New look for Corsica encounter

Big changes for Tour de Corse - Rally de France (29 September - 2 October) include increased stage distance, a new host town and a revised route that has little in common with last year’s event.

Seventy per cent of the competitive itinerary is new, bringing 161km of new special stages in a format that covers all parts of the craggy Mediterranean island with stopovers in all the principal towns.

The four-day asphalt rally, round 11 of the FIA World Rally Championship, features 390.92km of mountain road action, almost 20 per cent more than last year. Each leg features stages touching 50km in length, with the base switching to Bastia in the north east.

Rally director David Serieys said the event would feature four completely new tests. “Endurance will be the key word in this rally and we hope it will appeal to the greatest possible number of people,” he said.

After a Thursday morning shakedown near Bastia, competitors journey south to Ajaccio for an evening start ceremony.

Two stages on the west coast will be tackled twice on Friday, covering 157.68km and with no mid-leg service. There will only be a tyre change zone in Porticcio after the opening loop until competitors return to Bastia at the end of the day.

Saturday’s second leg is the longest of the rally at 169.04km. Two identical loops of two stages in the north are split by service at Bastia Airport.

The final day comprises just two tests on the east of the island, ending with the live TV Power Stage before the finish in Porto-Vecchio.