Craig Breen will make his fourth WRC start for Abu Dhabi Total WRT next week when the FIA World Rally Championship heads to Corsica for the 2016 Tour de Corse – Rallye de France, this will also mark the Irishman’s tarmac debut in the top class.
“I really love this rally. The narrow, bumpy roads at the Tour de Corse remind me of the ones you get in Ireland and perhaps that’s why I feel so at home here.” said Breen.
Rally Finland saw Breen take his first WRC podium with a third place finish alongside team-mate and rally winner Kris Meeke, since then Breen competed the Rally Isle of Man. Oil pressure issues would put him out of the running on the Manx roads but he did set the early pace in the Citroën DS3 R5.
Breen will be taking a cautious approach to the opening day of the upcoming rally, “The rally format is different to what we are used to in the WRC. There is the added endurance dimension, with the first day with no service and a lot of miles to cover. We’ll have to adapt to this rhythm, staying calm on the long road sections before invoking a bit of fighting spirit at the start of the stages!”
“That aside, we know what to expect at this rally: weather that can make tyre choice difficult, managing wear on the brakes, the need to maintain concentration on narrow, twisty 50km-long stages… It’ll be difficult, starting with recce! I don’t think that there is a better place for me to contest my first tarmac rally in a WRC.
“Although I’m starting almost from scratch, I know that the team will do everything it can to help me feel confident. It would be unrealistic to try and match the podium from Finland; I would be delighted with a top-six finish!”
