Campana set for spectacular home run

Corsican rally star Pierre Campana will make a sensational return to the Tour de Corse in May after securing an entry to compete in this year’s legendary event with a Michelin-shod Peugeot 207 S2000 run by Munaretto Group.

Pierre, who scored points in the opening event of this year’s World Rally Championship at Monte-Carlo with the MINI WRC Team and Drive-Pro, will be taking part in his third Tour de Corse, following on from his fine fourth place in last year’s event with Munaretto.

Pierre achieved critical acclaim from MINI WRC after his excellent run to seventh place at Monte-Carlo in January, and he will be looking to put his increased WRC experience to good use at Tour de Corse, part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, next month. The Corsican embarked on an intensive run of rally events with Team Drive-Pro during the second half of last year with an impressive array of wins and competitive performances. Pierre’s successes were also met with positive response from the French Motorsport Federation, who appointed him head of the FFSA Rally Team France.

As with the 2011 event, this season’s Tour de Corse will be broadcast on Eurosport with a total of five stages run live on the popular channel, underpinning the growing importance of this event on the motorsport calendar.

Pierre will again be joined in the cockpit by his long-time co-driver Sabrina de Castelli, with the important backing from a number of companies, led by Perin and Natali Entreprise, all of whom are enabling Pierre to make a welcome return to the international rallying scene. Pierre will also benefit from the support of Peugeot who will be giving him a helping hand at this event. Pierre hopes that having the chance to compete and shine on home ground at Tour de Corse will lead to a more structured season of rallying for him in 2012.

Pierre Campana: “It seems like a long time since I was taking part at the Monte Carlo WRC event so I am thrilled to have the chance to compete at Tour de Corse, one of my absolute favourite events. As a Corsican, there is nothing like driving in front of a home crowd and soaking in all the atmosphere and support. It is a tough event but I have positive memories from last year’s event when we finished in fourth place. I am looking forward to teaming up once again with Munaretto and driving the Peugeot 207 with Sabrina de Castelli, my co-driver. I am also grateful to have the fantastic backing from a range of companies for this event, including Perin and Natali Entreprise, but also with a helping hand from Peugeot. I am always pleased and honoured to be given the opportunity to showcase my talent in a competitive event and I hope that this, combined with the performance I showed at Monte Carlo back in January, will lead to more regular rallying opportunities throughout 2012.”