Photo Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport Round 10 of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship saw the action take place on one of the most historic, demanding and picturesque rallies in the history of the sport: the Tour de Corse, Rally Corsica, the rally of 10,000 corners.
The event may have only comprised of 10 stages, but the competitive distance was the longest of the entire season, with plenty of narrow, winding stages over 40km it was a supreme test of man and machine. And it was one man and one machine who dominated the opening leg of the French round of the championship, taking all four of the stage wins to earn a comfortable lead of 45 seconds that he was able to control. Yep, you've guessed it, it was Sebastien Ogier and his Volkswagen Polo R WRC. The triple champion had a mathematical chance of lifting his fourth consecutive drivers title and become the fourth man to win four WRC titles, but it was always an outside chance. Following his crushing display however where he yet again demonstrated his incredible ability to preserve his tyres, that fourth title looks something of a formality. The WRC's form man and 2017 question mark Thierry Neuville put in another fine performance on the rally he won five years ago to take second place and his third podium in five events. Neuville is yet to have penned a deal for 2017, so this result can only aid his negotiations. Andreas Mikkelsen continued his fine 2016 season with a third place, which both mathematically kept the title race alive and proved the Norwegian is one that should not be written off on tarmac. It was Mikkelsen's first podium since his win on Rally Poland back in July. Jari-Matti Latvala, the only one of the current crop of drivers to have won the Corsican event in a WRC car heading into the weekend, had a frustrating weekend in what has been a frustrating season for Finland's top rally driver. He changed the set-up of his Polo R but was never quite happy with it, and he couldn't match the pace of his two team mates on numerous occasions. One to forget. Craig Breen made his WR car debut on the isle of Corsica, and turned in a great drive to clinch fifth place, 30 seconds back from last year's winner. The man from Waterford has been seriously impressive when given the chance to drive a DS3 WRC this year, and has put himself right in the frame for a 2017 factory seat at Citroen. Personally, I believe Yves Matton and Citroen would be mad not to sign Craig up and risk losing him to another manufacturer, unless they can secure the services of Belgian Thierry Neuville. One man who is continuing to learn on the black stuff is Hayden Paddon, and he often cut a frustrated figure at stage ends in his i20 WRC as he wasn't turning in the stage times he wanted to. However, it was an error free run and there is one leg on gravel next time out in Spain which will surely cheer the Kiwi up. Seventh was an underwhelming and undeserved result for one of the finest tarmac drivers of this generation, Dani Sordo. Sordo was in the podium fight with team mate Neuville, but a puncture on SS3 put paid to those chances and effectively ruined his weekend. Seventh was the best he could salvage. Home hero Eric Camilli brought his Fiesta RS home eighth, ahead of fellow Fiesta drivers Mads Ostberg and Ott Tanak. Camilli thoroughly enjoyed himself and crucially finished the event error free following a massively disappointing Germany, whilst his Norwegian team mate struggled yet again. I'm not sure how many lacklustre events the usually consistent Ostberg can afford to have before he gets the chop. I can't help but feel Welshman Elfyn Evans, who took 11th overall and won the WRC2 class, would be doing a better job in that seat. Tanak put in a mature drive in his DMACK machine. He and the DMACK tyres are not at their most competitive on this type of event, but instead of trying to overcompensate with too much speed, the Estonian sensibly brought the car home safely to the finish. One man we haven't mentioned yet is Kris Meeke, and what a rally he had. In many ways his performance was reminiscent of his mentor Colin McRae with accidents and blinding speed. What is it they say, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree... It all started off well, with only a spin costing him the opening stage win. He was on the pace in SS2 too, before a puncture on SS3 plummeted him down the order, literally, as he chased Craig Breen home for 40km. Saturday got off to a fantastic start, as the Northern Irishman claimed the win on SS5 by 17 seconds, prompting him to exclaim his excitement for the 2017 season, and few could argue with Citroen's new C3 expected to be strong and Meeke proving he has all the speed to mix it at the very top. However, an over ambitious pace note ended his day on the very next test, as his DS3 slid wide and rattled into a tree stump. Sunday morning, the longest stage of the rally beckoned, and Kris incredibly went a whole 35 seconds faster than anybody else before also claiming the rally ending Power Stage. It's all up in the air, but Kris could genuinely challenge Ogier on all surfaces next year if Citroen deliver and he keeps up this form. Exciting times beckon for the WRC. And we only have to wait a week and a half until the championship resumes on the mixed surface Rally Catalunya! Bring it on!
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