Volkswagen’s Sébastien Ogier made a great start by leading Shakedown for the 2016 Tour de Corse – Rallye de France.
Ogier, who is going for his fourth World Rally Championship in a row, topped the timesheets with a 3:51.7 on his third and final run.
The Frenchman is looking to equal both Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Mäkinen’s record of four World Rally titles.
Ogier said post-Shakedown “It is nice to be back on Corsica, and the conditions are perfect this year. The Shakedown went well and the set-up is right for the rally. That is important, as Julien and I need to be wide awake from the very first stage on Friday.
“Those 50 kilometres demand the utmost concentration from driver and co-driver. And it is physically tiring. Unlike other rallies with similarly long stages, there are as good as no straights here. It is important to have perfect pace notes and find a good rhythm from the word go.
“My first goal is to win my home event here in France. I obviously also have one eye on the world championship and know that I could possibly win the title here – however, that is all theoretical, as my rivals would have to be unlucky for that to happen.”
