The fourth round of the 2018 World Rally Championship is this weekend, with the 61st annual Tour de Corse, on the island of Corsica, part of France. The 12-stage event began Thursday, April 5, with Kris Meeke winning the 5.45-kilometer shakedown in Sorbo Ocagnano.
Special stages get underway Friday, April 6, with four special stages. Six stages are scheduled for Saturday, April 7, and a pair of stages – including the 55.17-kilometer stage, the longest of this year’s Tour de Corse – closes out the event on Sunday, April 8. Overall, the total distance for the event – dubbed the “Ten Thousand Turns Rally” – is scheduled for 333.48 kilometers (207.21 miles), on an asphalt surface.
The rally base is at Bastia. The defending race winner is Thierry Neuville with co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul. Here are some statistics related to the Tour de Corse as well as the 2018 season.
- Most Victories (Driver): Bernard Darniche (6)
- Most Victories (Manufacturer): Lancia (11)
- Most Victories (Nation): France (44)
- Previous Races Contested: 60
- Number of Stages: 804 (since 1973, all championships)
- Most Stages: 33 (1989)
- Fewest Stages: 7 (1975, 2015)
- Distance of Stages: 24,301.36 kilometers (15,100.17 miles) (since 1973, all championships)
- Longest Event: 1,176.10 kilometers (1982)
- Shortest Event: 217.50 kilometers (2009)
- Drivers With At Least One Win: 35
- Most Consecutive Victories: Sebastien Loeb (4; 2005-2008)
Notes of Interest – Tour de Corse
- The Tour de Corse has been part of the World Rally Championship for the last four years (since 2015) and from 1973-2008 (for 1994-1996, only for the 2-Litre World Championship for Manufacturers). The event was also part of the France Cup in 2009, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2011 and 2012, and European Rally Championship in 2013 and 2014. The event was not held in 2010 (canceled).
- Thirteen drivers have won the Tour de Corse multiple times. Thierry Neuville became the 13th in 2017 when he won for the second time, adding to his 2011 victory. It was his first in the event, however, in the WRC.
- For Neuville, it marked his second career WRC; he went on to win four more WRC events in 2017 en route to finishing second in the championship.
- Four winners of the Tour de Corse have gone on to win the World Rally Championship on seven occasions since 1973: Didier Auriol (1994); Peter Solberg (2003); Sebastien Loeb (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008); and Sebastien Ogier (2016).
- Twenty-three of the 35 drivers to win the Tour de Corse have been French. Other countries with drivers represented include Spain (3); Finland (2); Belgium (2); Italy (1); United Kingdom (1); Germany (1); Norway (1); and Estonia (1).
Full List of Tour de Corse Winners (35; Since 1956)
- Bernard Darniche: 6
- Didier Auriol: 6
- Sebastien Loeb: 4
- Pierre Orsini: 3
- Jean-Claude Andruet: 3
- Rene Trautmann: 2
- Sandro Munari: 2
- Jean Ragnotti: 2
- Markku Alen: 2
- Philippe Bugalski: 2
- Colin McRae: 2
- Gilles Panizzi: 2
- Thierry Neuville: 2
- Gilberte Thirion: 1
- Michel Nicol: 1
- Guy Monraisse: 1
- Herbert Linge: 1
- Jean Vinatier: 1
- Jean-Francois Piot: 1
- Gerard Larrousse: 1
- Jean-Pierre Nicolas: 1
- Jean-Luc Therier: 1
- Bruno Saby: 1
- Bernard Beguin: 1
- Carlos Sainz: 1
- Francois Delecour: 1
- Jesus Puras: 1
- Petter Solberg: 1
- Markko Martin: 1
- Pascal Trojani: 1
- Dani Sordo: 1
- Bryan Bouffier: 1
- Stephane Sarrazin: 1
- Jari-Matti Latvala: 1
- Sebastien Ogier: 1
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2018 World Rally Championship Statistics
- Total Rallies Contested: 3
- Total Distance Covered: 1,053.48 kilometers (654.60 miles)
- Most Victories (Driver): Sebastien Ogier (2)
- Overall Winners (By Driver): Sebastien Ogier (2; Monte Carlo, Mexico), Thierry Neuville (1; Sweden)
- Overall Winners (By Manufacturer): Ford (2; Monte Carlo, Mexico), Hyundai (1; Sweden)
- Overall Winners (By Tire): Michelin (2; Monte Carlo, Sweden, Mexico)
- Overall Winners (By Country): France (2; Monte Carlo, Mexico), Belgium (1; Sweden)
- Most Podiums: Sebastien Ogier (2)
- Stage Winners (By Driver): Ott Tanak (15), Thierry Neuville (11), Sebastien Ogier (9), Kris Meeke (6), Craig Breen (3), Dani Sordo (3), Sebastien Loeb (3), Andreas Mikkelsen (3), Elfyn Evans (2), Hayden Paddon (2), Esapekka Lappi (2), Teemu Suninen (1), Jari-Matt Latvala (1)
- Stage Winners (By Manufacturer): Hyundai (19), Toyota (18), Citroen (12), Ford (12)
- Stage Winners (By Tire): Michelin (61)
- Stage Winners (By Country): Estonia (15), France (12), Belgium (11), United Kingdom (8), Finland (4), Ireland (3), Spain (3), Norway (3), New Zealand (2)
- Total Stages Contested: 58 (average of 19.33 per rally)
- Longest Stage: 36.58 kilometers/22.73 miles (Thoard-Sisteron – Rallye Monte Carlo)
- Shortest Stage: 1.11 kilometers/.69 miles (Street Stage Leon – Rally Mexico)
- Drivers to Lead Points Standings: 2 (Sebastien Ogier – 2; Thierry Neuville – 1)
- Longest Distance Covered, Single Rally: 394.74 kilometers (Rally Monte-Carlo)
- Shortest Distance Covered, Single Rally: 314.25 kilometers (Rally Sweden)
- Most Stages in a Single Rally: 22 (Rally Mexico)
- Fewest Stages in a Single Rally: 17 (Rally Monte-Carlo)
Notes of Interest
- Sebastien Ogier leads the points standings by four over Thierry Neuville, following his second victory of the season in Rally Mexico.
- Citroen is two victories away from its 100th victory in WRC competition.
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All-Time World Rally Championship Statistics
- Total Rallies Contested: 574
- Drivers With At Least One Win: 77 (First: Jean-Claude Andruet; 77th: Elfyn Evans)
- Manufacturers With At Least One Win: 21
- Nations With At Least One Win: 17
- Most Victories (Driver): Sebastien Loeb (78)
- Most Victories (Manufacturer): Citroen (98)
- Most Victories (Nation): France (187)
- Most Championships (Driver): Sebastien Loeb (9)
- Most Championships (Manufacturer): Lancia (10)
- Most Championships (Nation): France (15)
Sources:
- Wikipedia: Tour de Corse; List of World Rally Championship Drivers’ championships
- World Rally Championship website: http://www.wrc.com
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