After SS3: Wilks takes first Corsica stage win

Guy Wilks has secured his first stage win of Tour de Corse-E.Leclerc after going fastest on the 25.15-kilometre Erbajolo-Pont d’Altiani run.

“I carried two spare tyres and while that made the back of the car slide more in the fast sections I found the balance better in the slow stuff although it took time to adjust,” said Wilks.

But while the Peugeot UK driver celebrated shooting up from sixth to third overall, Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg’s Thierry Neuville’s overall advantage was slashed to 1.4s after he spun early in the stage.

Neuville’s spin occurred on a left-hander in a narrow section. It cost the Belgian approximately 10 seconds after he nudged a wall and had to reverse in order to point in the right direction.

The 22-year-old, who is chasing his maiden win in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, blamed the incident on a mistake with his braking and an error in his pacenotes. He lost more time later in the run when his car’s brakes began to fade.

Bryan Bouffier has moved into second overall in his Peugeot France 207, which is running a stiffer set-up, with Jan Kopecký slipping from second to fourth in his Škoda Motorsport Fabia after admitting to losing confidence midway through the stage.

Standings after SS3: