Preview: Rallye de France-Tour de Corse.

The 2006 FIA World Rally Championship heads to the French island of Corsica this weekend - where the legendary Tour de Corse will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Based near Ajaccio, the Rallye de France will also play host to the third round of the 2006 Junior WRC.

Comprising 354.18 competitive kilometres, the 2006 Tour de Corse route is largely unchanged from last year.

The formidable Vico - Col de Sarzoggiu has been shortened by 2.1km to finish at the Plage de Liamone and the Penitencier Coti - Pietra Rossa stage makes a return to the itinerary. The stage was last used in 2004.

No stage is shorter than 24km and the route has one of the highest ratios of competitive kilometres to overall distance.

There's also a new location for the ceremonial start in Place du Casone, where cars will cross the ramp in the shadow of a monument to Napoleon, who was born on the island.

Special notes:

Just like Rally Catalunya two weeks ago, the Tour de Corse is an asphalt event, although the characteristics of both differ hugely.

The Spanish asphalt is relatively smooth and new, whereas the Corsican tarmac can be coarse and abrasive. Drivers go deep into the corners in Spain, however cutting corners in Corsica is rare as the narrow roads hug the sides of the mountains. With sheer rock face on one side and steep drops on the other, getting exactly the right line in Corsica is crucial.

Dubbed the 'rally of ten thousand corners', the event is characterised by hard acceleration away from one corner before braking heavily for the next within a few hundred metres. The g-forces generated in the corners are the highest in the championship - at times in excess of 1.5g laterally, more than double the amount generated by a standard road-going car.

The Corsican weather can be as dramatic as the landscape. Within an hour bright sunshine can give way to heavy rain as warm sea air meets the cool mountain breeze.

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."

Loeb will be supported by Xavier Pons and Daniel Sordo. Kronos boss, Marc van Dalen is convinced that the former will bounce back from his disappointment in Spain when he crashed out while on course to finish third.

"It's true [Xavier was the least successful of our drivers in Spain] and it's a pity for this talented, hard-worker and dedicated guy. Despite being very timid, he feels at home in the team," said van Dalen. "He was perfect in the first two rounds, which were probably the most difficult for him, and he scored eight valuable points for the Manufacturers championship. We cannot blame him for Mexico as it was an ignition problem which caused his retirement. He made a mistake in Catalunya in a very tricky section where the slightest gap in the line leads to an 'off'. Although he is Catalan, I think he prefers the Corsican stages. I'm optimistic and confident: Xevi and Carlos [del Barrio - his co-driver] are able to do really well in Ajaccio and score some good points."

BP Ford:

[Marcus Gronholm, car #3 and Mikko Hirvonen, car #4.]

Ford number one driver, Marcus Gronholm believes he will have a real chance to fight with Sebastien Loeb for the win this weekend. The Finn was on form in Spain two weeks ago, winning 10 of the 16 tests and only missing out on the chance for gold after a turbo problem at the end of day one. Despite that though he fought back to take third on day two and three and he is now keen to notch up his first real win on asphalt, as although he won in Monte Carlo in January that is a unique tarmac event with snow and ice thrown into the mix.

"We proved in Spain that we have the right package to match Loeb on asphalt," said Gronholm in the count down to round five. "I'm really excited about being able to fight with him in Corsica, even though it is his home event and he knows the roads well. I feel happier on the Corsican stages than on the roads in Spain. They are more like rally stages than a race circuit."

Gronholm's team-mate Mikko Hirvonen is also confident and believes that a podium finish should be within his reach.

"I expect to be as fast [in France] as we were in Spain and fight for a top three," he confirmed. "But I also expect those drivers who were fast in Spain will be fast here. Corsica's stages are twisty all the time. I will need to find a different rhythm, one that is precise and tidy. It's not usually possible to cut corners because there are often brick walls and stones on the edge of the road. The roads can be abrasive but if the weather conditions are consistent, I'm sure the BFGoodrich tyres will be perfect. Sometimes a driver has to look after his tyres to ensure they don't 'go off' but with the new Focus I've never had to do this. It's a combination of the car and the tyres. They both complement each other and I know I will be able to drive flat out without having to protect them."

555 Subaru World Rally Team:

[Petter Solberg, car #5 and Stephane Sarrazin, car #6.]

Petter Solberg believes that he can do better on the Rallye de France this weekend, after a nightmare event in Spain. The Norwegian was never really on the pace two weeks ago on the Rally Catalunya and in the end he brought his Impreza home a lowly seventh overall, nearly 4 minutes off Sebastien Loeb, who took the victory for Kronos and Citroen.

"The Tour de Corse is a very good event," said Solberg. "I think compared to Rally Spain the stages and the asphalt will suit us better. In the past the Corsican roads were more abrasive as the surface was much older, however nowadays there's not so much of the old tarmac left. On the whole our car and tyres match the event very well. My objective is to try for a podium again. That's my aim, we'll just have to see how we get on."

Subaru's director of engineering, Steve Farrell is also upbeat and draws much confidence from the team's results their in the past, which have included three wins in the last ten years. Indeed they won with Solberg in 2003, despite the fact the Norwegian crashed heavily in the shakedown.

"We're looking forward to the Tour de Corse with optimism," he added. "We've historically had good results in the event and there's no reason why that should change. We've learnt from the lessons of Spain and spent a lot of time at the end of that event fine-tuning the Impreza WRC2006, looking at the tyre package and feeding through improvements for Corsica.

"We've got to look at Spain and Corsica as completely different events. Even though they are both asphalt, they have different characters, with Corsica playing much more to our strengths. The French roads are more twisty and abrasive, compared to the Spanish roads that are much more flowing and open. We've seen before in the past that strategy also plays a major part in Corsica and getting the right set-up for the conditions is essential. If we get the strategy right, we've got as much chance as anybody else. We're approaching the event in a determined mood."

Subaru will have three cars in action, the second nominated Impreza driven by asphalt ace, Stephane Sarrazin, while Chris Atkinson competes in a 2005 spec car.

Manufacturer 2.

OMV Peugeot Norway WRT:

[Manfred Stohl, car #7].

Manfred Stohl is still in some discomfort following his crash two weeks ago in the build-up to the Rally Catalunya. Although the Austrian was given the OK to compete in Spain, it was a difficult event and his pre-event accident heavily compromised his weekend.

In the end he finished twelfth overall, no where near his target of finishing in the top eight and adding to his drivers' points tally. Speaking ahead of the Rallye de France, where he won the Group N class in 1998 and 2000, he added that the right rhythm will be one of the keys to success in Corsica.

"There are still a lot of turns but the roads have gotten broader and the rally faster [since my last appearance here in '03]," he noted. "But it still won't be a walk in the park for there will be constant steering wheel action each and every second. The wheel won't stand still from the first to last kilometre. I still feel every single rib, of course [following my crash in testing in Spain], but it's getting better each day and also you don't cut so much in Corsica. This means that there will be less vibrations in the car. Corsica is just like music. With all the turn's one must find the right rhythm."

Stohl will be the only car entered under the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally team banner, as while he is doing all 16 events, the team can only score points on 12 events, as dictated by the FIA under the Manufacturer 2 regulations.

Stobart VK Ford:

[Matthew Wilson, car #9 and Jari-Matti Latvala, car #10]

Britain's Matthew Wilson will be eager to maintain his momentum in his championship-learning rookie year this weekend, when he arrives in Corsica, for the fifth round on the schedule.

Since the Rally Catalunya two weeks ago, Wilson Jr has been busy working on his pace notes with his co-driver, Michael Orr, and with his second asphalt event in a row in sight, he wants to continue to gain experience.

"The rallies are coming thick and fast at the moment and Corsica will present another challenge," he noted. "We've been working on our pace notes and it will be my second tarmac rally in a row with the Focus in full tarmac spec. We're still learning so much with every day of every rally."

Wilson will again be joined by Jari-Matti Latvala, who will drive the sister Stobart VK backed Focus for the second event in succession.

"I should have had a good result in Spain if I hadn't hit the bridge on Friday so hopefully France should be better," added the Finn. "The experience means I feel more confident in the car, and Corsica should be easier as I have done it two times before. I can't guarantee super fast but I hope we can be just a little bit faster than Spain."

