Corsican rally star Pierre Campana has made a triumphant return to the competitive world rally scene in last weekend’s Tour de Corse. The local hero took to the wheel of a Michelin shod Citröen DS3 R3-Max with the CHL Sport Auto team in his first rally since 2012 – on the occasion of WRC’s first visit to Corsica since 2008.

 

Pierre put his local knowledge and past rally experience around Corsica to good use to finish fifth of the 2WD cars and 32nd overall in a strong field of contenders. He also finished third in the ‘insulaires’ classification.

 

Adding to the drama in this year’s Tour de Corse, heavy rain conditions caused two stages to be cancelled from the schedule, one on Friday and one on Saturday morning. Despite this, Pierre was able to keep focused on his job and to get up to speed.

 

Along with his highly experienced co-driver Dominique Savignoni, Pierre tackled the seven stages in a professional manner. The event, which is also part of the 2015 French Rally Championship, gave Pierre an important chance to compare his driving against some skilled competitors and even with a break of three years, the Corsican was quick to show he had lost none of his natural ability.

 

“It has been a fun weekend and a fantastic chance for me to get back into the competitive world of rallying,” said Pierre. “I would like to thank the CHL Sport Auto team, as well as my partners, for the opportunity to drive the DS3 R3-Max, which was really incredible. We faced some challenging conditions with the heavy rain leaving a lot of slippery sections, as well as two cancelled stages, but it was a nice experience. Of course, three years of not driving meant that I had to get used to everything, including braking confidence, but I think I did a good job. I was also happy with the performance of the tyres in these difficult conditions. The last time I drive was WRC and S2000 so I am pleased with my finish in the 2WD classification. It was amazing to drive in front of the home crowd once again. I have missed it and I hope to have the opportunity again to show my rally abilities in a big event like this.”