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First match point for Lefebvre

WRC DEUTSCHLAND 2014Having won three of the first four rounds of the FIA Junior WRC, Stéphane Lefebvre lines up at the start of the Rallye de France-Alsace with a chance of securing this year's title.

Only Martin Koči, Quentin Giordano and Alastair Fisher are still able to stand in the way of the Frenchman. The champion will be handed a drive in a DS3 R5 at six rounds of the WRC2 in 2015.

The talented youngsters Eric Camilli, Frédéric Hauswald and Yohan Rossel - all from Citroën Racing's driver development programme - will be hoping to perform well at their home event.
After winning in Portugal, Poland and Germany and finishing seventh in Finland, Stéphane Lefebvre will start the Rallye de France-Alsace with a 29-point lead over Martin Koči, his nearest challenger. Quentin Giordano is 32 points off the pace, whilst Christian Riedemann - who misses this round - trails by 35 points and Alastair Fisher by 39 points.

If he wins again in Strasbourg, Stéphane Lefebvre will be mathematically assured of winning the title. However, he doesn't need to win. Provided he only concedes minimal points to his closest rivals (less than 4 to Koči, 7 to Giordano and 14 to Fisher), he will succeed Sébastien Chardonnet as champion and earn a DS3 R5 programme next season.

The other title contenders can leave their calculators at home. Impressive since the opening round, the Slovakian Martin Koči has paid dearly for finishing out of the points in Germany. However, he had time to show his quality on tarmac and is undoubtedly one of the favourites to win in France. Constantly improving since the start of the year, Quentin Giordano has finished on the podium in each of his last three outings. The boy from Lorraine, who grew up just a few miles from Pays d'Ormont - likely to be the rally's decisive stage - will also be in with a serious chance at his home event.

As the German Christian Riedemann has withdrawn, the Briton Alastair Fisher becomes the fourth driver to watch. He will also have a serious chance of featuring at the front in France, but he will need Stéphane Lefebvre to slip up in order to remain in the title race. Simone Tempestini and Kornel Lukacs can rack up a little bit more experience in the DS3 R3. The goal will the same for the Pole Aron Domzala, who returns to the championship with a new co-driver, Szymon Gospodarczyk.

Alongside Stéphane Lefebvre and Quentin Giordano, Eric Camilli, Frédéric Hauswald and Yohan Rossel will boost the ranks of the French contingent on their home round. After making an impressive start to his rally in Germany, Camilli may already be considered to be one of the favourites at this, the fifth round of the season.

For Frédéric Hauswald and Yohan Rossel, this first appearance in the FIA Junior WRC has been a long time coming. Having come to prominence in the Junior Citroën Racing Trophy, they now have the chance to shine at world level. Hauswald comes into the event with solid previous experience, since he has made it to the end of the last two editions of the Rallye de France, which crosses his native Alsace. At just 19 years old, Rossel will be making his competitive debut in the WRC. It will also be his first race behind the wheel of the DS3 R3.

With five starters, France could wrap up the Nations Trophy before the final round of the season. Slovakia trail the leading nation by 78 points, ahead of Germany, Great Britain and Romania.

"The level of interest in the FIA Junior WRC has not waned," emphasized Marek Nawarecki, Customer Racing Manager at Citroën Racing. "We have even recorded entries for new drivers who will have the opportunity to get their first experience in the category and show what they can do in the DS3 R3. This year's Rallye de France looks set to be important in determining the outcome of the championship, with Stéphane Lefebvre pursued by Martin Koči, Quentin Giordano and Alastair Fisher. On such a demanding rally, our crews will need to adopt a mature approach if they want to finish among the frontrunners."

WRC2: SÉBASTIEN CHARDONNET A GOOD EACH-WAY BET

WRC3 champions and winners of last season's Citroën Top Driver series in a DS3 R3, Sébastien Chardonnet and Thibault de la Haye are this year competing in the WRC2. Runners-up in Sardinia with the DS3 R5, they recorded category stage wins in Finland and Germany.

For their fourth appearance at the Rallye de France-Alsace, they will be looking to make the most of the experience gathered since the start of the year up against eight other crews. "We were quick on tarmac at Rallye Deutschland," reiterated Sébastien. "For our home rally, we'll be determined to do well. It's an important event for us. I can't wait for to get started in Alsace and we'll be aiming to turn our performances into a good result. The car is extremely competitive on this surface. Thibault and I know that it's going to be a close fight. If we get that little bit of luck you need, we should be there or thereabouts."

THE TEN CREWS ENTERED

52 - Simone Tempestini (ITA) / Dorin Pulpea (ROU)

Driver date of birth: 12 August, 1994

Team: Napoca Rally Team

Previous results: Portugal, 6th - Poland, retirement - Finland, 5th - Germany, 5th

53 - Aron Domzala (POL) / Zawada Przemyslaw (POL)

Driver date of birth: 1 August, 1989

Team: Creative Rally Solutions

Previous results: Portugal, retirement - Poland, 7th - Finland, 6th

55 - Quentin Giordano (FRA) / Valentin Sarreaud (FRA)

Date of birth: 10 June, 1986

Team: PH Sport

Previous results: Portugal, 10th - Poland, 3rd - Finland, 2nd - Germany, 3rd

56 - Martin Koči (SVK) / Lukas Kostka (CZE)

Date of birth: 5 April, 1993

Team: Gekon Racing

Previous results: Portugal, 3rd - Poland, 4th - Finland, 1st - Germany, retirement

57 - Stéphane Lefebvre (FRA) / Thomas Dubois (FRA)

Date of birth: 16 March, 1992

Team: PH Sport

Previous results: Portugal, 1st - Poland, 1st - Finland, 7th - Germany, 1st

62 - Alastair Fisher (GBR) / Gordon Noble (GBR)

Date of birth: 30 July, 1988

Team: DGM

Previous results: Portugal, retirement - Poland, 2nd - Finland, 4th - Germany, 4th

63 - Kornel Lukacs (HUN) / Mark Mesterhazi (HUN)

Date of birth: 5 September, 1991

Team: Wurmbrandt Racing

Previous results: Portugal, 11th - Poland, 6th - Finland, retirement - Germany, 6th

68 - Eric Camilli (FRA) / Pierre-Marien Leonardi (FRA)

Date of birth: 6 September, 1987

Team: Equipe Rallye Jeunes FFSA, Team Trajectoire Racing

Last result: Germany, retirement

69 - Frédéric Hauswald (FRA) / Olivier Ural (FRA)

Date of birth: 11 November, 1990

Team: Henri Laurens high school in Saint-Vallier

70 - Yohan Rossel (FRA) / Benoît Fulcrand (FRA)

Date of birth: 13 February, 1995

Team: Equipe Rallye Jeunes FFSA, Team Trajectoire Racing

2014 JUNIOR WRC DRIVERS' STANDINGS

1 Stéphane Lefebvre 81 points
2 Martin Koči 52 points
3 Quentin Giordano 49 points
4 Christian Riedemann 46 points
5 Alastair Fisher 42 points
6 Simone Tempestini 28 points
7 Molly Taylor 23 points
8 Federico Della Casa 18 points
9 Kornel Lukacs 16 points
10 Aron Domzala 14 points
11 Jan Cerny 6 points
12 Panikos Polykarpou 2 points

NATIONS TROPHY

1 France 130 points
2 Slovakia 52 points
3 Germany 46 points
4 Great Britain 42 points
5 Romania 28 points
6 Australia 23 points
7 Switzerland 18 points
8 Hungary 16 points
9 Poland 14 points
10 Czech Republic 6 points
11 Cyprus 2 points