24th Tour de Corse Historique

Leaving Porto-Vecchio last Tuesday, the competitors returned to the port city on Saturday, after five days of rallying full of surprises. Some were planned, like the four new special stages, while others were less predictable, like the very heavy rain during stages one and three. At the finish line, many competitors praised the organization of the rally, with French television presenter Jean-Pierre Gagick describing it as “one of the top five historic car events in the world”, competing in a Ford Mustang. Jos Verstappen had the same opinion, and has already promised to return in 2025.

Rookie and winner
The final day followed the same pattern as the first four for Julien Saunier and Frédéric Vauclare, who set two fastest stage times out of four. Saunier, the 42-year-old winner of the 2003 Rallye Jeune, led nearly the entire rally after taking command during the second special stage on Tuesday morning. The duo won seven of the seventeen special stages in total. Saunier had a major scare on Wednesday afternoon when the front suspension stops of his Porsche 911 3.0 RS broke. “I didn’t know the car or the rally, and I hadn’t returned to the island since competing in the 2005 Corte rally,” said the winner at the finish. “But we prepared well, with meticulous reconnaissance. The secret of our victory lies largely in Frédéric’s (Vauclare) incredibly precise notes. He even identified where water might flow in case of rain, and that’s exactly what happened! He coached me on when to push or hold back. Our victory is 60% his. It’s extraordinary because I’ve dreamed of participating in the Tour de Corse Historique for a long time—it’s a legendary rally.”

Pieri, Oreille, Capanaccia, Verstappen
Second-placed Tom Pieri and Fabien Cortes, trailing by 45 seconds, held their own in the latter part of the rally. Pieri, a 25-year-old aspiring to a career at the top levels of modern rallying, confessed that driving a BMW M3, a car he had posters of as a child, was a dream come true. “We came up against a stronger team, but we’ll be back next year,” he said, leaving the finish village in Porto-Vecchio. Next comes Alain Oreille, whose age surpasses the combined age of his two fellow podium finishers! A remarkable performance for the double Group N World Rally Champion (1989 and 1990) and his wife, Sylvie, whom he will need to convince to return next year.

Also worth noting is the performance of Olivier Capanaccia and Audrey Nesta, who were delayed by electrical issues in ES 3 but climbed from 122nd to 9th overall, with five fastest stage times to their name. The major attraction of the 2024 edition, Jos Verstappen, finished 21st. The Dutchman and his Belgian co-driver Renaud Jamoul were in the top ten until midday of the penultimate stage, when a mechanical issue from a minor oil leak forced them to incur a time penalty. At the Porto-Vecchio finish line, the former F1 driver promised to return next year. Lastly, the Lancia 037 cars, honored at this year’s Tour de Corse Historique, had three out of four finish the rally, with Bernard Revest and Pierre-Jean Finidori finishing 19th in their example.

Photo-finish in VHRS
In the VHRS Regularity category, the battle raged on until the final special stage. Delayed on Tuesday evening due to a gearbox change, Christophe Baillet and Jean-Marc Piret gradually climbed back up, ultimately taking the lead in the penultimate stage of the rally. By Porto-Vecchio, they led Pierre and Olivier Feligioni by just six seconds, the latter having led the standings since the sixth of the seventeen stages. Behind the two Porsche 911s, a more modest VW Golf, driven by Stéphane Blaise and Robert Vandevost, took 3rd place.

Beyond the sporting results, this 24th edition, marked by a new record number of entrants, lived up to all organizational expectations. A performance highly praised by the competitors at the finish.

Marie-Ange Dini, organizer: “Everything went perfectly. Our teams did an enormous amount of work, both before and during the event, to make this edition a great success. From a sporting perspective, each day brought its share of surprises and memorable moments. This edition also showcased a wide variety of models, particularly in Regularity, with almost the complete range of cars that have shined throughout the history of the Tour de Corse. We can also be pleased to see internationally renowned personalities like John Buffum and Jos Verstappen taking an interest in our event.”

VHC results
1. Saunier-Vauclare (Porsche 911) en 3h59'26"
2. Pieri-Cortes (BMW M3) à 45"
3. Oreille-Oreille (Porsche 911) à 3'30"
4. Mancini-Mancini (BMW M3) à 5'27"
5. Fotia-Pasqualini (BMW M3) à 5'29"

VHRS results
1. Baillet-Piret (Porsche 911) 149 pts
2. Feligioni-Feligioni (Porsche 911) 157 pts
3. Arnal-Goudou (Morris Cooper S) 188 pts
4. Ozanne-Duhayer (Porsche 911) 197 pts
5. Rigondet-Souillard (CG 1200) 235 pts