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1999 Tour De Corse - Rallye De France, General Info

8 May 1999

Just 2 weeks after the rally of Catalunya the WRC teams find themselves on the Island of Corsica, France. Corsica has been part of the World Championship from the beginning - 42 runnings (and only 6 non-French winners). It's stages are renowned as the most twisty in the series, and combined with the abrasive and bumpy asphalt surface, teams will be pushed to the limit.

Perhaps the greatest excitement is the debut of the new Peugeot 206 WRC. The WRC 206 is aiming for the 2000 season, just as the 205 Turbo 16 used the 1984 Tour of Corsica to aim for the 1985 season. It will be driven in Corsica by Frenchman Franois Delecour and Gilles Panizzi - Marcus Gronholm will be first seen at the Acropolis Rally in June. There may been many problems in developing the car but Gilles Panizzi and Franois Delecour are nonetheless confident: although the 206 WRC will not yet have reached its top performance level, and may not make it to the finishing line, it remains an enthusiastic and well-conceived car. But: "When she goes, she flies", said Franois Delecour :) (further info and specs can be found at http://www.peugeot.com)

Also, the final stage of Corsica is to be televised live on French TV (TF3) and Eurosport. The top 10 drivers will start the stage in reverse order and all cars entered by manufacturers may compete even if they have retired - 6 championship points will be allocated to the top 3 competitors in addition to the championship points earned from the rest of the rally.

The coastal towns of Ajaccio and Propriano on the first and third legs and the mountain town of Corte on the middle day provide the hubs around which the rally revolves. Legs 1 and 3 are held over essentially the same stages, although the final day climbs into the hills behind the Golfe de Sagone. The middle day takes drivers up the backbone of the island for a group of tests around Corte.

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