SS3: Home hero Campana fastest for Peugeot

Pierre Campana has made it three different stage winners out of three on Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse to underline the close competition in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Corsican star Campana, one of 21 drivers competing in a Super 2000 car on the Mediterranean island this week, lost time on the previous stage when he reached the finish with two badly worn front tyres, but hit back with his first stage win in the IRC at the wheel of the Peugeot 207 Super 2000 he shares with co-driver Sabrina de Castelli.

“It’s not been an easy start to the rally because I have had some problems with the brakes and front tyres but this time was very good, I am happy,” said Campana, who took 17m42.7s to complete the 26.70-kilometre Sarrola-Plage de Liamone test.

ŠKODA UK Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen was second fastest, 0.8s slower than Campana but has extended his overall lead ahead of Giandomenico Basso, in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC, to 1.8s.

Basso was third fastest, 2.5s down on Campana, with Dani Sordo fourth despite reporting that his MINI John Cooper Works S2000 lacked precision and was also suffering from understeer.

Peugeot driver Mathieu Arzeno impressed with the fifth fastest time to climb ahead of ŠKODA’s Jan Kopecký in the overall classification after the Czech reported losing ground when he struck a concrete slab. Bryan Bouffier was sixth fastest with Kopecký seventh.

Skydive Dubai Rally Team’s Rashid Al-Ketbi lost approximately four minutes stopping to change a puncture 10 kilometres from the stage finish.

Crews will now embark on a 124.63-kilometre road section to the overnight halt in Calvi ahead of day two’s action getting underway at 08:27hrs on Friday.