Corsica, a terrain that suits Latvala

The Finns have never really been in their backyard in France, apart from Markku Alen's takeover in 1983 and 1984 in Corsica with the Lancia 037. While the 2016 Tour de Corse will start this weekend, Jari-Matti Latvala hopes to continue its good series started in 2014 on the roads of Rally of Alsace.

Winner two years ago in the East of France, partly taking advantage of his teammate's problems Sébastien Ogier, the Volkswagen Motorsport driver won the Tour de Corse in difficult conditions last year, thus signing his second consecutive success in France.

“I like driving on asphalt in Corsica, admits Latvala. The surface is very rough and also quite bumpy in places. You can't cut corners that much. This means that the road remains quite clean and the level of grip is high and consistent.

I enjoy asphalt rallies like this, so I'm really looking forward to it. There are many turns, and there are actually no straight lines longer than 150 meters. I think this will suit me. There are only a few special stages, but they are very long. Tire management can be crucial in this type of terrain. »

If he remains mathematically in the race for the world title, the 80 points behind his teammate Sébastien Ogier constitute a gap too large for Latvala to close with only four events remaining on the calendar. Enough to offer the Finn the possibility of riding “liberated” and trying to sign the pass of two in the Isle of Beauty and thus equaling his glorious elder Markku Alen.