Citroën has announced that it will be supporting the MSA British Rally Championship as an official manufacturer for the 2012 season.

With updated rules for the upcoming season - which specify two-wheel-drive machines - more emphasis is placed on driver skill, increasing the opportunity for Citroën to find the next Sébastien Loeb of the future and also develop its growing young driver programmein the UK.

A number of privateers will drive a Citroën DS3 R3, the 210bhp customer rally car developed by Citroën Racing in the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship. With the new rules, Citroën will be eligible to earn points scored by privateer teams in the manufacturers’ championship.

The MSA British Rally Championship remains the largest and most prestigious national rally championship, comprising six individual rounds across the UK. It was originally run in 1958 and earned a license from the Motor Sports Association (MSA) in 1999.

BRC Manager Mark Taylor commented: ‘It’s great that Citroën,with such a strong rallying pedigree, has joined the Championship, and we look forward to working more closely with them going forward.

‘We recognised the commercial realities currently faced by car manufacturers and their dealerships and specifically created a British Championship to attract UK Importers by reducing the usual barriers and high cost of entry. We are providing them with a platform to promote products that relate to what is being sold in the showroom. We are also offering them high quality media products and a chance to engage in rally themed dealer events.  Importantly, they will have a stakeholder status in the future of this world renowned motor sport series.’