The return of the rally «Tour de Corse» in the calendar of the world championship, and were waiting for the participants, fans and journalists. No, the five-year moving the French stage WRC in Alsace did not disappointment, but is hardly equivalent to the exchange when the place of the rally, leading its history since 1956, comes artificially created race.
And the care of native Alsace Sebastien Loeb from Rally deprived the race in this region more attractive to sponsors. They are gone, and in the face of local authorities, who had previously supported the organizers.
In turn, the organizers of the rally «Tour de Corse» — rally «10 thousand turns,» as it is called since ancient times fans — gladly took up conducting Returning to the calendar of the World Rally Championship race. While in past years the riders fighting for victory in Alsace, they do not waste time — on the Corsican stages special stages held twice Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), and twice came here the participants of the European championship on rally. So, you do not reinvent the wheel and go the beaten track...
But no, extravagant French went their own way. And the way this turned out to be abundantly strewn with a rake.
For a start, they «invented» an unusual race schedule. According to their plans for the rally was to begin on Friday with only one special stage length of 56 kilometers. On Saturday and Sunday a total of racers had to overcome five or six special stages, each of them had to have a minimum distance of fifty kilometers.
After the project was presented to the route FIA, promoter of the World Cup immediately expressed its displeasure and disagreement with the organizers of the proposed plan. Negotiations ended in the French concessions.
In his final schedule consisted of nine special stages — three in each of the three days of the race — with the length of the special stages ranged from 16.7 to 48.5 kilometers.
Difficult schedule left no chance of error riders — even banal puncture could lead to a big loss of time or to replace it or to ride on the disc.
But — as if that was not enough — the eve of the start of «the joy of» the participants and organizers of the rally on the region hit a perfect storm. Rains drenched Mediterranean island literally — by forecasters estimate places per square meter per 30 hours, poured 360 liters of water.
Such violence of the elements could not interfere with the rally. Many roads were flooded, and the remaining portion were blocked by landslides and mudflows descended.
In the course of the first day of the rally organizers were forced to cancel the second special stage «Casamozza — Ponte Leccia». The road to it was flooded and landslide in the interval between the tenth and ten miles, we finally removed the possibility of dopa.
The second passage of the SS, which was held on the morning of the second day, also was canceled. As a result, the distance of the race fighting with 332.7 kilometers reduced merely to 245.3 km. In a situation when the FIA does not believe that the Corsican stage of the World Rally Championship must remain in the calendar, a force majeure was akin to shoot yourself in the foot.
Sweeten the pill could only some incredible intrigue and a mad scramble. And fortune has decided to improve the mood of frustrated organizers by sending participants to the real damage and raising the degree of fighting to the max!
The first special stage was won by just two riders — the best time showed Sebastien Ogier and Robert Kubica. Interestingly, while in the rain on a ring circuit and driving a «Formula 1», the Frenchman was able to show the same second with a Pole?
Thierry Neuville never made it to the finish line SU: Error at the entrance to the bridge, striking the parapet and a broken rear suspension — so for the Belgian finished the first day of the race. But it was not the most important gathering of the first day...
The third special stage on schedule (second in a row — after the abolition of SS2) ended with a truly sensational. The best time showed the pilot M-Sport Elfin Evans. He finished second in four (!) Pilot Kevin Abbring Hyundai. Then — in the last two winners of rally Tour de Corse, and now the «private traders» Stéphane Sarrazin and Bryan Bouffier. The fifth season of the third pilot Volkswagen Andreas Mikkelsen. And just to finish sixth SU got the best of the «top» Jari-Matti Latvala.
Thanks to the victory in the dope Evans took the lead of the race. Abbring climbed to second place and only Latvala retained third position.
Grabbing punctures Sebastien Ogier and Dani Sordo were forced to stop at the dope for changing wheels. The result — a huge waste of time and positions.
And on the way from the evening service in the closed park Volkswagen Polo R WRC Ogier stopped and was unable to continue driving — broken gearbox. Seb came out at the start of the second day, but with a ten-penalization.
The remaining two days of the race took place under the slogan «whether Latvala to overtake Evans and keep the lead?» — Could not, and how!
With after Friday's special stages behind the leader in the 23 seconds the Finn finished the race leader with a margin of Evans became the second in 43 seconds! That is, five special stages he «brought» the Welshman than a minute!
This Jari-Matti showed the best time only once — on SS5. On all other special stages took priority losers of the first day Sebastien Ogier and Dani Sordo.
But the main attention was not for them, and those who finished in the top ten. Latvala, Evans and Andreas Mikkelsen went up to the podium. Points for getting into the «top 10» also earned Kris Meeke, Hayden Peddon, Mads Ostberg, Dani Sordo, Bryan Bouffier, Stephane Sarrazin and Ott Tyanak.
And after the finish of the race he broke another scandal. Well, more precisely «scandal.» Team Lorenzo Bertelli FWRT issued a press release on the causes of Italian descent before the start of the final special stage. And this similarity may finally «finish» the organizers of the Corsican stages WRC.
According to the rules on the Power Stage startovka formed as follows — a statement taken on the basis of the results of the previous day and the riders will start in reverse order it.
However regruppinge before SU crew heir Empire Prada has been advised that instead of starting position at the head of the peloton, he will start at the end of the list of those who act on the cars category WRC. However, Bertelli was sent to the same Stephen Lefebvre and Martin Prokop.
At the same time, Thierry Neuville and Robert Kubica, returning to the race at Rally 2 and ranks behind Lorenzo, left in place, and they passed the first Power Stage. Why is that? Yes, because according to the organizers' They had chances to gain victory in the Power Stage».
The organizers of the Rally Tour de Corse is no one hundred percent confirmation to save space in the calendar WRC. And, in fairness it should be noted that at the end of the rally in 2015 the chances are even lower than the French...
