Rally Rewind: Tour de Corse 2008
Another Loeb win, and the first title for his successor
Tour de Corse form guide
Next week the twisting abrasive mountain roads of Corsica return to the WRC for the first time since 2008 when Tour de Corse Rallye de France (1 - 4 October) hosts round 11 of the championship.
After a seven year absence from WRC, the wrc.com newsdesk assumed the winding asphalt would be new for many drivers. We were wrong…..
The last four winners will be in action, while only three of the 17 frontline World Rally Car drivers will sample the island for the first time. Do you know who the Corsica virgins are? The answer is at the bottom.
The most experienced Corsica veteran is Dani Sordo (pictured above). The Spaniard has tackled the rally six times, debuting back in 2004 in a Mitsubishi Lancer. He drove a Mini Cooper to victory in 2012 when the event was an Intercontinental Rally Challenge counter and has WRC podiums from 2006 and 2007.
Former Subaru works driver Stéphane Sarrazin, now more frequently seen on circuits in Toyota’s World Endurance Championship squad, has an enviable record.
He won last year in a Ford Fiesta RRC and finished third in 2013 in a Mini Cooper S2000 when the rally was a European Championship fixture. He has three other top 10 finishes in an Impreza WRC and could spring a surprise in his Fiesta RS.
Also highly experienced are Jari-Matti Latvala (five starts and two fourth places) and Andreas Mikkelsen (four starts), while Martin Prokop won the Junior WRC category in 2007 and 2008.
Thierry Neuville has competed just once, but won in 2011 in a Peugeot 207 S2000, while the other winner is Bryan Bouffier. He topped the podium in 2013 in a similar car, finished second last year and fourth in 2012. He returns to WRC in a Fiesta RS for the first time since January’s Rallye Monte-Carlo.
Finally, back to our quiz question. The three World Rally Car drivers who will start Tour de Corse for the first time are M-Sport duo Elfyn Evans and Ott Tänak, and Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon.
