Never a team to do things by halves, Citro?n are going all out for success in next week's Rally Sweden event with four top-quality entries enter▨ed for the uniquely gruelling and brutal winter event.

Reigning WRC champions S?bastien Loeb and Daniel Elen𝐆a will take charge of the #1 Citro?n DS3 WRC next weekend, while two-time winner of the event Mikko Hirvonen together with co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen will be in the #2 Citro?n DS3 WRC entry. Khalid Al Qassimi and Scott Martin make their competitive debut in the #10 car, while Citro?n has added a fourth car for ꦡnext weekend's event that will be in the hands of Dani Sordo and co-driver Carlos del Barrio.

Hirvonen is hoping that a year 📖on from his arrival at Citro?n he'll be back in winning form in conditions that suit the Finni⛦sh driver.

"Last year, it was only my second rally in the DS3 WRC and I was missing that little something you need to grab the win," he admitted. "A year later, I feel ready to secure♍ my first win in 2013.

"Obviously, we'll have to deal with the conditions, which can vary depending on how cold it gets and any snowfall," he added. "Tha🦹t can affect the wear of the tyres. The new Michelin X-Ice North tyres seem more hard-wearing on the frozen gravel, but 🌼we'll only really be able to tell in the race."

Of course, Loeb and Elena are no slouches on any surface, and the nine-time world champion has won here before albeit back in 2004. Even so, that makes them the only 'non-Nordic' crew to have won the notoriously brutally cold and 🤪icy event.

"I remember how surprised [Citro?n team principal] Yves Matton was when I suggested including this rally in my programme," admitted Loeb, who is only running a parti♎al itinerary of races in 2013. "It is undoubtedly not one of the rallies where I have enjoyed the most success in recent years, but that's exactly why I'm keen to compete here.

"To be honest🎐, our win here in 2004 wasn't a particularly great race," he admitted with a chuck𒊎le. "We won mainly because the other guys ran into problems! Since then I have been trying to understand and master these stages, so I am here one final time to try and go out in style."

Sweden's cold conditio𓆉ns couldn't be further from the hot desert of Abu Dhabi,♚ but Khalid Al Qassimi was willing to give it his best shot.

"No, it's not really a surface that comes 🦩naturally to me, but I have improved here every year," he said. "This will be my 𓆏first rally with the team and the DS3 WRC, so I don't want to set myself too high a target. It would be a great start if I could finish in the points."

Spain's Dani Sordo is hardly any ꩲmore used to the ice an🐈d snow than his Citro?n stablemate, but he was still looking forward to the event.

"Although I still think I can improve further on this surface, I was on theไ pace in 2010 when I finished on the podium," he pointed out. "The fact that I won't be scoring points towards the Manufacturers' Championship will help to take the pressure off me."