Italian tyre giant Pirelli has agreed terms with Citroen Racing to run a Citroen DS3 R3 as part of next year’s highly-regarded Pirelli UK Star Driver scheme.
The 1.6-litre Citroen DS3 R3 features the same structural design and appearance as the production model, with the production steel body shell reinforced by a welded, multi-point roll cage.
The turbocharged DS3 R3 has benefitted from the extensive expertise acquired by Citroen Racing through its involvement in the World Rally Championship and the car is currently helping Citroen lead the way in this year’s British Manufacturers’ Rally Championship.
The Pirelli Star Driver programme was set up in 2008 to reward aspiring rally drivers with a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in a full British Rally Championship campaign courtesy of Pirelli.
Based on merit, one driver is selected for the Pirelli Star Driver shootout from each of the six qualifying rallies in this year’s British Rally Championship. Drivers can only be selected on one occasion and an automatic nomination will be awarded to the British Junior Rally Champion.
Drivers who have already been selected for this year’s prestigious shootout include Mark Donnelly, Matthew Cathcart, Tom Cave, Jussi Kumpumaki, Osian Pyrce and recently-crowned British Junior Rally Champion, Garry Pearson.
One final driver will be selected to join the line-up and will be picked following their performance on the championship’s closing round, International Rally Yorkshire.
Details regarding the 2012 Pirelli Star Driver shootout will be announced at the final round of the year, the International Rally Yorkshire, this weekend (Sept 28-29).
:“Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to TEG Sport who have done such a tremendous job over the past four years in providing our Pirelli Star Drivers with such a competitive and reliable car,” Pirelli UK motorsport operations manager, Matthew Corby, said.
“We are also looking forward to working with Citroen in 2013 and running the Citroen DS3 R3 for the very first time. The car has proved itself as a worthy contender for winning championship titles and we feel our Pirelli Star Driver package for 2013 is the best yet.
“The Citroen DS3 R3 is the perfect stepping stone to help a national driver make the transition onto the world stage, and we hope this year’s winner will follow in the footsteps of our former Pirelli Star Driver Elfyn Evans who continues to lead this year’s Pirelli-supported WRC Academy.”
About Jim McGill
Jim McGill is an award-winning motoring and motorsport journalist with more than 25 years' industry experience. He contributes to a number of newspapers and magazines, including The Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Scotsman, Sunday Herald and AA Magazine.
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