This year the rally takes place in early spring with the mountains still snow-capped. Should temperatures rise just a few degrees, the snow will melt and saturate the roads with water.
FIA World Rally Championship news:
Sebastien Loeb extended his lead at the top of the 2006 FIA World Rally drivers' championship by 4 points following his second win in succession in Spain. Marcus Gronholm meanwhile remains second, but is now 9 points behind, while 2005 Junior champion,
Daniel Sordo jumped up into third, following his first ever 'senior' WRC podium.
In the Manufacturers' series Kronos
Citroen are top, but the margin between them and
BP Ford was reduced from 4 to 2 points post Rally Catalunya.
News from the Manufacturers' teams:
Manufacturer 1.
Kronos Total Citroen:
[
Sebastien Loeb, car #1 and Xavier Pons, car #2]
Sebastien Loeb dominated the Rallye de France last season, winning all twelve stages on route to his first win in Corsica. The Frenchman will again be one of the favourites this weekend, if not
the favourite, however he is aware that he is unlikely to have it as easy as it was in 2005. Indeed he expects another tough battle with Marcus Gronholm.
"I have a match running with Marcus, which some others and the weather want to come and arbitrate. I think it's good we won all the stages last year as it won’t be as easy this year," he confirmed. "I wasn’t surprised that Marcus performed really well in Catalunya. Firstly because those who think he isn’t a tarmac driver should have a look at his results on this surface... and secondly; because he benefits from the same excellent BFGoodrich tyres as us and from a recent specification car. This said, even when we dropped six seconds in five kilometres at the end of SS1 in Spain and competing the first two loops with a perfectible set-up, I conceded less than twelve seconds. The Xsara is still on the pace. It's my job to show it in Corsica where I feel more at ease than in Catalunya."
