The World Rally Championship (WRC) headed to France in what many say was one of the hardest stages of the season. The Tour de Corse-Rallye de France was a mix of tricky corners, unpredictable weather, and a grueling run altogether.
This year’s French leg was around 70 percent new, vis-à-vis last year’s staging. Moreover, it was longer, at 1, 170.40kms, with 390.92kms divided into ten special stages. This meant a slew of long stretches where both man and machine were put o the ultimate test.
The first day was dry, with clear skies all around. The following day, however, was made more interesting with rain over the special stage 7. Good thing the crews brought along the Michelin Pilot Sport S5 or the soft-compound rubber. This, along with the new Michelin Pilot Sport FW2 (or Full Wet) tires proved useful during the downpour. They were the perfect replacement to the Pilot Sport H5 that was used during the previous day’s dry-weather stint.
In the end, the Tour de Corse-Rallye de France was won by the team of Sebastian Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in a Volkswagen Polo R WRC. The next round will be in Spain this coming weekend.
