Citroën Racing complete test programme ahead of title push

Citroën Racing head into the final four rounds of the 2015 World Touring Car Championship season poised to wrap-up the manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles for 2015 in quick fashion for a second consecutive year. Although the team’s race cars have been in transit to Japan since the last round in Vila Real, Portugal in mid-July, the French marque has also conducted a test programme at the Motorland Aragon circuit to “iron out the bugs” on their C-Elysée WTCC cars, which won’t come as great news to their competitors.

“Rather than testing new parts, we focused on optimising what we already have,” said Xavier Mestelan, technical director of Citroën Racing. “During the races, we don’t always have the time to take a step back and analyse everything in detail, so we had a number of issues that we hadn’t been able to address. The session focused on three main aspects: the differential, the braking consistency and the rear-end assembly. We learned some things that will help us be even more effective in the meetings to come. That’s going to be particularly important given that we will be visiting three circuits we’ve never raced at before between now and the end of the season.”

Points leader José María López returned home to Argentina during the two month summer break, and now heads back to the country next weekend where he wrapped up the drivers’ title last year, when Japan hosted the penultimate race of the season at the Suzuka circuit, but this year has been moved forward and switched to Twin Ring Motegi.

“I’m happy to be starting the season again after the long break,” he said. “I’ve already been to Motegi, but it was back in the year 2000 for the World Karting Cup and I didn’t take the time to go and look at the motor racing circuit. It’s always a huge pleasure to come to Japan, particularly since I won the title in Suzuka.”

Although López holds a 55 point lead over Yvan Muller, also the maximum possible points haul possible from a WTCC race weekend, the four-time champion, who is racing this weekend at Lohéac in the World Rallycross Championship, isn’t ruling out the title until it’s no longer possible.

“(In the last few rounds it’s been) one for me, one for you: we have cancelled each other out over the last few meetings,” said Muller. “I know it will be tough to come back, but as long as it’s still mathematically possible, I’ll keep fighting.”