to see how the C4 WRC performs in an actual rally event. Designed to be as easy to drive and as reliable as the Xsara WRC, the C4 WRC aims to set even higher standards of efficiency and performance. A car built and developed to enable Citroën to target the 'drivers' and 'manufacturers' titles once more from 2007.
Main technical characteristics of the Citroën C4 WRC
Like the Xsara, its glorious predecessor, the Citroën C4 WRC features four-wheel drive and a 2-litre turbocharged engine mated to a cross-mounted 6-speed gearbox. At 4.20 m, the C4 WRC is longer than the Xsara and, in line with regulations, therefore has a larger width of 1,800 mm, compared with 1,700 mm for the Xsara. This change should provide better stability on bends.
As also laid down in the new regulations, the use of electronic driving aids is limited, in the same way as for the Xsara in its 2006 configuration. Referring again to the regulatory budget cuts, the sub-systems of the C4 WRC – such as the engines, gearboxes, front, central and rear differentials and dampers – must last longer and be more reliable.Source - Citroën
The C4 Citroën Sport concept car was a vehicle symbolising the renewal of the Marque. It was the result of cooperation between engineers from the styling and sports departments. In the first instance, the project completely disregarded regulatory requirements. A true exercise in style, it met the challenge of developing a futuristic vision of a new car. A car to replace the Xsara WRC, winner of three world 'manufacturers' crowns between 2003 and 2005. In the expert hands of Citroën Sport's engineers at Versailles Satory, the C4 Citroën Sport concept car became the C4 WRC.
Adapting to regulations
Although the overall styling was maintained, the car had to be adapted to international regulations and performance requirements. This is where the design office of Citroën Sport stepped in. The project working group came up with a first rolling model of the Citroën C4 WRC that was already a long way from the original concept. The roof, for example, was no longer made of glass, since this is banned in rally racing. The front and rear wings, bumpers and spoiler were modified to satisfy regulations and performance criteria. To save time and money, a number of body parts were studied in wind tunnels on a scale of ¼ before validation of the full-size parts at the end of the project.
The main lines of the development programme
The role of the development programme was to validate the parts and powertrain sub-systems developed by the design office. Reliability was the first factor and performance the second. To achieve the desired result, several working sessions were necessary on both asphalt and gravel. The technical team of Citroën Sport then compared the performance of the C4 WRC with that of the Xsara, which remained the standard, the absolute reference. Although it is still in its development phase, the Citroën C4 WRC has shown real potential. Now, its performance can only truly be confirmed in rally conditions.
Expectations and objectives
The mechanics, engineers, crews and managers of Citroën Sport, are impatient to see how the C4 WRC performs in an actual rally event. Designed to be as easy to drive and as reliable as the Xsara WRC, the C4 WRC aims to set even higher standards of efficiency and performance. A car built and developed to enable Citroën to target the 'drivers' and 'manufacturers' titles once more from 2007.
Main technical characteristics of the Citroën C4 WRC
Like the Xsara, its glorious predecessor, the Citroën C4 WRC features four-wheel drive and a 2-litre turbocharged engine mated to a cross-mounted 6-speed gearbox. At 4.20 m, the C4 WRC is longer than the Xsara and, in line with regulations, therefore has a larger width of 1,800 mm, compared with 1,700 mm for the Xsara. This change should provide better stability on bends.
As also laid down in the new regulations, the use of electronic driving aids is limited, in the same way as for the Xsara in its 2006 configuration. Referring again to the regulatory budget cuts, the sub-systems of the C4 WRC – such as the engines, gearboxes, front, central and rear differentials and dampers – must last longer and be more reliable.Source - Citroën
| WRCsource: WRC.com Preparations for the hard-fought season begin months before the first rally. The governing body, the FIA approves routes, stages and final locations of the 16 rallies around the world, and passes on a copy of the proposals to the manufacturers. Each rally must allow two days for the reconnaissance (or recce), one day for technical checks (or scrutineering) and three days for competition. The rally is divided into three legs, and typically has between 15 and 25 special stages. The manufacturer-backed factory teams will enter two or three cars each, and arrive on location weeks before the start of a rally for on-site preparation. The competing World Rally Cars are seeded and start the event according to their ranking, with the leader of the drivers' championship setting off first. Often there are up to 90 cars taking part - the rest of the field made up of the Junior Rally Championship (smaller, lower-powered cars for younger drivers), or the Production Car World Rally Championship and private teams. The Recce Driver and co-driver familiarise themselves with the stages before the start of the event. They drive the leg in a standard road-car (fitted with extra safety equipment) in the three days preceding the rally. It is here that the co-driver jots down detailed pacenotes for use on the stage itself. The Stages The special stages are the competitive sections of the rally - where the drivers and co-driver drive as fast as possible to achieve the quickest time. They take place on private roads or public roads, which are closed to the general public while the rally is in progress. A typical rally will have about 25 special stages over three days. The stages are linked by public roads - called road sections - on which competitors must obey all local traffic laws. Each day contains about 400km of driving - a third of which are the competitive special stages. Stages vary in length from five to 60kms, with the cars' times being recorded after each stage to the tenth of a second. The ClockForget about 'first across the line'. WRC cars don't race directly against each other. They compete against the toughest opponent of all - time. Cars start at one or two minute intervals, racing against the clock, their times monitored and entered into the FIA computer. Unless they run into trouble, rivals rarely see each other during a stage. At the end of an event, the driver who's taken the least amount of time to complete all the stages is the winner. The Points Results achieved during each of the 16 rallies count towards the two FIA world championships - one for the drivers and one for the manufacturers. Drivers get 10 points for coming first, eight points for second place, six points for third, five points for fourth, four for fifth, three for sixth, two for seventh and one for eighth. A manufacturer can add up the points tally from two nominated cars. The Time Controls A rally itinerary is governed by a strict timetable. Drivers get time penalties for being late (or early!) to clock in to the start of the special stage and at the entry and exit of service parks. Late arrival at these controls is typically penalised with 10 seconds on every minute over and is added to the overall time of the driver. Drivers can be excluded from a rally if they are 15 minutes late for a time control, 30 minutes late for a leg or 60 minutes for an entire rally. The Service Parks After each group of stages is completed, the cars can visit a designated service park where repairs may be carried out by the teams under strict supervision during a 20-minute time period. At the end of each day the crews are allowed a longer 45-minute period to work on the cars before they are locked away in the guarded 'parc fermé' until the following morning's restart. Crews are punished with time penalties for exceeding these alloted times. |
2007 Citroen C4 WRC |
|
| Year | 2007 |
| Make | Citroen |
| Model | C4 WRC |
| Engine Location | Front |
| Drive Type | 4WD |
| Weight | 1230 kg | 2712.2 lbs |
| Combined MPG | 0.00 |
| Introduced At | 2006 Paris Mondial De L'Automobile |
| Engine | |
| Engine Configuration | I |
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Engine | XU7JP4 |
| Aspiration/Induction | Turbocharged |
| Garrett TR30R Turbocharger | |
| Displacement | 2.00 L | 122 cu in. | 1999.6 cc. |
| Valves | 16 valves. 4 valves per cylinder. |
| Valvetrain | DOHC |
| Horsepower | 315.00 BHP (231.8 KW) @ 5500.00 RPM |
| Torque | 570.00 NM (420.3 Ft-Lbs) @ 2750.00 RPM |
| HP to Weight Ratio | 8.6 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio) |
| HP / Liter | 157.5 BHP / Liter |
| Fuel Type | Gasoline - Petrol |
| Fuel Feed | Fuel Injected |
| Direct Fuel Injection | |
| Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight | |
| Standard Transmission | |
| Gears | 6 |
| Transmission | Manual |
| Cross-mounted | |
| Dimensions | |
| Standard Payload | 0.00 |
| Doors | 2 |
| Exterior | |
| Length | 4.201 m | 165.4 in. | 4201.2 mm. |
| Width | 1800.001 mm | 70.9 in. |
| View Specifications |
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