Cheers all round for Sebastien Chardonnet and his co-driver Thibault de la Haye, who have won the Citroën Top Driver championship. The French crew therefore earn the right to enter the 2014 WRC2 championship in a DS3 R5. Quentin Gilbert and Renaud Jamoul won the season’s final round, meaning they finished as runners-up in the final standings, whilst Keith Cronin and Marshall Clark took the third podium spot.
Day four of Wales Rally GB threw up very little in the way of surprises. Cloudy weather and cool autumnal temperatures didn’t make the roads any trickier on this leg, which featured around fifty kilometres of timed stages.
The lead remained in the hands of French driver Quentin Gilbert. He managed to continue to top the standings without taking any unnecessary risks and went on to claim his second win of the season. His performance enabled him to move up a place in the Citroën championship standings, and finish the season as runner-up.
“We are really pleased with our weekend! Despite the particularly tough conditions, which we’ve not experienced before, the Citroën DS3 R3 handled perfectly and we really enjoyed driving here.”
After his direct rival for the title went off, Sébastien Chardonnet needed to avoid taking any risks if he was to secure the win. The talented young Frenchman maintained a comfortable pace on the last six timed stages of the Welsh event, thus becoming the first ever winner of the Citroën Top Driver. Overjoyed at the finish of “Great Orme”, the Côte d’Azur driver’s achievement had yet to sink in fully: “It’s fantastic! It’s really a dream come true, winning this competition. The DS3 R3 has been reliable and quick on all surfaces, and our team has done a great job. This result is down to our shared fighting spirit and determination. We now have a magnificent opportunity, and the goal will be the same in 2014.”
Keith Cronin was unable to hide his disappointment at the end. The only driver who had a mathematical chance of taking the title away from the Frenchman before the event, the Irishman scuppered his chances when he went off the road on day two. After rejoining under Rally2 rules, he adopted a sustained pace ready to seize upon the slightest error from his rivals. However, unfortunately for him, no such opportunity presented itself. He finished the rally in third position.
The Finn Jukka Korhonen ended the race with a few impressive performances. The 2013 BRC champion admitted he was pleased with this very rewarding, first experience of the WRC
As regards the Teams’ championship, Top Teams beat Charles Hurst Citroën Belfast to the title. The French team therefore earns the right to run the DS3 R5 of the winner in 2014.
“What a year it has been!” We have seen some fine scraps and each team has been able to count on some talented and motivated crews. We are very happy and can’t wait to start the 2014 season with Sébastien, Thibault and the DS3 R5!” commented a delighted Sandrine Wanson, Team Manager for Top Teams.
“This season has been absorbing and highly entertaining thanks to the high quality of the field entered in the Citroën Top Driver,” analysed Marek Nawarecki, Customer Racing Manager for Citroën Racing. “The final outcome shows that Sébastien Chardonnet and Thibault de la Haye have real talent. Their performance is impressive. After claiming the WRC3 world championship, they have now won the Top Driver title. Quentin Gilbert and Renaud Jamoul have had a superb end to their year and showed their potential for the coming seasons. Keith Cronin and Marshall Clark lost out on the final round, but they have nothing to be ashamed about. We are proud of our crews and we can’t wait to see them back in next year’s WRC to tackle another challenge.”
FASTEST TIMES
Day 1: SS1 and SS2: Gilbert – SS3: Bouffier
Day 2: SS4: Cronin – SS5: Bouffier – SS6 and SS7: Gilbert – SS8: Chardonnet – SS9: Gilbert
Day 3: SS10 to SS13: Gilbert – SS14: Cronin – SS15: Cancelled – SS16: Chardonnet
Day 4: SS17: Gilbert – SS18 and SS19: Korhonen – SS20, SS21 and SS22 : no official timing
BEST PERFORMERS
Gilbert, 10 fastest times – Bouffier, Cronin, Chardonnet and Korhonen, 2 each.
LEADERS
SS1 to SS2: Gilbert – SS3 to SS5: Bouffier – SS6 and SS7: Gilbert – SS8: Chardonnet – SS9 to SS22: Gilbert
RETIREMENTS
Jean-Mathieu Léandri: SS3: Mechanical retirement after going off on the road section (no Rally2)
Bryan Bouffier: SS6: Overshot a corner then mechanical retirement (no Rally2)
Keith Cronin: SS6: Minor off (Rejoined under Rally2 rules on Saturday
CITROEN TOP DRIVER FINAL STANDINGS – DRIVERS
1. Chardonnet Sebastien 106 points
2. Gilbert Quentin 87 pts
3. Cronin Keith 85 pts
4. Riedemann Christian 47 pts
5. Bouffier Bryan 27 pts
6. Campedelli Simone 18 pts
7. Vainionpaa Jussi 15 pts
8. Fisher Alastair 13 pts
9. Korhonen Jukka 10 pts
10. Della Casa Frederico 8 pts
11. Consani Stephane 6 pts
12. Al Mutawaa Mohammed 6 pts
13. Parli Francesco 4 pts
14. G.Ojeda Enrique 0 pts
CITROEN TOP DRIVER FINAL STANDINGS – TEAMS
1. Top Teams 193 pts
2. Charles Hurst Citroen Belfast 142 pts
3. Delta Rally Team 33 pts
4. Sainteloc 31 pts
