Historic Tour de Corse: Julien Saunier one stage away from victory

With just over 93 km timed, the 4^e stage headed south through often magnificent landscapes such as the SS10 Notre Dame de la Serra. It ended with the well-known Col de Bellevalle (SS13). After the rains of the previous days, it was under the sun that the survivors of the Tour were able to enjoy the roads.

Already a solid leader, Julien Saunier did not want to take all the risks. Some roads, such as in SS13, were very poor so it was out of the question to tackle them flat out., he explained in the Propriano service park. On the other hand, when it was cleaner, we rode faster and that allowed us to make up some margin. It wasn't up to us to take risks anyway and we can be satisfied with the lead we have going into the final stage. "In a fair way, it will indeed be difficult for Tom Pieri to make up the 40'' that separate him from first place in the 75 km timed race.

The Marseillais was however happy with his day. After the troubles we experienced yesterday, we can smile, he summarized. The team did a great job. They drained the axle, fixed the gearbox control issues and solved our brake problems… I was obviously more confident and that allowed us to attack. It really is a magical event and I would love to be able to compete in it every year. "Pieri is still ahead of the Oreille couple, Alain having finished the day much more lively than the day before." We had a lot of fun, said the former fastest taxi driver in PACA. Everything worked perfectly. » Behind this leading trio, several drivers stood out.

Finding a car that works well, Philippe Gache was able to exploit his splendid Porsche. "Our concept is different from what other competitors have chosen," he explained. "We are more powerful, but also heavier. Every time it is possible to use all the horses, it is a treat. It is a monster... but it is great!" The Avignon jack-of-all-trades is 21^e. If Anthony Fotia was less quick today, it is because he adopted settings that did not always work perfectly. We tried some things that didn't go in the right direction. For the last step, we're going to go back to a setup that we're more familiar with. "Finally, if Jos' ranking Verstappen and Renaud Jamoul deteriorated, it was mainly because of an oil leak which led to the intervention of the mechanics before the start of a special stage. However, we managed to find some settings that suit Jos well., Renaud explained. The team changed the engine. It worked better and the team also solved the braking issue, because he tends to brake very hard… and very late! He also made progress in understanding the notes. I think it was a good day of learning with a lot of fun. »

For the Belgian and his Dutch driver, the end is near. There are only 4 special stages left to reach Porto-Vecchio: Santa Maria di Figaniella/Olmeto (SS14 20,260 km), Sollacaro/Petreto Bicchisano (SS15 16,493 km), Petreto Bicchisano/Zerubia (SS16 27,314 km) and finally Ospedale/Palavese (SS17 10,339 km).

General classification at the end of the 4th stage