We can fight Peugeot says Sainz
Citroen new boy Carlos Sainz reckons that the all-conquering Peugeot team can be beaten in the 2003 World Rally Championship, even though the Spaniard expects the 206 WRC to be the pace-setter when the season kicks off at this weekend's Monte Carlo Rally
"It will certainly be difficult for Peugeot to be any more dominant than they were in 2002," Sainz told rallyXS magazine. "But I think at the beginning of the year Peugeot will still have an advantage. Then it is up to the rest of us to catch up, which I think is possible in the second half of the year.
"I hope it is possible to achieve wins this year, but you don't know until you drive the car in competition," he said. "My main objective is to help build up the team together with Colin McRae and Sebastien Loeb. We have to try and fight with Peugeot from the start, but I think our team has the resources to do that."
Sainz followed his former Subaru and Ford team-mate McRae to Citroen for 2003 after the Blue Oval decided on sweeping changes to its driver line-up, installing a more cost efficient youth policy. It means the Spaniard faces the double challenge of learning a new car as well as having to get used to a new co-driver - long-time partner Luis Moya quit at the end of last season.
"I'm sure Marc will do a very good job," Sainz continued. "We drove together on the Catalunya Rally last year when Luis was injured and he got to grips with my notes very quickly."
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