Citroen protege Stephane Lefebvre gets Tour of Corsica WRC run

Lefebvre, last year's Junior WRC champion and now competing mainly in WRC2, finished 10th on his top-class debut last weekend.

Team boss Yves Matton said that drive had earned him a home appearance as well.

"I'd even go as far as to say that he slightly exceeded the goals we had set for him," said Matton.

"Focused and committed from start to finish, he improved his out-and-out speed, whilst also showing an encouraging level of technical awareness.

"In light of this, and in accordance with his programme which included two rallies in the DS 3 WRC, he will be taking part in the Tour de Corse in the same car.

"He will therefore hopefully be able to make use of his first experience on Tarmac in Germany and pick up where he left off."

As Corsica is returning to the WRC this year to replace the previous Alsace-based French event, Lefebvre's inexperience is less of a disadvantage - especially as he has contested the event in the European Rally Championship.

"It's a rally that will be new for all the WRC drivers, but I have actually competed here twice before in small cars and so I know what to expect," he said.

"For me, as someone who comes from the north of France, the profile of the Corsican roads is the exact opposite of the roads I know best.

"But I can already imagine how much fun it will be to drive on these stages in the DS 3 WRC.

"It'll be a little bit less of a journey into the unknown than last week, especially as I'll be taking part in a pre-event test in order to prepare specifically for this round.

"I'll be looking to start with the same positive energy as in Germany, and keep reducing the gap to the top guys."