Attiyah is joining eight-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb and Finn Mikko Hirvonen at Citroen next season, the French team said Thursday. The 40-year-old Qatari will miss the season-opening Monte Carlo rally in January when he defends his Dakar Rally title but will be available for the Rally of Sweden in February. “We're delighted that (Al-Attiyah) has chosen our team to make his debut in a World Rally Car, and we're determined to put all our support behind him to help him move up to the top level,” said Olivier Quesnel, Citroen's team principal. Al-Attiyah will have a busy year because he also plans to compete at the London Olympics in clay pigeon shooting. Citroen has already entered two DS3 cars for next season with Loeb hoping to retain his world crown alongside Hirvonen, who was his closest rival this year before becoming his team mate after leaving Ford to replace Frenchman Sebastien Ogier. Citroen said Al-Attiyah and co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini will have an identical car to Loeb and Hirvonen. Although Al-Attiyah won the 2006 P-WRC title for production cars, he has never raced in the World Rally Championship. Al-Attiyah joins a Citroen team which won its fourth consecutive manufacturer's crown this year with Frenchman Loeb extending his record run with an eighth straight world title. Latvala, Solberg with Ford Ford has announced a new two-year commitment to the WRC, with Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala and Norwegian Petter Solberg set to lead its push for an elusive world title. Solberg Thursday completed a series of tests in a Ford Fiesta RS in the rugged Ardeche region of France with a view to the season-opening Monte Carlo rally on Jan. 17-22. It ended with the 37-year-old Norwegian, the world champion in 2003, signing a one-year deal to become Ford's No. 2 driver, Latvala moving up to No. 1 following the departure of Finn Mikko Hirvonen to Citroen. Since Solberg's 2003 triumph Frenchman Sebastien Loeb has dominated the WRC, winning eight successive titles. Solberg had spent the past three seasons as a privateer driving Citroen cars (Xsara, C4, DS3) in the WRC following the pull-out of his former team Subaru. Ford team principal Gerard Quinn, who had been hesitant to commit further to the championship, is now hoping the Norwegian's experience pays dividends. Solberg is “one of the most experienced and flamboyant drivers in rallying and his 13 WRC wins, and world title in 2003, are testament to his capabilities,” said Quinn. “He is a major addition to our team.” Ford, however, will look to Latvala to end Citroen and Loeb's long reign. The 26-year-old was the runner-up to the unstoppable Frenchman in 2010 and finished fourth overall in the championship last month following his breakthrough victory in the final rally of the season in Britain (Wales).
