2011 Citroën DS3 WRC is powered by a four-cylinder, 1600cc turbocharged direct injection engine. Designed and built from start to finish by Citroën Racing, this engine develops a healthy 300bhp.
Certified and supplied by Sadev, the six-speed sequential gearbox is coupled with front and rear differentials. Semi-automatic controls and the central differential are now prohibited. Fine-tuned during extensive wind tunnel testing, Citroën DS3 WRC’s bodywork accentuates the curves of the original model. Built using the production body shell, the Citroën DS3 WRC chassis includes a roll cage made of over 40 metres of steel tubing. - Upper attachment points added for the rear McPherson-strut suspension
- Optimisation of the lower suspension attachment points
- Integration of the transmission tunnel and the rear differential
Since DS3 is more compact than C4 WRC, Citroën Racing’s engineers worked on improving the position of each component so as to achieve the best possible balance between the car’s centres of inertia and centres of gravity.
Citroën DS3 WRC uses the same part at the front and the rear, on both the gravel and tarmac versions. Slightly smaller than on C4 WRC in order to comply with the 2011 regulations, the 355mm (tarmac) and 300mm (gravel) brake disks at the front, and the 300mm brake disks at the rear, come with four-piston callipers. A water-cooling system improves the efficiency of the brakes on tarmac.
Drawing on a wealth of experience, DS3 WRC’s onboard electronics are directly derived from the C4 WRC. The multiplexed electrical wiring harness, the powerbox and all electrical controls are designed by Citroën Racing. Citroën Racing has, for example, developed its own bucket seat.
The compact design of Citroën DS3 WRC offers drivers an excellent view of the road. A colour LCD screen located behind the steering wheel shows the key information (engine speed, gear selected). As the main features of the 2011 regulations were not defined until autumn of 2009, the design of Citroën DS3 WRC only really began at that point. Featuring the C4 WRC’s engine with reduced turbo boost, engineers were able to work on the transmission, now stripped of its central differential. Citroën DS3 WRC is set to make its official competitive debut at Rally Sweden (10-13 February), the first round of the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship.
Citroen has unveiled the DS3 WRC rally car at the Paris Auto Show. There will be two teams entering the competition: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena and Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia. The Citroën DS3 WRC is powered by a 1.6-liter direct-injection turbocharged engine that delivers 300 HP. Rally nevertheless remains a great testing ground for driving new advances in vehicle technology.
Citroën is unleashing an all-new contender for the 2011 World Rally Championship - the Citroën DS3 WRC. Aggressive, dynamic and packed with ‘Créative Technologie’, the DS3 WRC represents the efforts of Citroën Racing to push performance to the limit during its development, whilst complying with the new FIA regulations. After five WRC manufacturer’s and six consecutive driver’s titles for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, Citroën is out to extend its run of success with the Citroën DS3 WRC.
Citroën DS3 WRC is designed to limit the budgets required to compete in the WRC. Rally nevertheless remains a great testing ground for driving new advances in vehicle technology.
