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Tour of Corsica set to get April slot in 2017 WRC schedule

The World Rally Championship looks set to visit Corsica twice in six months, with next season's event expected to take place earlier in the year in an FIA-driven switch

Corsica will host the next round of this year's championship on September 30-October 2, and looks set for an April date on the 2017 WRC calendar.

Autosport understands the first six rounds of the championship will be run as Monte Carlo, Sweden, Mexico, Corsica, Argentina and Portugal.

The Tour of Corsica was scheduled to run in April this year, before the organisers said such a plan was unworkable.

In an effort to plug the seven-week gap between rounds three and four, the FIA and WRC Promoter are understood to be ready to pull rank over the Bastia-based event.

"In reality, Corsica has to move to survive," one source said.

"We need the asphalt rally to break up a long run of gravel rallies and Germany and Spain are not really in a position to make the move."

The rally has been run in spring previously, but one of the areas of concern for the French governing body is putting together the necessary finance.

A patchwork of deals from regions around the French island form the budget.

WRC2 FORMAT TO BE CHANGED

The FIA will make major changes to next year's WRC2 regulations, forcing competitors to go head-to-head at least three times in the season.

One of the primary criticisms of this year's WRC2 title fight has been the absence of rallies where the leading crews have competed against each other.

Current regulations permit the drivers to select seven rallies from the 13-round calendar with no need to pre-determine which events they will contest

Last time out in Germany, series frontrunners Pontus Tidemand and Teemu Suninen were present, but not registered for points.

Next year, the final three rounds of WRC2 will be fixed with all crews coming together to compete against each other.

"WRC2 has developed very well, but I have one problem with this championship - the best don't meet," FIA rally director Jarmo Mahonen said.

"We were supposed to have 14 now 13 events, [but] the guys select the rallies tactically, saying 'He's not here, so now we go there..."

"We had to find a solution and that's to nominate three rallies where they have to meet, this will make it more exciting."

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