Wed 07 Feb 2024

Rossel eyes gravel dominance in WRC2 title bid

WRC2 leader Yohan Rossel believes that his ability to harness his Citroën C3 Rally2’s full potential on gravel rallies could be the determining factor in his title aspirations this season.

Rossel, who hails from France, claimed a last-gasp WRC2 victory at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo last month when he won the Wolf Power Stage to overtake Spanish rival Pepe López.

It was the 28-year-old’s second consecutive Monte-Carlo triumph but Rossel, who is co-driven by Arnaud Dunand, feels that upcoming gravel rallies are of significant importance. The pair won two of the three asphalt rounds they started in 2023 but ended third in the championship after scoring just one gravel podium in Greece.

“The plan is to work on the gravel,” Rossel told WRC.com. “My plan this year is just to play for the victory in every rally.

“Last year, I played for victory in every rally on Tarmac, but on gravel it was a little bit difficult to battle for the win. We had some damper [upgrades] for [Monte-Carlo] and for the next one the engine will be a little bit better,” he revealed.

Of his victory at round one, the Frenchman added: “It’s a little bit emotional because it’s just next to my home. I have a lot of friends and family next to the stages and I think, after a start like this, I want to continue like that.”