It's on! Julien Saunier takes the lead

In his debut participation in the Tour de Corse Historique, Lyon driver Julien Saunier has taken the rally lead at the end of the first of its five days. It’s only a half-surprise, as the rain-slicked roads suited the man sometimes referred to as “the new Ragnotti” perfectly.

The long-anticipated and much-feared rain arrived just in time for the start of the Tour de Corse Historique. While it didn’t dampen the ambitions of the 383 teams, it was enough to cool spirits slightly at the dawn of a 2024 edition that didn’t need this added challenge to instill fear. “This is by far the most demanding course of recent years,” Porto-Vecchio driver Olivier Capanaccia told us as he passed under the starting arch. “We mustn't confuse speed with haste today.”

In these tricky conditions, all eyes turned toward the most famous rookie of the rally: Jos Verstappen. The former Formula 1 driver handled himself quite well, clocking the 9th and then 8th fastest times in ES 1 and 2. “It was very tricky, very slippery, but I had a lot of fun today,” said the Dutchman at the end of the second timed section at the top of Col de Bavella, where he and his co-driver Renaud Jamoul found themselves 36 seconds behind the leaders.

The leaders, Julien Saunier and Frédéric Vauclare (Porsche 911), were also newcomers to the Tour de Corse Historique. “It’s a huge surprise because I’m unfamiliar with both the car and the Tour de Corse Historique,” said the 2003 Rallye Jeune winner in the Porto-Vecchio parc fermé. “I hadn’t been back on the island since competing in the Corte rally in 2005. We need to stay grounded. It will be much harder for us in the coming days on dry roads because, I have to admit, I love the rain.”

VHS standings

1. Saunier-Vauclare (Porsche 911 3L RS) en 18'26"

2. Capanaccia-Nesta (BMW M3) à 14"

3. Oreille-Oreille (Porsche 911 Carrera 3L RS) à 20"

4. Pieri-Cortes (BMW M3) à 23"

5. Fotia-Pasqualini (BMW M3) à 25"

VHS standings

The rain also shifted the dynamics in the Regularity category, with officials deciding to lower the announced average speeds by 5 km/h. “It was a relatively easy day on smooth, fast roads,” shared one of the three tied leaders, Dominique Larroque, driving a Ford Escort with his childhood friend Patrick Monassier. “Now we need to stay ahead to improve on our 2nd place from 2021. It won’t be easy, especially tomorrow during the very long 42 km special stage, where endurance will be key. It’s hard to stay focused on maintaining an average speed for more than 30 minutes.”

Classement VHRS

1. Larroque-Monassier (Ford Escort) à 8"

2. Abrial-Abrial (Peugeot 104 ZS) à 8"

3. Merle-Fouchy (Porsche 911) à 8"

4. Coget-Celerier (Ford Mustang) à 9"

5. Feligioni-Feligioni (Porsche 911 SC) à 9"

Grosse journée demain

Demain (mercredi), la montée vers le Nord de l'ïle sera ponctuée par deux spéciales matinales. La plus longue du rallye, 42 km, traversera les villages de Tallone, Zuani et Moita où des trésors d’architecture religieuse sont préservés.

Changement d’ambiance pour la pause déjeuner, qui se tiendra dans le décor de carte postale – eau turquoise et sable blanc – de Moriani-Plage. La dernière spéciale du jour se disputera à une trentaine de kilomètres de Bastia, à travers les forêts de châtaigniers de la région de Castagniccia.