Citroen "will withdraw from next year's World Rally Championship, taking a season out to develop its all-new 2017 World Rally Car," according to David Evans of AUTOSPORT. The Versailles team's decision "confirms its long-term commitment to the World Rally Championship," with an extended WRC program starting from '17 at the expense of its World Touring Car Championship program. Citroen "will remain in the WTCC next season with Jose Maria Lopez and Yvan Muller." Sebastien Loeb "will depart, bound for Peugeot Sport" and a Dakar program. Citroen CEO Linda Jackson said, "Rallying is a fascinating sport, which tests the performance, reliability and solidity of the cars and drivers in some magnificent settings. The category is taking off again, with increasingly widespread live television coverage and the arrival of China on the calendar in 2016" (AUTOSPORT, 11/19). AUTOSPORT also reported Sebastien Loeb "has been confirmed as a Peugeot Sport driver for 2016 and he will begin his program with his maiden Dakar outing." Loeb, who won 78 WRC events in his time with Citroen, said, "This marks the end of one chapter for me, but what I want to focus on today is my satisfaction at having participated in Citroen's success in the WRC and WTCC" (AUTOSPORT, 11/19).
