 [21-05-2012]
PIERRE CAMPANA DETERMINED TO SECURE CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVE AFTER IMPRESSING IN TOUR DE CORSE
[Full Article]
 [14-05-2012]
FRANCK MAILLEUX SETS SIGHTS ON LE MANS SUCCESS AFTER POSITIVE MAGNY COURS TEST
[Full Article]
 [14-05-2012]
PIERRE RAGUES FINDS POSITIVES FROM SPA AND LOOKS AHEAD TO LE MANS
[Full Article]
 [12-05-2012]
PIERRE CAMPANA STORMS TO SENSATIONAL TOUR DE CORSE PODIUM AFTER FAULTLESS PERFORMANCE
[Full Article]
 [11-05-2012]
PIERRE CAMPANA IMPRESSES IN EXCITING BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE ON SECOND DAY OF TOUR DE CORSE
[Full Article]
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[11-05-2012]
PIERRE CAMPANA IMPRESSES IN EXCITING BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE ON SECOND DAY OF TOUR DE CORSE
 Pierre Campana finds himself in the middle of an exciting battle for second place as the second day of this week’s Tour de Corse draws to a close following a solid day of rallying across today’s five special stages in warm and sunny conditions.
Pierre started off strongly, intent on cementing his podium place, and would have finished higher than his eventual sixth position had it not been for a problem at the finish. Pierre found that the flying finish board was 310m further back than expected which resulted in a hesitant end to the stage, costing valuable seconds.
In SS5, Pierre experienced a transmission problem when his gearbox tulip broke, requiring a replacement to be fitted before the sixth special stage.
When the Corsican was given the ability to show his true pace, it was impressive. In the final three stages of the rally, Campana fought back to finish in leading positions and right on the pace of the WRC benchmark, Dani Sordo. In SS7, he was just 0.7s behind, while in SS8 the gap was just 0.2s – proving Campana’s credentials as a WRC contender.
His performance in those final stages of the day ensured that Pierre retained hold of his podium place despite being disrupted by another driver who was changing a punctured wheel in the final stage.
Pierre is less than thirty seconds from the outright rally leader but a mere four seconds adrift of second place, so there is all still to play for on the final day of rally action tomorrow. With over 133 kilometres to run over two stages, the 15.56km Magnaggio-Centuri and the 28.96km Marinca-Cagnano course, each run three times, including a live stage on Eurosport, it promises to be an exhilarating final day.
Pierre Campana said: “I said yesterday that I wanted a trouble-free day today but it’s rarely the case in such a competitive rally! All in all, I am pleased to be in such a close fight for second place and to have had good results across all five stages today. In the opening stage today, everything was going really well until the end when we realised the flying finish line had been moved back by 310m. It’s a risk to carry on pushing hard past where the line should be, so I took things sensibly but it cost us valuable time. On the next stage, SS5, we had a problem with the gearbox tulip which needed fixing but from SS6 we had a strong, competitive runs. The final stage lost some time because we were disrupted by another contender changing a tyre. That was a bit of a frustrating end to the day but we are still in the podium hunt and definitely in with a shout of more. I have been especially pleased to have been so close to Dani Sordo in the stages, and in particular the final two stages of the day where the gap was 0.7 and 0.2s respectively. We are now less than thirty seconds from the leader with six stages and over 130km to run, so it’s all to play for. It’s definitely going to be a fun final day of the rally tomorrow and I look forward to it.”
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