WRC is back in France and this year the rally takes place at the beautiful island of Corsica for the 60th time. This year, the rally date has been forwarded from September to April. This will help in having a much calmer weather and a better rally for the viewers.
The Rally
Corsica is known for it’s tight and twisty roads, often at the edges of cliffs. There is a consistent flow of identical sweeping corners which almost seem endless as the stages in the Tour De Corse are generally very long and it sis one of the longest rallies of the calendar. This has accounted for the nickname of Rally Corsica ; ‘The Rally Of 10,000 Corners’.
This is the first ‘Full-Tarmac Rally’ of the year and is a big challenge for the co-driver as the total distance to be covered over the weekend is a monster 108,220 km while the stages are 31,676 km long in total. The Pacenotes are all the more crucial here as the corners are visually very similar and the information provided by the co-driver through the pacenotes will be key.
The surface is generally rough and abrasive which places a high demand on the tyres so, conserving them is vital. Since the roads are narrow and there generally is a cliff on one end and rock walls on the other, errors are punished heavily here.
Just like every year, the Service Park is located in Bastia and the rally covers the entire island of Corsica. This means that the rally will also pass through some villages which is a boon for the fans attending the stages. While watching the rally, expect to be amazed by the breathtaking views of the island of Corsica.
There will be a total of 10 stages in the rally, the longest of which is the 53.78km long blast from Antisanti to Poggio di Nazza. The two stages which will be aired on television are SS8 (Novella 2) on Saturday and the Powerstage, SS10 (Porto Vecchio – Palombaggia) on Sunday.
Standings
Drivers World Championship
| Position | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Sebastian Ogier | Julien Ingrassia | M-Sport WRT | 66 |
| 2 | Jari-Matti Latvala | Miikka Anttila | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 58 |
| 3 | Ott Tanak | Martin Jarveoja | M-Sport WRT | 48 |
| 4 | Dani Sordo | Marc Marti | Hyundai Motorsport WRT | 30 |
| 5 | Thierry Neuville | Nicolas Gilsoul | Hyundai Motorsport WRT | 28 |
| 6 | Kris Meeke | Paul Nagle | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | 27 |
| 7 | Craig Breen | Scott Martin | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | 20 |
| 8 | Elfyn Evans | Daniel Barritt | M-Sport WRT | 20 |
| 9 | Hayden Paddon | John Kennard | Hyundai Motorsport WRT | 17 |
| 10 | Stéphane Lefebvre | Gabin Moreau | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | 10 |
| 11 | Juho Hanninen | Kaj Lindstrom | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 9 |
Teams World Championship
| Position | Team | Points |
| 1 | M-Sport WRT | 103 |
| 2 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 67 |
| 3 | Hyundai Motorsport WRT | 65 |
| 4 | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | 55 |
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