Photo Credit: Hyundai Motorsport We've had snow. We've had ice. We've had engine-sapping mountain gravel and we've had three different winners. What does round four, the first all-asphalt test of the 2017 World Rally Championship season, have in store for us?
Flick through the history books of Corsica's inclusion in the WRC and it points to an exciting rally. From dominant performances (Sebastien Loeb, 2005, winning every stage) to momentous accidents (Colin McRae, 2000, down a revine) and exceptional circumstances and performances (Elfyn Evans, storm hit 2015 event), the rally of 1,000 Corners has produced it all. The event has moved from its October date to April for 2017 to settle the bias towards gravel events at the start of the year. Home favourite Sebasiten Ogier will open proceedings as championship leader in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC. The defending champion got his season off to the best possible start by winning the Monte on his M-Sport debut, and has since claimed further podiums in Sweden and Mexico. Make no mistake, the man who hasn't necessarily been the quickest this season will be looking to settle that score on the tricky Mediterranean island. Jari-Matti Latvala and the Toyota Yaris WRC have been the surprise package of 2017. If nobody expected the Finn's conservative approach on round one to net a debut podium, we simply weren't prepared for Latvala to take Toyota's first win in 18 years on just their second rally back in the sport. Mexico was a trying weekend with engine problems on the opening stage hindering performance for the rest of the event, but as a previous winner in Corsica Latvala will be out for a podium. Ott Tanak and new co-driver Martin Jarveoja have had a stellar start to 2017, finishing third in Monte-Carlo and second in Sweden before a sensible fourth in Mexico. The Estonian has proved he has the ability to now mix his exceptional raw speed with good consistency and reliability, making him Malcolm Wilson's ultimate number two to Ogier as he is good enough to be a number one. That first WRC win can't be far away, but could it be just a week away? It's unlikely, but you certainly can't rule Tanak out. Fourth is where we find Spanish sensation Dani Sordo in the 2017 drivers standings after the first quarter of the season. And fourth is where we found him in the rally results in the French Alps and the Swedish forests. Consistency really is Sordo's forte. We saw more raw pace in Mexico after he fought back from engine issues that plagued all three i20 Coupe's, but a stronger result should be on the cards next weekend as tarmac is Dani's speciality. Two points back are Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul, who have been the lead Hyundai crew pace-wise on all three events this year but have only finished as top i20 in Mexico, in third. The season has been one of frustration for the Belgians and their Hyundai Motorsport team, with the phrase "what could have been" coming to mind when you reflect on their 2017 season so far. Twice Neuville led on Saturday but to throw it away on the day's final stage. On the one hand it's promising as the pace is clearly there, but on the other, stronger hand, it's a massive opportunity wasted. So much so that despite common opinion that the i20 Coupe is one of if not the best car in the service park just now, it is the only one not to have won a WRC round. In the hands of Neuville that could all change next weekend though. Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were many people's tip for the 2017 World Rally Championship before the sport's new and exciting era got underway. Niggling set-up and handling issues spoiled their first two rallies, and had a VW Passat CC been parked just a few yards back in the Mexican wilderness the pair could have found themselves down at the job centre. That Power Stage moment was hairy, lucky and dramatic to an extent I don't think we've ever seen, but Meeke got the job done with an important and dominant victory in which he defeated Ogier in a straight fight and won an event he isn't particularly fond of. Kris showed promising speed in Corsica last year but had a couple of accidents, which need to be avoided on his Citroen team's home event. Craig Breen sits seventh in the championship despite sitting out Mexico, and excitingly joins Meeke and Stephane Lefebvre in a C3 WRC with the squad running three cars for the first time this season. The Irishman is very quick on asphalt, which is just as well since team principal Yves Matton has said he wants two cars in the top five in Corsica. Elfyn Evans has returned to the WRC in impeccable fashion. The results he has scored may not suggest this, but the pace and maturity the Welshman now has after a step back to the British Rally Championship last year is clear to see. Corsica is the scene of his best ever result in the WRC, second, but in truth Evans will just be hoping for a clean run: something he hasn't had all season through no fault of his own. Hayden Paddon has had a difficult start to 2017, after a first stage crash on the season opener ruled him out of competitive action. Given the nature of the accident, it took the New Zealander a while to rediscover his form and confidence in Sweden, before a stronger rally in Mexico saw him net fifth place. Team mate Sordo has been helping Paddon learn the art of driving quickly on the black stuff, with Hayden getting further practice in on Rallye Sanremo this weekend in a Hyundai i20 R5 alongside Seb Marshall, who will replace current co-driver John Kennard in August on Rally Germany. Stephane Lefebvre has had a slightly underwhelming start to 2017. The Frenchman put his C3 off the road early on the Monte, didn't challenge in Sweden largely because he was in last year's DS3, and put it off again in Mexico despite it being a small mistake. Corsica will be about finishing, and hopefully finishing well. "Well" is a word you couldn't use to describe Juho Hanninen on round three though: the Finn was feeling under the weather to the extent that he was being sick between special stages. Ironically though Mexico was his best result and performance of the year, so Hanninen will look to build on that on an event he has decent experience of as he looks to assist Latvala in Toyota's push in the manufacturers championship. There'll be no Mads Ostberg in Corsica. The Norwegian missed Monte-Carlo as he didn't have his Fiesta RS WRC at that point, took part in Sweden, earning the Colin's Crest Award for jumping the furthest, but missed Mexico as his partner gave birth. Mads will miss Corsica as he hasn't had enough time to test the car, an applaudable approach for the Jipocar One Bet World Rally Team man who seems a lot more relaxed this year not in a factory environment. Andreas Mikkelsen returns to competitive action and the WRC2 support categoryin a Skoda Motorsport Fabia R5 after his dominant category win in Monte-Carlo, with Jan Kopecky partnering him in the team in France. The rumour mill is in full swing about Skoda potentially entering the WRC in 2018, and Mikkelsen's inclusion in the squad does little to dampen this gossip. Picking a winner from the quality 2017 field on the Tour de Corse is tricky, but I think if it all goes to plan for everyone your top three will be Ogier, Meeke and Neuville. In what order they finish, I'll let you decide.
1 Comment
Antonio Liberato
3/30/2017 01:56:44 pm
Great article ! A clear vision of the WRC current situation. Congrats! 👍
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