WRC NEEDS TO EVOLVE TO STOP EXODUS, SAYS CITROEN BOSS
World Rally Championship in crisis as Citroen confirms withdrawal
the highest level of the sport, R5 category cars remain at the heart of the FIA’S plans to develop manufacturer interest in the series.
“We have the target for 2023 to have 20 manufacturer-supported cars competing regularly in the world championship,” he added. “I don’t say 20 World Rally Cars, we know that’s impossible – the maximum we ever achieved was 16 or 17. But working with the WRC 2 and WRC 3 categories for next year, this is when we start to see more cars supported by the manufacturers and we will see more interest in this next year.
“We want a pro-am championship, but if we say we go to an R5 [World Rally Car] then the manufacturers will not follow. We need to have the balance between the top cars and some cars supported by the manufacturers from the lower categories.”
In an effort to combat Citroen’s perceived lack of potential world championship-winning drivers at the top of rallying, the FIA will reveal a new initiative helping the next generation of talent into the top tier.
“I cannot say too much about this,” said Matton, “but we will be [announcing] in December. We are working at the FIA on a talent selection programme – it will be a global programme concerning rallying. As a rally tool, it’s really useful. We are working really hard for this and again, to bring new talents, this is one of the reasons we make the changes to the WRC and WRC 3 layers.”
Matton pointed out that several drivers were capable of winning WRC rounds, but accepted the title contenders remained Ott Tanak, Thierry Neuville and Sebastien Ogier.
In his time with Citroen, Matton managed Citroen’s own junior team and he said the lack of such manufacturer programmes was telling.
“Maybe in the last two or three years – since the launch of the new World Rally Cars – we missed something,” he said. “Maybe we did not anticipate the gap between R5 cars and World Rally Cars. But now the tools will be in place to have a quite proper pyramid. As well, we need to make sure the manufacturers really understand how important it is to have junior teams. Citroen was one of the main providers
[of drivers]. When you see [Kris] Meeke, [Dani] Sordo, Ogier, Neuville, [Sebastien] Loeb, all of these drivers were involved in the Citroen junior programme and now some other manufacturers can understand the value of this to the championship.”
WRC Promoter was contacted regarding the costs involved in competing in the WRC and on Citroen’s departure, but it declined to comment.