Citroën Racing

History

Citroën Racing has also previously been known as Citroën Compétitions and Citroën Sport. Although Citroën vehicles had been used by privateers for many years previously, the department originates from 1960 when René Cotton, the winning team manager of the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally, was asked by Citroën to increase participation in rallying with their support. When Citroën began entering motorsport competitions itself in 1965, it effectively formed the Citroën racing department.

After Cotton's death in 1971, his wife Marlène succeeded him and was highly qualified having spent twelve years in his employment and inheriting all his personal notes, plans and documents for business and sport activities. Due to their financial troubles and the decade's energy crises, Citroën reduced motorsport participation during the 1970s. In 1980, former executive secretary of the FFSA, Guy Verrier, was tasked by Citroën to build a World Rally Championship car and team.

Verrier, who had driven for Citroën under the leadership of both Cottons, was responsible for the delivery of the Group B Visas and BX 4TC. Citroën withdrew from the championship early in 1986 to further develop the car, but the car's class was banned by FISA president Jean-Marie Ballestre after 1986 which ended the campaign. Coincidentally, Verrier had challenged Ballestre for the FFSA Presidency in 1984, but lost. The Citroën Sport department was officially established in 1989 with former rally co-driver Guy Fréquelin as its head.

His, and the department's initial responsibility was to enter Rally-Raid with a Citroën ZX, which delivered four wins of the Paris-Dakar Rally amongst other successes. Ari Vatanen and Jacky Ickx were amongst the enlisted drivers. Later in the 1990s, the focus returned to the World Rally Championship with the two-wheel-drive Xsara Kit Car competing in the 2-Litre World Rally Cup for Manufacturers. Although championship success would elude the team, the crew of Philippe Bugalski and Jean-Paul Chiaroni won both the 1999 Rally Catalunya and Tour de Corse outright, out-pacing the more powerful and four-wheel-drive World Rally Cars.

These wins are credited as helping the FIA to decide on abandoning the class and cup at the end of the year, to replace them with less powerful Super 1600 cars from 2001. The Saxo VTS was one such car, which Citroën Sport entered into the Super 1600 Championship for Drivers with Sébastien Loeb at the wheel. Loeb won the championship.

Rally Raid

In Rally raid, the ZX Rallye Raid won the Constructor's title for Citroën Sport in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies for 5 years from 1993 to 1997. It also took drivers Pierre Lartigue and Ari Vatanen to wins.