Citroen aims for Acropolis podium

The French manufacturer returns to the World Rally Championship in Greece as part of its expanded programme for this year. It is gearing up for a full WRC assault for next season.

Radstrom told this week's Motorsport News that the new Xsara is a better car than the one used for last year's Acropolis. "It's better suspension-wise," he said. "We have had an evolution of the engine from Catalunya onwards and we have a semi-automatic gearbox. The whole package is better, but it's not mega-big steps.

"If you look at last year, I think it was possible to be on the podium. That's what I hope for this year, but it depends how the others are going in the rally and they are driving a lot more than Sebastien [Loeb] and me."

Citroen has recently tested in Argentina, Finland and Kenya, and has made two trips to Greece. The team has also staged a tarmac test near Sisteron in France.