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Loeb, Elena ready to rock Monte Carlo

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<b>NEW LIVERY:</b> The Citroen DS 3 WRC has had several upgrades to improve the car. There's also a new livery to celebrate the original DS 60th anniversary. <i>Image: Citroen</i>
<b>NEW LIVERY:</b> The Citroen DS 3 WRC has had several upgrades to improve the car. There's also a new livery to celebrate the original DS 60th anniversary. <i>Image: Citroen</i>

  Sebastien Loeb, Daniel Elena to race
  Kris Meeke, Paul Nagle also back
  Three DS 3 WRC units entered
  New livery for 60th DS anniversary

PARIS, France - Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena will return to action in a Citroën DS 3 WRC for the first round of the 2015 World Rally championship, Rallye Monte-Carlo, to punt the launch of the DS as a premium brand.

As winners of nine World titles and 78 rallies - seven of them in Monaco - the legendary crew is set to cause a stir with the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team over January 19-25 2015.
SEVERAL UPGRADES

Several significant upgrades have been made to all three DS 3 WRC units entered, from engine and suspension to aerodynamics and gearbox.

Citroën Racing’s technical director Xavier Mestelan-Pinon told Wheels24: “The DS 3 WRC is a very accomplished car but we have worked hard to make it even more competitive. For example, we've focused our efforts on the engine to deliver more power and torque while improving reliability.

"Taking advantage of the changes in the regulations, we have re-introduced steering-column gear-change paddles.

"Other significant improvements have been made to the aerodynamics, with a new spoiler and a new front that will be introduced shortly, as well weight distribution with the use of lighter parts. Lastly, we have altered the kinematics of the rear suspension.”

Mestelan-Pinon added that work was ongoing and, in the next few months, the team would present another aerodynamic upgrade.

RULE CHANGES

The sporting regulations have been changed for 2015, says organisers. At each event, the running order for the crews will copy the championship standings on the Friday and Saturday. On the final day, the reverse order of the overall rally standings (for P1 and P2 drivers) will be used.

In Rally2 (rejoining the rally after a retirement), the penalty applied has been increased from five to seven minutes for each stage missed. The cars allowed to rejoin will be first on the road. It is also now forbidden to relay information and split times to the crews during the stages.

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