After three dominating seasons in the WTCC, Citroen and the C-Elysée withdraw from the event.

The final meeting of the 2016 FIA WTCC season, in Qatar, marked the end of Citroën Racing’s involvement in the championship. 

The Citroën C-Elysée WTCC claimed its fiftieth victory in three seasons, and in his farewell to elite motorsport Yvan Muller secured second place in the World Championship, behind his teammate José María López. Citroën’s track racing adventure has come to an end after three consecutive world titles.

José María López clocked the fastest time in Q1 on Friday with 1m59.788s, one second faster than the time that secured him pole in 2015. 

In Q2, Yvan Muller and Pechito López immediately claimed the top two positions, before the red flag was brought out. When the action resumed, López once again dipped under the two-minute mark, enough to put him top of the timing screens again, just ahead of Muller.

Q3 was an unusual affair. Mehdi Bennani was first out and set a good pace. Norbert Michelisz then crashed out, causing a long delay. After the interruption, both Yvan Muller and José María López were looking good, but both slipped up at the same turn. The few tenths of a second that those errors cost them meant the Argentine driver had to settle for the third best time, with the Frenchman in fourth. It was Mehdi Bennani who then clinched the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC’s 31st pole position.

A few minutes later, the SLR team’s three drivers were out on track representing Citroën in MAC3. Bennani, Tom Chilton and Grégoire Demoustier produced a flawless performance to score maximum points for the manufacturer.

The opening race got under way long after night had fallen in the Middle East. Having finished tenth in qualifying, Tom Chilton was the man in pole position, with Gabriele Tarquini alongside him. When the lights went out, Chilton was the first man to turn, while Yvan Muller managed to haul himself into fifth place. Back in the chasing pack, José María López was run into by Tiago Monteiro. The Portuguese driver ended up crashing off, which brought the safety car out, followed by the red flag.

Once the track had been cleaned, the race got under way again. Tom Chilton went wide on the first bend and Tarquini took advantage to sneak past. A little further back, Yvan Muller moved up one more place into fourth. Tarquini emerged victorious in the opening race, ahead of Chilton, Huff and Muller. Pechito López staged an impressive recovery to finish ninth.

Fortunately, the team’s mechanics had time to repair the cars’ bodywork before the final race of the year. Pole sitter Bennani maintained his lead at the first turn, with López just behind him after an excellent start from the second row. Muller held on to fourth place, with Thed Björk in third.

The chasing pack was once again full of incident, and the safety car made an appearance after just one lap. A few drops of rain then came down, but certainly not enough to justify rain tyres. Shortly after the race resumed, Muller was ousted from fourth after a powerful overtaking manoeuvre from Michelisz.      A few laps later, López was passed by Björk.

It looked like the race order would remain unchanged until the end: Bennani, Björk, López, Michelisz, Muller. But with just a few laps to go, Tiago Monteiro got the better of his friend and rival Yvan Muller. For Yvan, however, this result was not important. The race marked the end of a magnificent career which has included winning four FIA World Touring Car Championship titles and breaking all the records in the discipline. Upon returning to the pit lane, he received a long ovation from the members of the Citroën Total team. There were red eyes all round, showing just what an emotional moment this was in the history of motorsport.

CITROËN IN WTCC IN FIGURES (2014-2016)

• 35 meetings and 69 races
• 31 pole positions (89%): 21 for José María López, 8 for Yvan Muller, 1 each for Sébastien Loeb and Mehdi Bennani
• 308 starts: 69 for José María López, 68 for Yvan Muller, 47 for Sébastien Loeb, 46 for Mehdi Bennani, 34 for Ma Qing Hua, 22 each for Tom Chilton and Grégoire Demoustier
• 50 race wins (72%): 28 for José María López, 11 for Yvan Muller, 6 for Sébastien Loeb, 2 each for Ma Qing Hua and Mehdi Bennani, 1 for Tom Chilton
• 45 fastest race laps (65%): 26 for José María López, 8 for Yvan Muller, 7 for Sébastien Loeb, 2 for Ma Qing Hua, 1 each for Mehdi Bennani and Tom Chilton
• 119 podium finishes (57% of the maximum possible): 47 for José María López, 34 for Yvan Muller, 20 for Sébastien Loeb, 8 for Ma Qing Hua, 5 each for Mehdi Bennani and Tom Chilton
• 246 points finishes (80%)
• 3,736 points scored in the Drivers’ World Championship
• 3,029 points scored in the Manufacturers’ World Championship

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

Yves Matton, Team Principal, Citroën Racing: “This was the Red Army’s last appearance in the FIA WTCC. I would like to thank every member of the team for their commitment, their constant thirst for improvement and their willingness to represent Citroën in what was a new discipline for the team. 

