Editing Citroën (section)

==Motorsport==
{{see also|Citroën Racing|Citroën World Rally Team|Citroën World Touring Car Team}}

'''Citroën Racing''', previously known as '''Citroën Sport''' and before that as '''Citroën Competitions''', is the division responsible for Citroën's own sporting activities. It is a successful winning competitor in the [[World Rally Championship]] and in the [[World Touring Car Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://us.motorsport.com/wtcc/news/wtcc-targets-major-cost-reduction-programme-for-2017-692191/2977983/|title=WTCC targets major cost reduction programme for 2017|website=us.motorsport.com|date=27 April 2016 |language=en|access-date=9 April 2019}}</ref> 

In 2019, Citroën announced its withdrawal from the World Rally Championship (WRC).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Citroën abandonne le championnat du monde des rallyes |url=https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/automobile/citroen-abandonne-le-championnat-du-monde-des-rallyes-1149480 |website=Les Echos|date=20 November 2019 }}</ref>

===Early rally wins for Citroën vehicles===
[[File:Timo Korpivaara - 1956 Rally Finland.jpg|thumb|1956 [[Citroën DS]] at [[Rally Finland]]/1000 Lakes Rally]]
[[File:Rétromobile 2011 - Citroën SM Rallye du Maroc 1971 - 003.jpg|thumb|1971 [[Citroën SM]] that won [[Rallye du Maroc]]]]

Citroën vehicles were entered in endurance [[Rallying|rally driving]] events beginning in 1956, with the introduction of the [[Citroën DS|DS]].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.citroenet.org.uk/sport/ds-rally-cars-01.html |title=Citroën DS in sport |publisher=Citroenet.org.uk |date=10 June 2000 |access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref> The brand was successful and won many key events over a decades long period, with what was essentially the same production car design.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
!Year
!Rally
!Winning car
|-
!1959
|{{flagicon|Monaco}} [[1959 Monte Carlo Rally|Monte Carlo Rally]] || [[Citroën DS]]
|-
!1961
|{{flagicon|France}} [[Tour de Corse]] || [[Citroën DS]]
|-
!1962
|{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Rally Finland]] || [[Citroën DS]]
|-
!1963
|{{flagicon|France}} [[Tour de Corse]] || [[Citroën DS]]
|-
!1966
|{{flagicon|Monaco}} [[Monte Carlo Rally]] || [[Citroën DS]]
|-
!1969
|{{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Rally de Portugal]] || [[Citroën DS]]
|-
!1969
|{{flagicon|Morocco}} [[Rallye du Maroc]] || [[Citroën DS]]
|-
!1970
|{{flagicon|Morocco}} [[Rallye du Maroc]] || [[Citroën DS]]
|-
!1971
|{{flagicon|Morocco}} [[Rallye du Maroc]] || [[Citroën SM]]
|-
!1974
|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[1974 London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally]] || [[Citroën DS]] (privately entered)
|}

===Racing the 2CV===
Citroën discovered that while racing the uniquely slow [[Citroën 2CV|2CV]] against other cars made little sense, they could be interesting to watch racing against each other. Citroën Competitions sponsored three long distance competitions – Paris-Kaboul-Paris in 1970, Paris-Persepolis-Paris in 1972, and Raid Afrique in 1973.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.passion-citroen.com/l-aventure-sportive/les-raids-citro%C3%ABn/paris-persepolis-paris/|title=Paris-Persepolis-Paris - www.passion-citroen.com|date=6 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006045007/http://www.passion-citroen.com/l-aventure-sportive/les-raids-citro%C3%ABn/paris-persepolis-paris/|archive-date=6 October 2013}}</ref><ref>http://raid2cv-cinoche.blogspot.com in French</ref>

Enthusiasts carried on the tradition with ''2CV Cross'' – a group of 2CV's racing around a dirt track – a sport that continues today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.2cvracing.org.uk/aboutus/history-of-the-club |title=History of the club |access-date=2 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619133535/http://www.2cvracing.org.uk/aboutus/history-of-the-club |archive-date=19 June 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.2cvcross.fr/podiums.php |title=in French |publisher=2cvcross.fr |access-date=16 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228000659/http://www.2cvcross.fr/podiums.php |archive-date=28 December 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Rebuilding the competition group===
The Citroën Competitions division was impacted negatively by the firm's 1974 bankruptcy.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Competitive rallying was also changing – away from standard production cars to specially developed low volume models. In response to the entry of the competitive short wheel base [[Group B]] [[4 wheel drive]] [[Audi Quattro]] into rallying, Citroën developed the heavily modified [[Group B]] [[Citroën BX#4TC|Citroën BX 4TC]] in [[1986 World Rally Championship season|1986]].

The team returned successfully with the [[Citroën ZX]] Rally Raid to win the [[Rally Raid]] Manufacturer's Championship five times (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997) with [[Pierre Lartigue]] and [[Ari Vatanen]]. Citroën Racing won the [[Dakar Rally]] four times, in 1991, continuing the serial of four victories of [[Peugeot#Motorsport|Peugeot sport]], and then again in 1994, 1995, and 1996.

