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2006 WRC: RALLYE DE FRANCE

LEG 2 REPORT   (TOP OF PAGE)

• Championship leader Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) was fastest on the first stage of each loop and leads tonight by 39.7sec.  The Frenchman's only discomfort came this morning when he opted for tyres that were too soft.  Behind Grönholm, Dani Sordo (Citroen) claimed two fastest times, although the young Spaniard suffered brake troubles at the end of the first stage.  Alex Bengue
  (Peugeot) dropped from third to fifth, the Frenchman suffering handling difficulties this morning and then spinning on the final stage.  Brake problems hindered Xavi Pons (Citroen) this morning but he lies within striking distance of Bengue, just 8.0sec behind.  Nicolas Vouilloz (Peugeot) crashed off the leaderboard on the opening stage as did Andreas Aigner (Skoda).  François Duval (Skoda) had to tackle most of the morning loop with no brakes after a calliper broke and the Belgian retired on the final test when he crashed.
• LOEB, 1ST: " I went quickly on the first stage of the day, and then I adapted my rhythm to match that of Marcus. I think he has calmed things down a bit. I was a bit more comfortable too, as is always the case when you have a bit of a lead. And the Xsara is truly a fantastic car when the going is really narrow and twisty"
• GRONHOLM, 2ND: "Loeb has been exceptionally quick and I've not been happy with my pace. My feeling with the car wasn't 100 per cent this morning.  I didn't push hard enough but the stages were quite difficult.  They were covered in gravel and were slippery and twisty.  The handling on the first stage didn't feel as sharp.  As the damper settings were the only thing that was different to yesterday, I changed them back again."
• HORVONEN, 4TH: "Everything felt better today and I made no mistakes but Dani (Sordo) was just that little bit faster than me. I enjoy a good battle, that's how rallying should be, and that's exactly what Dani and I have had.  I couldn't go any faster but I will try to catch him tomorrow - it's not over yet.  There was nothing I could do against him on the narrower sections but on the wider roads I was able to take time back.  Asphalt isn't my best surface and I think I still need to improve my driving on it."
  

LEG 1 REPORT   (TOP OF PAGE)

• Championship leader Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) was fastest on three of the four stages, the Frenchman admitting that he was pushing hard to keep Grönholm at bay.  Alex Bengue (Peugeot) was unhappy with his car's suspension this morning but set-up changes in service improved the handling this afternoon.  Dani Sordo (Citroen) lost about 40 seconds on the opening stage with electrical problems.  He stopped to try and reset the systems but was unable to solve the problems until service.  He then climbed from 13th to end the day in fifth.  Petter Solberg (Subaru) spun on the opening stage and dropped 45 seconds after flattening his car's exhaust.  He then had gear selection problems on the next test and is 14th.  Team-mate Chris Atkinson
  also spun and damaged his exhaust on stage three. When the cockpit filled with smoke, he had to stop to allow it to clear.  Gear selection problems added to his troubles and he dropped more than seven minutes.

• Thursday 6 April 2006: Ceremonial Start
  
  Start   Ajaccio                                          18.20
• Friday 7 April 2006: Leg 1 Ajaccio - Ajaccio
  
  Start   Ajaccio                                          08.45
  SS1     Ampaza - Col St Eustache                 32.89km 09.38
  SS2     Aullene - Arbellara                      27.78km 10.31
  
  Serv A  Ajaccio (30 mins)                                13.11
  SS3     Ampaza - Col St Eustache                 32.89km 14.34
  SS4     Aullene - Arbellara                      27.78km 15.27  
  Serv B  Ajaccio (45 mins)                                17.45
  Finish  Ajaccio                                          18.30
  
• Saturday 8 April 2006: Leg 2 Ajaccio - Ajaccio
  
  Serv C  Ajaccio (10 mins)                                08.25
  SS5     Vico - Plage du Liamone                  34.66km 09.53
  SS6     Ucciani - Bastelica                      26.20km 11.31
  Serv D  Ajaccio (30 mins)                                13.06
  SS7     Vico - Plage du Liamone                  34.66km 14.54
  SS8     Ucciani - Bastelica                      26.20km 16.32
  Serv E  Ajaccio (45 mins)                                17.45
  Finish  Ajaccio                                          18.30
  
• Sunday 9 April 2006: Leg 3 Ajaccio - Ajaccio
  
  Serv F  Ajaccio (10 mins)                                07.10
  SS9     Penitencier Coti Chiavari - Pietra Rossa 24.24km 08.08
  SS10    Pont de Calzola - Agosta                 31.81km 08.51
  Serv G  Ajaccio (30 mins)                                10.16
  SS11    Penitencier Coti Chiavari - Pietra Rossa 24.24km 11.34
  SS12    Pont de Calzola - Agosta                 31.81km 12.17
  Serv H  Ajaccio (20 mins)                                13.20
  Finish  Ajaccio                                          13.50
  

RALLY PREVIEW: (TOP OF PAGE)

