The 44th Rally Catalunya-Costa Daurada sees the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship resume sealed surface action. Following consecutive one-two finishes for Citroën Total in Germany and New Zealand, the team now leads the Manufacturers' championship standings, while Sébastien Loeb tops the Drivers' points table.

The journey to Spain consequently stands out as a first class opportunity for the squad to consolidate its position, especially since the Citroën C4 WRCs entered for Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí have already shown their ability in asphalt trim.

C4 WRCs have also been entered by Urmo Aava/Kuldar Sikk and Conrad Rautenbach/David Senior. Both of these cars are prepared and run by PH Sport with the support of technicians from Citroën Sport Technologies.

As has been the case since 2005, the Spanish round will be based in Salou, 110km south of Barcelona, and the 1,313.99km route will take competitors inland from the coast some 30km to the north. The 18 stages total 353.62km and the format features two loops of three stages on each of the three days. There are consequently nine different stages in total, with several detail changes – including 45km that are new – compared with the 2007 event.

"The Monte Carlo and the Rallye Deutschland both take place on 'soiled' asphalt, so the RallyRACC Catalunya is generally seen as the first true asphalt rally of the season," says Sébastien Loeb.

"The stages tend to be wide and fast, so it's all about choosing the ideal cornering lines. Another challenge concerns the extent to which we cut the apexes, something we are more or less forced to do. If we don't, we stray off the ideal line and there's very little grip on the gravel," adds Dani Sordo.

The combination of Citroën's three consecutive wins on this event and the C4's two successes on asphalt this year so far means that the team is considered favourite for the Spanish round. Meanwhile, the situation at the top end of the Manufacturers' and Drivers' championships is favourable to the French squad, and the Rally Catalunya stands out as an opportunity for the team to strengthen its provisional position.

"A top result in Spain would do our chances a world of good in both championships. But our rivals are aware of that, too, so they will have no intention of making life easy for us. That said, this is a rally I really like and I will try to make the most of this opportunity to pull further clear at the top of the Drivers' standings," warns Sébastien Loeb whose lead currently stands at eight points. "It's a high-speed event and I enjoy the circuit-type driving style the stages call for.

There's no other rally like it in the championship and it's been particularly successful for us in recent years, while the C4 WRC was extremely competitive in Catalonia in 2007. Since then, we have sought to fine-tune its handling and balance, especially with a view to optimising its set-up to match our Pirelli tyres. Also, as we saw in 2007 at the end of last year's first leg, the changeable weather is a factor we can't afford to ignore, as is the fact that our tyres will not be equipped with a run-flat system."

The morale of Dani Sordo and Marc Martí has naturally been boosted by their remarkable second-place finishes in Germany and New Zealand, and the Rally Catalunya is clearly a special fixture for them. "It's not necessarily my favourite event, but it's our home rally!" points out the young Spaniard. "More than anywhere else, people will be watching closely to see how we perform, but we will be able to count on plenty of support, too. We will be in front of home fans and our friends will be out on the stages, so that puts us under a little extra pressure, but it's also added motivation!"

"Last year on this event, I found myself in the lead of a WRC round for the very first time. It was a very pleasant feeling which I have experienced again since," continues Dani. "This time round, we will probably have to adapt the way we drive and cut the corners less because our Pirelli tyres won't be equipped with mousse. However, that won't change my objective which is to continue the recent successful streak we've enjoyed since Finland, and also try to score valuable points for Citroën and ourselves."

Event notes: 2008 RALLY CATALUNYA-COSTA DAURADA

• 44th RallyRACC Catalunya – Costa Daurada (October 2-5): round 12 of 15.

• Surface: asphalt.

• Base: Salou.

• Technical matters: Catalunya is linked with Corsica regarding the chassis/engine package. The engines of both C4 WRCs previously contested the Rally Deutschland. Two gearbox/differential packages are authorised per driver. Five sets of dampers and five hub carriers are authorised per event.

• Tyres: only one type of tyre is available, namely the Pzero WRC 235/40ZR18. This tyre will be available in a choice of two compounds: 'Soft' (24 tyres) and 'Hard' (30 tyres). It is possible to carry two spares, but the 're-cutting' of tread patterns is not permitted. 54 tyres may be used during the event (including shakedown).

• Recce: scheduled for Tuesday September 30 and Wednesday October 1 (between 08.00 and 19.00). Two passes are authorised at a maximum speed of 80kph.

• Shakedown : Thursday October 2 (08.00 until 12.00). The 2.3km stage between Riudecanyes and Vilanova d'Escornalbou is 21.80km northwest of the PortAventura service park. Servicing will be possible in the village of Riudecanyes.

• Press conference: Thursday October 2 (from 13.30), press office, PortAventura Hotel.

• Start ceremony: Thursday October 2 (from 20.00), Passeig Jaume 1, Salou seafront.

• Route: the total distance is 1,313.99km, including 353.62km divided into 18 stages (9 different).

• Day 1 (Friday October 3): 511.52km, including 131.76km divided into 6 stages (3 different). Starts from service park at 07.30. SS1 (La Mussara 1, 20.48km), SS2 (Querol 1, 21.26km) and SS3 (El Montmell 1, 24.14km). Regroup (12.27, 15 minutes). Service A (12.42, 30 minutes). SS4 (La Mussara 2), SS5 (Querol 2) and SS6 (El Montmell 2). Service B (18.14, 45 minutes). Last car due into parc ferme at 22.0.

• Day 2 (Saturday, October 4): 437.58km, including 127.98km divided into 6 stages (3 different). Starts from parc ferme. Service C (07.30, 15 minutes). SS7 (El Priorat/La Ribera d'Ebre 1, 38.27km), SS8 (Les Garrigues 1, 8.60km) and SS9 (La Llena 1, 17.12km). Regroup (12.03, 15 minutes). Service D (12.18, 30 minutes). SS10 (El Priorat/La Ribera d'Ebre 2), SS11 (Les Garrigues 2) and SS12 (La Llena 2). Service E (17.11, 45 minutes). Last car due into parc ferme at 21.00.

• Day 3 (Sunday October 5): 364.89km, including 93.88km divided into 6 stages (3 different). Starts from parc ferme. Service F (07.15, 15 minutes). SS13 (Riudecanyes 1, 16.32km), SS14 (Santa Marina 1, 26.51km) and SS15 (La Sierra d'Almos 1, 4.11km). Regroup (10.48, 8 minutes). Service G (10.56, 30 minutes). SS16 (Riudecanyes 2), SS17 (Santa Marina 2) and SS18 (La Sierra d'Almos 2). Service H (14.47, 10 minutes). Finish ceremony from 15.10.

• Podium ceremony: Sunday October 5 (from 15.10), Passeig Jaume 1.

• Post-rally press conference: Sunday October 5 (from 16.00), press office, PortAventura Hotel.

• New: there no revolutionary changes, but the programme does feature two new stages: Les Garrigues (SS8/11) and La Llena (SS9/12). SS1/4 uses a significant part of the Vilaplana stage which was run in 2007, but the first 8.45km are new, while the 9.73km at the end were used in 2005. Querol (SS2/5) has been shortened by 4.17km (at the start). The Santa Marina stage (SS14/17) is in fact last year's Colldejou test under a different name. Finally, El Priorat (SS7/10) incorporates a new 9.12km section in the middle.

• Citroën and the Rally Catalunya/Espana: 4 wins: 2007 (Loeb/Elena, C4), 2006 (Loeb/Elena, Xsara), 2005 (Loeb/Elena, Xsara) and 1999 (Bugalski/Chiaroni, Xsara Kit-Car).