Preview: Rallye de France - Tour de Corse.

The Tour de Corse is the third round out of 14 for the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship, second round out of eight for the 2002 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship

It is the first of two successive all-asphalt rallies and the first non-winter rally of the season. The change in the championship calendar order means that this will be the second Tour de Corse in five months! Being the first clear-asphalt event of the season, one can expect more technical innovations here than usual. Both Subaru and Hyundai will launch their 2002 'evolution' version World Rally Cars on this event. Total of 67 entries including 16 manufacturers' cars (no official Citroens), seven world class World Rally Car entries, 21 Production Car World Championship entries and 23 privateers in a variety of cars. There is no ceremonial start.

There is currently an interesting rivalry between Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Subaru: after the Swedish Rally, these three manufacturers had each won 34 FIA World Rally Championship events. Lancia has won 74 and Ford 40.

Team Peugeot Total are the Championship leaders after Sweden with 20 points. Richard Burns, Marcus Gronholm and Gilles Panizzi will all be driving in Corsica. There are factory approved entries for Harri Rovanpera (entered by Bozian Racing), Bruno Thiry (run by Kronos team) and Achim Mortl (run by HF Grifone).

The team has made two test sessions specially for this event. All three team drivers tested after Sweden, then Panizzi and Burns carried out another test just one week before the rally. The team is confident they have now identified the reason for unsatisfactory performance at Monte Carlo. World champion Burns complained of an awkward seating position in Sweden, which has been largely solved in time for this event. Technically the cars are similar to the specification used at Monte Carlo.

The ford Focus' will again be driven by Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae and Markko Martin. There will be a factory run entry for Francois Duval.

The team are to run ex-2001 Sanremo and Australia cars, the three registered cars having been up-rated to 2002 specification. "We are continuing to develop the cars," said M-Sport Technical Director, Christian Loriaux. "The main new item of hardware here will be a lighter front crossmember. For Catalunya we have some more new ideas including a new roll cage design and lowering the co-driver seating position."

Tommi Makinen and Petter Solberg will debut the Suberu World Rally Car, 2002 version, in Corsica. Notable novelties include new splitter, flywheel, engine internals, throttle body and exhaust manifold. This will be an additional event for reserve co-driver Kaj Lindstrom due to the continued convalescence of Makinen's regular co-driver Risto Mannisenmaki. Meanwhile Makinen has now carried out his first gravel test with Subaru in preparation for Cyprus.

Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart will just enter regular drivers Francois Delecour and Alister McRae with no third entry on this event.

Delecour and McRae recently gave demonstration drives for enthusiasts at the Champions' Meeting in Japan, where Mitsubishi CEO Rolf Eckrodt gave words of encouragement: "Rallying fits in well with the group's competitive activities, with Formula One for Mercedes and national racing for Chrysler. Rallying is a good way to help us reach young people." Tests are due to start about now in Japan of the 2002 version "Step 2" in which the main changes are planned to be to the drivetrain and the engine. Earlier plans to tilt the engine on the new car rearwards have been abandoned.

Hyundai are also debuting with the first appearance of the Accent WRC3. There are various changes aimed at improving engine performance, with improvements to the suspension and steering. The only externally visible changes are revised air inlet apertures in the front. This rally is the first world rally appearance in a works car for a Polish driver for 23 years. Kuchar comes to Corsica straight from gaining a post graduate university degree. "Don't expect too much from me this time. There are more corners in the Tour de Corse than in the whole Polish championship!" Armin Schwarz and Freddy Loix will drive for the team as usual.

Skoda Motorsport who have not yet scored will enter Kenneth Eriksso, Toni Gardemeister and Roman Kresta.

The works supported Argentine driver Gabriel Pozzo drove a zero car on a local Czech asphalt rally near Plzen a week before Corsica, ready for his debut appearance with the team in Spain. Not withstanding economic problems back home, his world championship programme is to start on schedule in Catalunya, but the total number of Pozzo's events have not yet been defined.

Citroen who are not eligible for points in 2002 have place a private entry for Philippe Bugalski. The team which scored their first world rally victory on this event in 2001 will be officially absent this time. This event is not one of the seven chosen by Automobiles Citroen for their official representation in the 2002 series. There is a single entry for one of the team cars in Monte Carlo specification but serviced by the Spanish Piedrafita team on behalf of Citroen Sport.

Of the 26 drivers registered for the Production series, 21 have opted for the chance to score points on this event. In the entry list are 12 who had also contested the Swedish Rally, including five of the six points scorers. Hamed al Wahaibi, on his series debut this year, appears with a new co-driver: Michael Orr has previously been seen in action with Super 1600 driver Niall McShea and has also recently worked as test co-driver with Burns. While South Americans Gustavo Trelles (Uruguay) and Ramon Ferreyros (Peru) drive Evo VIIs for the first time on this event, Argentine driver Marcos Ligato plans to make his championship debut in Cyprus.

The former Russian Mitsubishi Group N privateer Stanislav Griazine drives a World Rally Car (Toyota). Austrian privateer Achim Mortl has changed from Subaru to Peugeot. Missing from the event are last year's winner Jesus Puras, six times winner Didier Auriol and the absence of the official Citroen team, means that Sebastien Loeb (who became FIA Super 1600 champion here last year) will also not take part.

Additional facts:

Stages 9/12 will start some two kilometres further beyond the village of Lopigna than planned. The second part of the Saturday leg will now run 30 minutes later than originally planned because the mid-day regrouping halt has been extended. The first car will now finish leg 2 at 17h56, the leading cars a half-hour later. The official sundown time is 17h21, after the leading cars have completed the final stage.

The rally has never been held at this time of year before. Traditionally the weather can be even more changeable in March than usual.

The Tour de Corse uses the same stage roads as in 2001. To comply with the FIA's new standard request that a 20% change should be made every year in the route, the organisers have reversed the direction of special stages 3 and 6.

The organisers plan to erect armco rail barriers at the place where Makinen crashed last year, and place 200kg water filled plastic barriers linked together at other hazardous locations.

The start and finish has been moved to the City Hall in the centre of Ajaccio, at the same place where scrutineering is traditionally held. The overnight parc ferme location will now be nearby. The rally does not now go to the facilities at the Margonajo port, as originally stated.