• Two weeks after Rally Catalunya, the FIA World Rally Championship makes a short hop east across the Mediterranean from Spain to the French island of Corsica. The legendary Tour de Corse, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2006, takes place from 7-9 April on the roads around the island's capital Ajaccio. Just like Rally Catalunya, the Tour de Corse is an asphalt event, although the characters of both differ hugely.
• The Spanish asphalt is relatively smooth and new, whereas the Corsican Tarmac can be coarse and abrasive. Drivers go deep into the corners in Spain, however cutting corners in Corsica is rare as the narrow roads hug the sides of the mountains. With sheer rock face on one side and steep drops on the other, getting exactly the right line in Corsica is crucial.
• Dubbed the 'rally of ten thousand corners,' the event is characterised by hard acceleration away from one corner before braking heavily for the next within a few hundred metres. The g-forces generated in the corners are the highest in the championship - at times in excess of 1.5g
  laterally, more than double the amount generated by the standard road-going Impreza.
• The Corsican weather can be as dramatic as the landscape. Within an hour bright sunshine can give way to heavy rain as warm sea air meets the cool mountain breeze. This year the rally takes place in early Spring with the mountains still snow-capped. Should temperatures rise just a few degrees, the snow will melt and saturate the roads with water.
• The itinerary is virtually identical to 2005, with each leg comprising a morning loop of two stages which is repeated in the afternoon following service in the port area of Ajaccio.  After a ceremonial start in the centre of Ajaccio on Thursday evening, Friday's opening leg is identical
  to last year on roads south-east of the town and is the longest of the event.  Saturday's action takes competitors north of Ajaccio and includes a revised route for the opening stage of each loop.  The last day is based south of the town and includes a stage last used in 2004. Drivers face 12 stages covering 355.16km in a route of 1044.24km.  The event remains one of the most compact of the season with more than 34 per cent of the route being competitive.

CITROEN:

• Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "We try to anticipate at the maximum but you also need a bit of luck. Actually the weather changes so quickly that it can change a logical and wise choice into a mistake."
• Xavier Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: "In Corsica, the weather conditions play an important role. In these long stages, there are some sections with rain, then some others with fog, and some more with sun and dry roads. The tyre choice is extremely tricky. I like the rally route because you
  find slow and fast places but also because the asphalt offers a good grip. As a consequence, you must start in the right pace straight away or you loose a lot of time quickly. I hope to drive at good speed and give back to the team the trust they've placed in me"

FORD:

• Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "We proved in Spain that we have the right package to match Loeb on asphalt ... I'm really excited about being able to fight with him in Corsica, even though it is his home event and he knows the roads well.  I feel happier on the Corsican stages than on the roads in Spain.  They are more like rally stages than a race circuit. As ever in Corsica we must keep a careful eye on the weather.  It is an island so things can change quickly and it is easy to be caught out on the wrong tyres because the weather in the mountains is different to that in the service park.  One mistake in tyre selection can ruin an otherwise excellent rally.  But we have experienced people in the team whose job it is too monitor the weather and help with tyre choice so we have the best advice,"
• Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "I expect to be as fast as we were in Spain and fight for a top three.  But I also expect those drivers who were fast in Spain will be fast here.  Corsica's stages are twisty all the time.  I will need to find a different rhythm, one that is precise and tidy.  It's not
  usually possible to cut corners because there are often brick walls and stones on the edge of the road. The roads can be abrasive but if the weather conditions are consistent, I'm sure the BFGoodrich tyres will be perfect.  Sometimes a driver has to look after his tyres to ensure they don't 'go off' but with the new Focus I've never had to do this.  It's a combination of the car and the tyres.  They both complement each other and I know I will be able to drive flat out without having to protect them"

SUBARU: (TOP OF PAGE)

• Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "The Tour de Corse is a very good event. I think compared to Rally Spain the stages and the asphalt will suit us better. In the past the Corsican roads were more abrasive as the surface was much older, however nowadays there's not so much of the old Tarmac left. On the whole our car and tyres match the event very well. My objective is to try for a podium again. That's my aim, we'll just have to see how we get on."
  
• Stéphane Sarrazin/Stéphane Prévot: "I feel very positive about this rally. We've done Corsica twice before and both times we've had a good result and fought with the quickest cars. In 2004 we came sixth and last year fourth, which was a great result in front of my home crowd. For
  sure Spain was a difficult rally for us but we'll try and improve for Corsica and fight for positions. I want to finish in the top five."
  
• Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "The team has always had better results in Corsica than in Spain so we're optimistic of a good overall result. With the improvements we found in Spain we'll also have a chance of finishing higher up the order. My speed on asphalt is increasing all the time and we're looking to be consistent. Our goal, as always, is to get some points and to be competitive with the rest of the field"
  

SKODA: (TOP OF PAGE)

• Andreas Aigner/Timo Gottschalk:"I've gained a lot of tarmac experience in Spain, now I have to try and continue to put this knowledge into practice in Corsica. I'm already looking forward to working together with my new teammate, I hope we'll cooperate well."
  
  

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