Red Bull Skoda:

[Harri Rovanpera, car #11 and Andreas Aigner, car #12]

The Red Bull Skoda team will start this event with Harri Rovanpera and Andreas Aigner. Gilles Panizzi was due to have taken part, but he has now split with the team.

Rovanpera is delighted to be back in the WRC, after sitting out the previous four events. The Finn will take part in all the remaining events this season that the Austrian squad are due to contest - namely in addition to that in Corsica, the WRC events in Sardinia, Greece, Germany, Cyprus, Turkey and Great Britain.

"This surely has to be my best birthday present ever," said Rovanpera, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on Saturday. "I hope I will be fast not only on the gravel rallies, but also perform well for my new team on tarmac."

Aigner meanwhile, who finished 13th overall in Spain, is looking forward to working with Rovanpera and benefiting from the Finn's experience. To date Aigner has competed in just seven WRC events and like Stobart VK driver, Matthew Wilson, this is very much a learning year for him.

"I've gained a lot of tarmac experience in Spain, now I have to try and continue to put this knowledge into practice in Corsica. I'm already looking forward to working together with my new team-mate. I hope we'll cooperate well," he added.

Junior WRC:

In the Junior WRC 14 drivers have opted to contest this event. Kris Meeke is likely to be the main pace setter, and after missing out in Spain when he hit the stricken Focus of Jari-Matti Latvala, he has only one target - to win.

"In Corsica, we will drive at a good pace from the start, with no pressure, and then we will see where we stand compared with our rivals. The aim is to come away with ten points. Given the competitiveness of our C2 Super 1600 in Catalunya, I feel optimistic for Corsica," said the Brit.

"This year's car is more competitive than last year's, that's for sure. There's nothing revolutionary technically, just a lot of little things that add up to make a real difference. The engineers in charge of its development at Citroen Sport have done a fantastic job and my car today is really ideal to drive."

Other possible front runners include Meeke's C2 team-mate, Brice Tirabassi as well as Suzuki Swift duo, Urmo Aava and Pavel Valousek. The Renault Clio's could also figure, as shown by Bernd Casier's second place finish in Spain.

Aaron Burkart meanwhile will be back in action in his OMV backed C2, despite the tragic accident in Spain, which claimed the life of his co-driver, Jorg Bastuck. Britain's Barry Clark will also return to the fold, after withdrawing following his part in the accident.

"It's been a hard for everyone concerned after what happened in Spain with what was a terrible freak accident," said Clark. "I am now concentrating on my rallying. Corsica will present a real challenge."

Other significant entries:

Around 79 crews have entered the Rallye de France. Amongst the other significant runners Kronos Racing will again enter an additional car for Junior World Rally champion Daniel Sordo (Citroen Xsara WRC), while other entrants at the wheel of a WRC car include: Francois Duval (First Skoda Fabia WRC), Alex Bengue (Peugeot 307 WRC), Jan Kopecky (Czech RT Skoda Fabia WRC) and Gigi Galli (Peugeot 307 WRC).

Toni Gardmeister was due to take part, although his participation now looks unlikely.

Schedule:

The itinerary is virtually identical to 2005, with each leg comprising a morning loop of two stages which is repeated in the afternoon following service in the port area of Ajaccio.

After a ceremonial start in the centre of Ajaccio on Thursday evening, Friday's opening leg is identical to last year on roads south-east of the town and is the longest of the event. Saturday's action takes competitors north of Ajaccio and includes a revised route for the opening stage of each loop. The last day is based south of the town and includes a stage last used in 2004.

Drivers face 12 stages covering 355.16km in a route of 1044.24km. The event remains one of the most compact of the season with more than 34 per cent of the route being competitive.

Hot tip:

Sebastien Loeb is the pre-event favourite - however Marcus Gronholm could end up pushing him very close.

Last year:

Sebastien Loeb won the event in dominant style in 2005, winning all 12 stages and eventually beating Toni Gardemeister, by nearly 2 minutes. Petter Solberg completed the podium, with Stephane Sarrazin and Roman Kresta fourth and fifth respectively. There were a number of 'works' retirements - including Marcus Gronholm, Chris Atkinson, Armin Schwarz, Gilles Panizzi and Francois Duval.