Pierre Campana has taken a spectacular podium result at Tour de Corse today following a competitive, reliable and mature performance at the wheel of the Munaretto-run Peugeot 207 in Corsica over the three days.
The result sees the Corsican claim a debut podium result at Tour de Corse, arguably the toughest asphalt rallies in the world, underlining his credentials as one of the world’s best rally drivers on asphalt.
Pierre, alongside his co-driver Sabrina de Castelli, were on impressive form all week, claiming two stage wins, including a remarkable victory in SS10 this morning, which was broadcast live on Eurosport. Pierre was often right on the pace of WRC driver Dani Sordo, allowing him to showcase his abilities as a world class rally driver, while successfully claiming a podium finish against experienced competitors.
A total of six special stages today, run over a distance of over 130km, made this final day of the 55th Tour de Corse extremely important in securing a good result. Pierre’s victory in SS10 briefly elevated him to second place in the overall standings, but nonetheless a spirited performance ensured he fought off Bryan Bouffier for the final podium place.
With the final stage, a repeat of the 28.96 Marinca-Cagnano stage, broadcast live on Eurosport, viewers saw a happy Campana complete the gruelling rally with the commentators describing his and Sabrina de Castelli’s performance as ‘impressive’ and his style of driving ‘comfortable’, saying that he deserves significant recognition for his showing this week.
Pierre Campana said: “I am so pleased with this result and to finish Tour de Corse, which is a very special event for me, on the podium. Our closest competitors have been very quick and it has been a long time since we have competed with the Peugeot, so I am overjoyed – it’s a great feeling! Today was a long day with six important stages. It was fantastic to claim the stage win this morning in SS10 and to really step up to the battle for second. In the end, we are delighted with third place and I feel I have put in a professional and mature performance this week, one which I hope has made people realise what I am capable of. I would like to thank to range of companies and people who have backed me this week, from Perin and Entreprise Natali, as well as Munaretto and Peugeot, and of course Sabrina, all of whom have contributed to make this event so successful for us. We came here with the realistic objective of fighting for the podium, after finishing fourth last year, and that is exactly what we have done. I’m really pleased. I would also like to extend my congratulations to Drive-Pro and to Dani Sordo for their superb victory.”