Citroen reveals its third 1600cc contender

Citroen has revealed a third version of its 1600cc C2 rally car - the C2-R2 MAX.

The new car will be homologated by the FIA on March 1 and has been designed to the new FIA ‘Group R’ regulations, meaning it is eligible for the FIA Junior World Rally Championship.

“We felt that it was necessary to expand the range of our competition cars, as we saw a gap between our two best-selling C2 rally variants: the C2 Super 1600 and the C2-R2,” explained Jean-François Liénéré, Citroën Sport’s customer competition manager. “This new ‘intermediate’ car can be run to a budget, but it also has more spirited performance than the C2-R2.”

The modifications over the standard C2-R2 are chiefly to the engine, which gets an increase in power, more sophisticated suspension, stronger brakes, adjustable rear suspension, and a hydraulic steering rack.

“From the outside, the car looks largely the same,” added Alexis Avril, Citroën Sport’s customer competition technical manager. “The front and rear track are just a little bit wider. The main changes are under the bonnet, with a 1599cc engine that puts out 190 horsepower.”

Simon Jean-Joseph, who won the 2007 European Rally Championship with a C2 Super 1600, will help to promote the car through appearances on a number of different rallies this year, starting in April with Hungary’s Rally Eger.

Citroën Sport director Olivier Quesnel said: “Simon has a great deal of experience in rallying and thanks to his exceptional talent he will be a fantastic ambassador for the company and for the C2-R2 MAX all over Europe this year”