Following Sébastien Ogier's excellent season which saw the young Citroën C2 1600 driver clinch the 2008 Junior World Rally Championship title* on the recent Rallye de France-Tour de Corse, Citroën Sport and France's motor sport governing body (FFSA, Fédération Française du Sport Automobile) have decided to enter a Citroën C4 WRC for the French driver on the Wales Rally GB (December 4-7).

"Spotting and grooming talented young drivers is an integral part of Citroën's approach to motor sport," explains Citroën Sport Director, Olivier Quesnel. "There is no finer example of this than the rise to fame of Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, and their status today as multiple World Champions. This year, we chose to support the programme of Sébastien Ogier in the Junior World Championship which is a first class springboard to the premier category. Sébastien's score of three wins from seven starts helped him achieve the objective he was set, and he ended up making sure of the title* in Corsica. As a reward for his results, and in association with the FFSA, we have decided to enter a C4 WRC for him on the 2008 Wales Rally GB."

Like the cars campaigned by Conrad Rautenbach/David Senior and Urmo Aava/Kuldar Sikk, Sébastien's C4 WRC will be run on the event by PH Sport with the assistance of technicians from Citroën Sport Technologies. His car will feature a similar livery to that of his C2 and will sport the colours of the FFSA, Total and, of course, Citroën.

"Nothing has yet been decided concerning 2009," continues Olivier Quesnel. "The Wales Rally GB will give us a chance to see how Sébastien performs in a WRC car and will give him another opportunity to show what he can do. To be sure he feels under no pressure, all I ask of him is that he gets as many kilometres under his belt as possible. It will be down to him to demonstrate his ability to adapt. After that, we will look together to see what openings there might be for his future."

"This is a great opportunity; in fact, it's more an early Christmas present," enthuses Sébastien Ogier. "Once again, I would like to thank Citroën and the FFSA for their confidence. I am perfectly aware of how fortunate I am. The Wales Rally GB is one of the most complex rounds of the season and I will tackle it cautiously, with humility and with the intention of learning."