Nicolas: Corsica remains a tough test

Former Tour de Corse winner Jean-Pierre Nicolas says the Intercontinental Rally Challenge aces contesting the island event this week should be braced for a tough test.

The Tour de Corse, which has attracted title sponsorship from E.Leclerc for its first appearance on the IRC schedule in 2011, is regarded as one of the most demanding rallies in the world due to its frequency of narrow twists and turns over mountainous roads.

Nicolas, who won the Tour de Corse in 1973 and now works as the IRC’s Motorsport Development Manager, said: “More and more of the roads in Corsica have recently been resurfaced, so the surfaces are less variable than they used to be. But you still come across different types of asphalt on the event, with changing amounts of grip. The weather is also an important variable: when driving the rally you need to keep an open mind and be prepared for anything, a bit like Rallye Monte-Carlo.”

He continued: “We’re getting out and seeing the whole island again over some really legendary stages [with this year’s route]. The challenge is different now, but that doesn’t make it any less complex.”