CITROËN AUSTRALIA
Press Release

16th December 2000

CITROËN OPENS NEW MOTOR SPORT CENTRE AND ANNOUNCES 2001 PLANS

Citroën has clearly demonstrated its commitment to win the World Rally championship with the opening of a massive 25,000 square metre all-new motorsport complex just outside Paris and the announcement of its World Championship plans for the next three years.

The purpose built complex at Versailles includes twin rows of car preparation bays, each capable of taking six cars; 3,600 square metres of workshops and test areas for engine development; computers and electrics workshops; body preparation and transmission preparation; A 2,400 square metre parts storage area; undercover storage and preparation areas for support vehicles and a second floor of offices and team management areas.

The site itself is also alongside a purpose made test area that allows on site testing of both tarmac and gravel set-ups for the rally cars, significantly reducing the time required for test periods as testing may be completed without transport to and from test tracks.

The multi-million dollar complex is completed by public areas and a shop from where team merchandise will be sold, along with parts and equipment for non-factory Citroën teams.

The new centre will be the home for the Citroën Xsara T4 World Rally Car, which will be fully homologated on 1 March 2001. Based on the Citroën Xsara Coupe VTS which is set to arrive in Australia early in 2001, the new Citroën rally car is a four wheel drive, 300 bhp, six speed super car which has already shown its ability by enabling Citroën to take the French Rally Championship in 2000 for the third year running.

In 2001 Citroën will contest four World Championship rounds, Catalonia, San Remo, Corsica and the brutally hard Acropolis Rally in Greece. Each round will be contested by two Citroën Xsara T4s with the driving shared between Philippe Bugalski, Jesus Puras and Thomas Radstrom. In addition, the Xsara T4 will contest a minimum of four rallies in Europe, the Mediterraneo Rally in Spain, the Pirelli Rally in England and the Olivera Rally in Portugal. Other events will be added to this calendar as event dates are confirmed for 2001.

The 2002 season will see Citroën contest a minimum of 50 per cent of the World Championship before making a full scale attack on every event in 2003.

As if this extensive programme was not sufficient, Citroën Sport will continue and expand its existing programme in 2001, including:

• Kenneth Hansen will participate in the European Rallycross Championship with a Citroën Xsara WRC and he will also tackle the Norwegian and Swedish SENOR-CUP, as well as a minimum of five rounds of the French Rallycross Championship.
• Citroën will enter a Xsara kit car in the French Rally Championship for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.
• The Citroën Saxo Cup will include eight rounds on four weekends.
• The Citroën Saxo Challenge will field more than 40 teams in a one-make series.
• The Citroën Saxo Rallycross Challenge will be a one make series for 35 cars run within the French Rallycross Championship.
• The Citroën Saxo Ice Challenge will see 16 Citroën Saxos with two drivers per car tackle the Andros 2000-2001 series
• The Trophee Super 1600 series makes its debut in France in 2001 with a new category for which Citroën has developed the Citroën Saxo T4, a four wheel drive 155 bhp five speed version of the smallest Citroën. Citroën will contest the series with four Saxo T4s, plus two of the front wheel drive versions.
• In addition, eight European Citroën importers will run their own rally teams with the Xsara and Saxo.

Citroën is able to run such an extensive range of motorsport and contemplate the major step upwards to the world arena thanks to its enormous successes across a broad range of disciplines. Citroën's 2000 account includes:

• The Citroen Xsara takes the French Rally Championship title for the third year running with seven victories in seven rounds contested.
• The Citroen Saxo takes the two wheel drive class in the French Rally Championship.
• With 11 wins in 12 rounds, Citroën takes the Class Two prize in the French Rally Championship.
• Kenneth Hansen took his eighth European Rally Championship title in the Citroën Xsara WRC.
• In the European Rally Championship, Citroën and Bruno Thiry take both the constructor and driver's top prizes.
• Jesus Puras takes his fifth Spanish Rally Championship title in a Xsara and Citroën takes its second manufacturers title.
• Citroën took class wins in national championships in Portugal, Hungary and Belgium

"The opening of our new Citroën Sport centre is a perfect illustration of the will to win at Citroën, which is confirmed by our record in 2000 and our plans for 2001" says Claude Satinet, Director Général of Citroën. "It underlines our commitment to the sport and reveals our clear intention to win at the highest levels in motorsport."

For further information please
e-Mail Miles Williams - General Manager on
100250.3324@compuserve.com

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