Scot Barry Clark will make his tarmac debut in the World Rally Championship tomorrow when he fires up his Stobart Ford Focus World Rally Car at the start of the three-day Rallye de France in Corsica.
And the 26-year-old from Ellon — who has already completed two successful WRC events in Jordan and Turkey scoring points for Ford in the manufacturers’ championship — is eager to tackle what is one of the classic rallies on the calendar.
“This is going to be a seriously tough rally but I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” Clark, who won the Ford Fiesta International Championship last year, explained today after completing the shakedown in his Focus WRC.
“Corsica is different from other tarmac events because it’s just corner after corner and virtually no straights. It’s also very narrow and bumpy, so there’s a lot to contend with.
“I’ve competed in Corsica once before in 2006 in the Fiesta but this will be a whole different scenario driving the Focus WRC.”
And Clark, who will be team-mates with Cumbria’s Matthew Wilson who won the recent Colin McRae Stages Rally in Perth, was pleased with his car’s set-up after the shakedown.
“We completed six runs and found a good setting for the last run which was our fastest,” he continued. “Initially we had some oversteer but changed some of the centre diff settings and that has helped a lot.
“The next three days will require high levels of concentration. There’s absolutely no let up and I’m focusing really on not making any mistakes, getting to the finish and gaining the experience.
“I have been preparing well for the event and attended the last round in Spain last week. I listened to what the top Ford drivers were saying about their car set-up and how the tyres were working, so that information will be a huge help.”
At the head of the field, multiple world champ Sebastien Loeb again starts as favourite in his Citroen WRC. The Frenchman, who won last time out in Spain, leads the championship by 12 points from Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen with three events remaining.
JM