Citroen's 'C2 Junior Experience' returns for 2008

Citroen Sport has confirmed that its own competition within the FIA Junior World Rally Championship (J-WRC), the C2 Junior Experience, will be back for 2008.

The scheme is open to drivers of Citroen’s three C2 variants: the C2 Super 1600, the C2-R2 MAX or the C2-R2, and gets underway on the forthcoming Rally Mexico - the first of seven rallies that count towards the J-WRC.

The scheme, which first ran in 2007, rewards leading Citroen C2 drivers with cash prizes of up to 25,000 euros per rally.

In addition, if the 2008 J-WRC champion is a C2 Junior Experience driver, then he or she will win a drive in a Citroen WRC car on two events in 2009. If a C2 Junior Experience driver is runner up in the J-WRC contest, he or she will win one event in a WRC car, while finishing third is rewarded with a WRC test.

By running the contest, Citroen hopes to discover future rallying stars like past Citroen Super 1600 graduates Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Sordo. Last year’s biggest winner in the C2 Junior Experience was Martin Prokop who won a test session in a Citroen Xsara WRC after finishing third in the J-WRC.

In 2007 the C2 Junior Experience proved popular with competitors, accounting for almost 40 percent of the J-WRC field. Citroen Sport director Olivier Quesnel has confirmed that so far six competitors have already signed up for the 2008 contest, four in a C2 Super 1600 and two in a C2-R2.