Motorsport: Citroen and Peugeot driving into their final season

LONDON - World champion Sebastien Loeb says the pressure is off as his Citroen team go into their farewell season.

Loeb will be the man to beat in the traditional Monte Carlo season-opener that starts tomorrow and over the course of the year, but he is sounding laid-back about the challenge ahead.

"I feel liberated," said the former gymnast, who did a victory backflip after racking up his record-equalling sixth win of the season last year to become France's first rally champion in a decade.

"Whatever happens now I've achieved my goal and fulfilled every rally driver's dream.

"Some say that the first conquest is the most difficult. We'll see. What's certain, however, is that I haven't had my fill behind the wheel. I feel the same desire to win.

"I want this to be a fantastic season for Citroen."

The champion team of the past two years, and their stablemates Peugeot, have already announced that they are quitting after this season.

Even if some are still hoping that Citroen will have a rethink, the team have abandoned plans to introduce a new C4 car this year and will instead continue with the familiar Xsara.

Peugeot, winners of the manufacturers' crown for the three years before Citroen's first success, are entering the new world touring car series.

"Everyone is, of course, aware of the decisions that were announced at the end of 2004," said Citroen team boss Guy Frequelin.

"They have sunk in, but we don't intend mulling over them all season. We have much better things to be getting on with."

Both of the French carmakers want to go out on a high and their duel should set the tone of a championship that can count on strong manufacturer support even if the future looks uncertain.

Ford and Subaru will push hard, while Mitsubishi and Skoda are also competing in all 16 rounds of what could be a far less predictable campaign.

Cost-saving measures have been introduced, such as engines having to last for two rallies in a row, and many of the drivers have traded places, with some new faces drafted in.

Ford, who have made a long-term commitment to the championship, have an new line-up in Finland's Toni Gardemeister and Czech Roman Kresta.

Belgian Francois Duval, who was at Ford, joins Loeb and replaces Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who has finally brought rallying's most successful career to an end.

Peugeot have signed Estonian Markko Martin from Ford and switched from Michelin to Pirelli tyres in search of an additional advantage.

Double champion Marcus Gronholm, 37 next month, will be their main hope.

"With Markko coming in to reinforce our line-up alongside Marcus, we have two of the best drivers of the moment," said team boss Corrado Provera.

"While the 307 WRC proved competitive - if too fragile - last year, we ended the 2004 season and completed our recent test programme without any reliability problems, so that's reassuring."

Subaru have 2003 world champion Petter Solberg, of Norway, as their main driver, alongside France's Stephane Sarrazin and Australian Chris Atkinson.

They plan to wait, however, before giving their car its rally debut.

"Our overall objective this season is to make Petter world champion," said team boss David Lapworth.

"We'll be following a slightly conservative approach for the first two rallies, technically and in terms of driver strategy.

"Monte Carlo and Sweden are specialised and the focus is on tyres and tactics, so we feel there's little to be gained by introducing a new car at this time.

"From Mexico onwards it's the car that counts ... we start being less conservative and more focused on wins."

Sarrazin, who has raced in Formula One and served as a grand prix test driver for Prost and Toyota, made a big impression last year with a privately entered Subaru.

World championship

* Monte Carlo, Fri-Sun
* Sweden, February 11-13
* Mexico, March 11-13
* New Zealand, April 8-10
* Italy (Sardinia), April 29-May 1
* Cyprus, May 13-15
* Turkey, June 3-5
* Greece (Acropolis), June 24-26
* Argentina, July 15-17
* Finland, Aug 5-7
* Germany, Aug 26-28
* Britain (Wales), Sept 16-18
* Japan, Sept 30-Oct 2
* France (Corsica), Oct 21-23
* Spain (Catalunya), Oct 28-30
* Australia, Nov 11-13

- REUTERS