From 2001, the Citroën Racing team returned successfully to the [[World Rally Championship]], winning eight times the [[List of World Rally Championship Constructors' Champions|Manufacturer's Title]], continuing the serial of three WRC Championships victories of [[Peugeot#Motorsport|Peugeot sport]], in [[2003 World Rally Championship season|2003]], [[2004 World Rally Championship season|2004]], [[2005 World Rally Championship season|2005]], [[2008 World Rally Championship season|2008]], [[2009 World Rally Championship season|2009]], [[2010 World Rally Championship season|2010]], [[2011 World Rally Championship season|2011]] and [[2012 World Rally Championship season|2012]]. The [[Citroën World Rally Team|Citroën WRC Team]] pilot [[Sébastien Loeb]] also won nine [[List of World Rally Championship Drivers' Champions|Drivers' Championships]]. In 2004, 2005, and [[2006 World Rally Championship season|2006]], the French pilot won the [[List of World Rally Championship Drivers' Champions|Drivers' Championship]], driving the [[Citroën Xsara|Citroën Xsara WRC]], in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 with the [[Citroën C4|Citroën C4 WRC]], and in 2011 and 2012 with the new [[Citroën DS3|Citroën DS3 WRC]].

The [[Citroën World Rally Team]] has a record of 97 victories in the World Rally Championship.

{{multiple image
| align = center
| direction = horizontal
| image1 = Loeb-rmc2008.jpg
| width1 = 265
| caption1 = [[Sébastien Loeb]] with his [[Citroën C4]] at the 2008 [[Monte Carlo Rally]]
| image2 = Al Qassami Baiao Rally de portugal 2016.jpg
| width2 = 210
| caption2 = [[Khalid Al-Qassimi]] with his [[Citroën DS3 WRC]] at the 2016 [[Rally de Portugal]]
| image3 = Citroën C-Elysée WTCC - Mondial de l'Automobile de Paris 2014 - 002.jpg
| width3 = 210
| caption3 = [[Citroën C-Elysée|Citroën C-Elysée WTCC]] on display
| total_width = 
| alt1 = 
}}

===New competition division for touring cars===
In 2012, Citroën announced plans to enter the [[World Touring Car Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1079473_citroen-committed-to-wrc-considering-wtcc-entry-with-sebastien-loeb|title=Citroën Committed To WRC, Considering WTCC Entry With Sebastien Loeb|website=Motor Authority|date=28 September 2012 |language=en|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref> The team transformed a [[Citroën DS3 WRC|DS3 WRC]] into a laboratory vehicle to help with early development, while the engine was an evolution of their WRC engine which had been used in the WRC since 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.touringcartimes.com/2014/01/24/citroen-continues-extensive-testing-program-ahead-of-wtcc-debut/|title=Citroën continues intense testing programme|date=24 January 2014|website=TouringCarTimes|language=en-US|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref> Citroën started developing the car for the new TC1 regulations, which were brought forward a year early in 2014 to expedite the entry of Citroën into the championship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.touringcartimes.com/2013/10/14/how-the-2014-wtcc-is-shaping-up-so-far/|title=How the 2014 WTCC is shaping up so far|date=14 October 2013|website=TouringCarTimes|language=en-US|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref> The introduction of the new regulations a year earlier than planned gave a seven-month development headstart to Citroën over the other manufacturers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.touringcartimes.com/2015/02/17/wtcc-boss-expects-closer-fight-between-the-manufacturers-this-year/|title=WTCC boss expects closer fight between the manufacturers this year|date=17 February 2015|website=TouringCarTimes|language=en-US|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref> This large development advantage combined with a big budget and a strong driver line-up made Citroën the clear favourite going into the first season of the new regulations in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.touringcartimes.com/2014/04/04/citroen-racing-ready-for-wtcc-debut-at-marrakech/|title=Citroën Racing ready for WTCC debut at Marrakech|date=4 April 2014|website=TouringCarTimes|language=en-US|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/wtcr/news/122339/huff-wtcc-needed-citroen-to-leave|title=Rob Huff certain Citroën quitting is good for the WTCC|last=Cozens|first=Jack|website=Autosport.com|date=26 December 2015 |language=en|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref> Citroën would go on to win most of the races that season as well as the manufacturers' title, while [[José María López]] won the drivers' title. The team would repeat this feat in 2015 and 2016, before the factory team left the series at the end of 2016. A number of Citroëns were still raced by other teams in 2017, but were outpaced by the Hondas and the Volvos.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.touringcartimes.com/2017/12/28/touringcartimes-top-30-drivers-2017-10-1/|title=TouringCarTimes' Top 30 drivers of 2017: 10 to 1|date=28 December 2017|website=TouringCarTimes|language=en-US|access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref>