Twenty seven year old Irish driver, Craig Breen, has established himself as Citroen Racing’s anchor man in the World Rally Championship.
Currently he is the top placed Citroen driver in the WRC drivers’ charts, having finished fifth on the three WRC events he has contested this year, and finishing fifth the last time he was in Corsica, six months earlier.
He started the season without a promise of a full programme and knowing he would have to enter some events in the old 2016 DS3 WRC. And strangely, of the French team Citroen’s three WRC drivers, he started the recent Tour de Corse with the greatest experience of the event.
After disappointments at Monte Carlo and then catastrophic technical problems in Sweden, the team had embarked on a heavy testing and development programme for Corsica.
“The big effort has been in the dampers and suspension. They proved to be the weak points. In areas like differentials and geometry I think we are in quite a good way,” Breen explained.
“Corsica is one of the most difficult rallies for dampers. Regarding Corsica, I love the place, it is probably the most similar rally to back home (in Ireland) – except for the nice weather here!
“Narrow bumpy lanes, broken tarmac like where we grew up back home. Probably it is one of the rallies where I am the most confident.”
Before the Tour de Corse, Citroen Racing chief, Yves Matton, predicted two of his drivers would finish in the top five. Teammate Kris Meeke retired when leading with engine failure, while Craig once again came fifth!
- Martin Holmes
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