Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson secured fifth and sixth positions respectively for the Subaru World Rally Team after a trying finale to a tumultuous 52nd Rallye de France Tour de Corse. Lying eighth with two stages remaining, local talent Tirabassi was denied a World Championship point when he was forced to retire on the day’s second stage.

Pirelli’s PZero control tyres continued to play a role in deciding the outcome of round 13 of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship season as a succession of punctures amongst the frontrunners on the incredibly abrasive and uneven roads saw the leaderboard change almost stage-on-stage.

Solberg and Phil Mills climbed to fourth overall after the first stage of the morning when Ford’s Hirvonen suffered a puncture on the abrasive asphalt.... // AutoCorse.it

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Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson secured fifth and sixth positions respectively for the Subaru World Rally Team after a trying finale to a tumultuous 52nd Rallye de France Tour de Corse. Lying eighth with two stages remaining, local talent Tirabassi was denied a World Championship point when he was forced to retire on the day’s second stage.

Pirelli’s PZero control tyres continued to play a role in deciding the outcome of round 13 of the... // Auto Racing Daily

France Rally: Subaru WRC Day 2 Recap - Tyres Critical

On the second day of competition on Rallye de France Tour de Corse, tyre preservation was the critical element as the Mediterranean sun burned the broken and abrasive tarmac. The punishing combination was an unforgiving test for Pirelli’s P-Zero championship control tyres used by the WRC field, even in their hard compound guise, and drivers had to adopt a calculated approach to stop them overheating.

As tyre temperatures soared and the ambient nudged 28 degrees Celsius, so the grip available from the rubber diminished and, coupled with a layer of dirt and gravel on the roads, the stages became increasingly slippery. This challenge was compounded for the three SWRT entries by the continuation of yesterday’s battles,... // PaddockTalk

France Rally: Subaru WRC Day 1 Recap - The Car Got Better

After the first day of tarmac competition in Corsica, the Subaru World Rally Team entries once again livened up the WRC with a thrilling day-long battle for position. The pairings of Petter Solberg / Phil Mills and Chris Atkinson / Stéphane Prévot performed solidly under pressure in a very tight three-way shootout to finish fourth and sixth respectively, whilst Brice Tirabassi and Fabrice Gordon fought hard to climb to ninth in only their second rally with the team.

"It’s been an encouraging day of clear steady progress and all of our drivers are in good positions to capitalise on their performance over the next couple of days" said David Richards. "We came here with the same setup as we finished Spain, and as our... // PaddockTalk

After the first day of tarmac competition in Corsica, the Subaru World Rally Team entries once again livened up the WRC with a thrilling day-long battle for position.

The pairings of Petter Solberg/Phil Mills and Chris Atkinson/Stphane Prvot performed solidly under pressure in a very tight three-way shootout to finish fourth and sixth respectively, whilst Brice Tirabassi and Fabrice Gordon fought hard to climb to ninth in only their second rally with the team.

"It's been an encouraging day of clear steady progress and all of our drivers are in good positions to capitalise on their performance over the next couple of days," said team principal David Richards.

"We came here with the same setup as we finished Spain, and as our drivers cover more distance on tarmac with this car, so we... // Yahoo! Eurosport

Its been an encouraging day of clear steady progress and all of our drivers are in good positions to capitalise on their performance over the next couple of days said David Richards. We came here with the same setup as we finished Spain, and as our drivers cover more distance on tarmac with this car, so we are able to optimise the setup in these conditions.

Rallye de France Tour de Corse is the second instalment of the seasons back-to-back Mediterranean asphalt challenge, but the French rally demonstrated the fiery temperament more characteristic with neighbouring Italy. Claiming at random some of the front-running crews, Solberg and Mills day was not without drama as the duo had a huge moment whilst attacking stage three with all of Hollywoods usual flair and enthusiasm.

Todays stages... // RallyeInfo Ltd