I will cite two figures to demonstrate Citroën Racing’s know-how: 89% of pole positions and 72% of race wins in three seasons. 

Thanks must go, too, to José María López and Yvan Muller. 

I have been lucky enough to work with these two great champions, who are also great men. And I cannot help thinking of Sébastien Loeb and Ma Qing Hua, who also contributed so much to this success, which I will always remember as an amazing adventure for the people involved.”

José María López: “It wasn’t an easy last race for us! To a large extent, the result was determined in qualifying. We felt that the track changed during the long delay. 

In any case, we can be proud of what we have all accomplished together. Tonight, I’m not really thinking about me. I’m thinking about Yvan. I want to thank him for what he has given me. 

I have learnt a lot from working with him and I have enormous respect for him. He has decided to bow out of motorsport while he’s still at the top and I wish him all the best in his new life.”

Yvan Muller: “There are lots of feelings swimming around in my head, particularly after Pechito’s words and the team’s celebrations. 

It wasn’t an easy decision to take and this is an emotional moment for me. All good things must come to an end and I am happy to be retiring now, with these opponents around me. 

We have had some tough scraps at times, but there has always been respect between us, and that’s why I love this sport. My overwhelming feeling is one of joy. 

I’ve got lots of things to do, what with my team, developing young drivers, and my family. I will have plenty to keep me busy!”

Citroen dominate FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony at Doha, Qatar.

• Held this year in Doha, Qatar, the FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony saw awards presented to the winners of its various Championships
• José María López, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb monopolised the FIA WTCC driver standings, whilst Citroën won the Manufacturers’ Championship
• The Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team finished second in the Manufacturers’ World Rally Championship

A glittering occasion to mark the end of the season, the FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony was this year preceded by a challenge involving drivers and leading figures from the FIA. José María López produced an impressive performance to finish third in the karting race, behind Esteban Ocon – European F3 Champion – and Daniel Ricciardo.

On the Friday evening ‘Pechito’ attended the ceremony with his team-mates Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb, the top three in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) driver standings. Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal, also collected the Manufacturers’ title, after the team secured a mighty 17 wins from 23 races.

In rallying, the eight podium finishes claimed by Kris Meeke and Mads Østberg enabled the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team to take second place in the Manufacturers’ World Championship. Meanwhile, Stéphane Lefebvre, Alastair Fisher and Martin Koci made up the podium of the FIA Junior WRC and the WRC-3 championship. 

The young Frenchman will compete in the WRC-2 next year in a DS 3 R5.

Citroën Racing’s competitive record in international motorsport was completed by Petter Solberg, World Rallycross Champion in his DS 3 Supercar. After winning the WRC in 2003, the Norwegian therefore became the first ever driver to win FIA world titles in two different categories.

Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal, commented: “This evening, alongside leading figures from throughout international motor sport, we can reflect on what an intense year we have just experienced. These trophies reward the work of the drivers and everyone in the Citroën Racing team, who have competed in two World Championships, and taken part in some 25 events in every corner of the planet. In 2015, we’ll be defending our FIA WTCC titles with Pechito, Yvan and Seb, and we will continue to remain involved in the WRC. 

For their second season with the DS 3, Kris and Mads can aim higher still and we will try to help them onto the podium of the Drivers’ World Championship. We will also be thinking about the future in continuing to support the development of Stéphane Lefebvre.”

Qashqai celebrates as the 2,000,000th rolls off the lines in the UK.

• Two million Qashqai production achieved in record time
• Milestone caps a superlative year for the original crossover
• Designed, engineered and made in the UK, supporting more than 11,000 jobs

Less than eight years after inventing the crossover segment, (HEAVEN FORBID THEY DONT MENTION THE FREELANDER, RAV4, VITARA AND DOZENS OF OTHERS) the Nissan Qashqai has once again made automotive history after production passed two million units in record time.

With Nissan’s unrivalled package of quality, styling and technology, the Qashqai has reached its latest manufacturing milestone quicker than any other model in the history of the UK car industry.

