Citroen boss Guy Frequelin saw his tenure at the head of the team come to a close on a high on the Wales Rally GB at the weekend.
Frequelin, who will now hand over the reins to Olivier Quesnel, was delighted at the finish in Cardiff after seeing his number one driver,
Sebastien Loeb come through to take third and more importantly secure his fourth drivers' crown in succession.
The result was especially sweet, as Citroen switched to using the C4 WRC this year, after taking a one-year semi-sabbatical in 2006, when Kronos Racing were entrusted with running the Xsara WRC.
"This title fills me with immense joy," said the 62-year-old, who has been in charge now since 1989. "It's a fitting reward not only for the talent of Sébastien and Daniel [Elena – his co-driver] but also for the amazing motivation that spurred everyone on at Citroën Sport throughout this year's campaign.
"Returning to the competitive arena after a year away to win the Drivers' title with the brand new Citroën C4 WRC is extremely satisfying."
As for the event itself, Frequelin conceded that he found it very nerve racking, something not helped one bit by the difficult Welsh weather, which threw everything at the field from fog and rain to gale force winds and icy roads.
"With the final, decisive round of the championship taking place in Wales, we just knew the weather conditions wouldn't be easy - and they weren't," he continued.
"Sébastien and Daniel tackled the final day's stages though in the same way they approached all the others and met their objective to the latter. As a result, they are the World Champions with Citroën for the fourth year in a row!
"True, the cards were stacked in our favour before the start but it was impossible to feel totally serene. There was so much that could happen. The team found me more anxious than ever, which shows just how much I feared this weekend's event!"
Gilles Michel, executive vice president of Automobiles Citroën, meanwhile was also in Wales and he paid tribute to Loeb and Elena.