Designed, engineered and built in Nissan’s UK facilities for European customers, this latest landmark caps a remarkable 2014 for the Qashqai, with January’s launch of the new generation model sparking a string of accolades including What Car? magazine’s coveted Car of the Year.

Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe, said: “The Qashqai is helping Nissan to go from strength to strength in Europe. Two million customers can’t be wrong. This is further evidence of their trust in our brand. Thank you to all of our loyal customers and I congratulate all my colleagues in Sunderland for reaching this latest milestone.

“The Qashqai is one of 12 new models we have launched in the past 12 months in Europe, which has given Nissan the strongest and most cohesive line-up in our history.”

The two millionth Qashqai to roll off the production line was a magnetic red model in the new n-tec grade which is destined for a UK customer. Introduced last month, the new grade includes unique new styling features as well as Nissan Safety Shield technologies like Forward Emergency Braking, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning and High Beam Assist.

Nissan has invested £534 million in the design, development and production of Qashqai in the UK, supporting more than 11,000 jobs in the UK car industry. Of the two million Qashqais made in Sunderland since December 2006, 85% (1,706,633) have been exported to 132 international markets, from the Congo to Qatar.

UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, said: “Nissan is one of the driving forces behind the UK’s world-renowned automotive industry. They currently employ more than 11,000 people across the UK and have invested more than £500m in the innovation, design and production of this car, directly supporting the local and national economies. The UK automotive industry is thriving. Last year, we increased our production to more than 1.5 million cars in the UK – that’s a car rolling off the production line every 20 seconds. 

“Through the UK government’s industrial strategy we are backing the automotive sector as it goes from strength to strength. We are providing the right environment to give businesses the confidence to invest and create high-skilled jobs.” 

Qashqai is made alongside the all-electric LEAF on Line 1 at Nissan Sunderland Plant, which has been on round-the-clock, three-shift production since 2010 in order to meet customer demand, with a car currently rolling off the production line every 62 seconds, or 58 per hour.

As well as What Car? magazine’s Car of the Year, awards for Qashqai in 2014 include Tow Car’s 'Car of the Year', ebay customers' 'New Car of the Year' and the Prize for Quality from prestigious Spanish business magazine Ejecutivos.

Fundamental to the Qashqai’s development were Nissan's European Design Centre in Paddington and European Technical Centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. The popularity of Qashqai has also helped Nissan to reach record market share in the UK, with sales and marketing operations based in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. More than 11,500 people are employed in total at these sites and in UK dealerships, supporting a further 26,000 jobs in the UK supply chain.

Total global production of the Qashqai now tops 2.5 million, with the first generation Qashqai also made by Nissan in China and Japan. From 2015 the new Qashqai will also be manufactured in Nissan’s plant in St. Petersburg for domestic sales in Russia.

The Qashqai is now closing in on the Micra as the highest volume car in the history of Nissan Sunderland Plant, with 2,368,704 Micras made in Sunderland over an 18-year period from 1992 to 2010.

Furygan riders kick off new season in style.

Furygan supported riders enjoyed a thrilling opening to the Grand Prix racing season yesterday at Losail in Qatar, with Spanish rider Esteve Rabat taking victory in the Moto2 race.

Rabat started the Moto2 season in the best possible way, taking the chequered flag by just 0.04s. Despite qualifying on pole, the 24 year-old slipped to fifth place on lap one, but a swift recovery and a series of phenomenal exchanges with second-placed Takaaki Nakagami gave the Spaniard his third Moto2 win.

Fellow Furygan supported Sam Lowes enjoyed a strong GP debut as he came home in seventh place, but was subsequently promoted to sixth following the disqualification of Nakagami.

Lowes was able to enjoy a fairly quiet race, but the 2013 World Supersport champion showed impressive speed in what was his first appearance at this level and his first time riding at the circuit. Johann Zarco was caught up in a first lap crash that ultimately restricted him to a 23^rd place finish.

In MotoGP, Mike Di Meglio finished over a minute behind race winner Marc Marquez in 17^th place and in Moto3, Jules Danilo wasn’t classified in the first race of the season.

The grand prix riders will go head-to-head once again when the paddock arrives in Austin, Texas in three weeks’ time, 11-13 April.

Prior to that, the CEV Moto2 and CEV Moto3 championships head to Jerez, where Xavi Vierge and Kyle Ryde will be kicking off their seasons. Meanwhile Seb Gimbert, David Muscat and Axel Maurin will head to Le Mans for round one of the French Superbike Championship.