Leg 1: Bertrand Fassio takes the lead
- Julien Hergault
- Oct 7
- 5 min read
The opening day of the 2025 Tour de Corse Historique was sure to be spectacular. The two special stages in Balagne, which were challenging due to their changing road surfaces, meant that drivers had to get into the rhythm right from the start. The Bertrand Fassio/Jean-François de Montredon duo was the most nimble in this game, with their Porsche 911 SC No. 10.
No time to warm up. Right from the first special stage, a little over 20 kilometers from Feliceto to Occhiatana, the VHC entrants discovered a challenging playground. It was a truly “atypical” route for a starter, according to José Andreani, the organizer of the Tour de Corse Historique, who created the layout himself.
Philippe Gache, who is taking part in his 10th Tour de Corse Historique this year, commented on reaching the first checkpoint: "It was a very difficult first special stage. The road was slippery and, above all, narrow in places. You had to stay focused on the very bumpy sections. It was a very tough start!" In 6th place, just 20 seconds behind the leader, the Avignon native, who already won the event in 2011 and 2012, opted for a cautious start, waiting for stages more suited to his Porsche 930 No. 4. In fact, the bumpy and rolling sections have already claimed victims, with several major crashes (Hugo Micheli and Mickaël Camilli in their Porsche Carrera RS No. 14 and Adrien Harang and Victor Bastin in their Morris Mini Cooper S No. 222). Augustin Cochin and Christiane Nicolet also had to give up due to mechanical problems even before the start. A pity, as their Mercedes 350 SLC was the sole Star brand entry in the VHC. In all, 15 competitors will not start tomorrow.
Olivier Capanaccia wasted no time getting into action with his BMW M3 No. 9. Guided by Mathieu Tyran, the driver, who is competing in his fifth Tour de Corse Historique, clocked a time of 11'25 on the first special stage, followed a few moments later by Bertrand Fassio and Jean-François de Montredon. It was a perfect tie, like a first round of observation. A waiting game before the intense battle that lay ahead.
Starting from Pietra Monetta, SS2 was eagerly awaited to reveal the first leader. Would there be another tie? Who would pull ahead? After 10.6 kilometers of hard work, and a finish in Novella, Fassio/de Montredon led the way in their Porsche, taking the lead in the rally. In his M3, Capanaccia could only manage 5th place (12 seconds behind), inheriting 2nd place overall. Julien Saunier is already in 3rd place. The winner of the 2024 edition is present this year with a Renault 5 Maxi Turbo and the number 1 on the doors. A contender for his own succession, he has (re)discovered Corsica with a car that is “harder to drive” than his Porsche. So far, he is only about 20 seconds behind. 20 special stages still to go.
VHC Classification
Fassio / de Montredon (Porsche 911 n°10) in 18’51’’
Capanaccia / Tyran (BMW M3 n°9) at 12’’
Saunier / Vauclare (Renault R5 Maxi n°1) at 21’’
Valliccioni / Hochet (BMW M3 n°16) at 24’’
Trojani / Vesperini (BMW M3 n°11) at 33’’
A first visit to Notre-Dame-de-la-Serra in VHRS
A distinctive element in this first day of the 2025 specials was the fact that the VHRS competitors followed different loops than the VHC ones. For them, the menu was quite unusual, with a visit to Notre-Dame-de-la-Serra... in a totally new way! An opportunity to take a leisurely drive and enjoy the view? Not so much.
“It was really complicated, quite rough for a start, I must say,” admits Pierre Feligioni (Porsche 911 SC No. 343), who was in the lead for a long stretch before finishing the day in 7th place overall (1st among competitors in the Intermediate Average category). “The surface was slippery, with a lot of gravel and even rocks, and some sections were badly damaged,” said the driver, who is sharing the adventure with his brother Olivier. The experienced duo—who have already competed in four editions—could make a run for the win after finishing second in 2024.
At the front, Julien and Fleur Pujols secured a clear win in their Golf GTI. "Notre-Dame-de-la-Serra offers an impressive view in this way. It was hard to find the right pace. We were very wary, and it seems to have paid off. We hadn't imagined we would achieve such a great score today. It's magical! But this is only the beginning, the journey is long, very long. The biggest challenges are still ahead of us," the couple said in unison.
Six seconds off the reference time, the French duo leads a small group at 8 seconds, which includes an all-Spanish team (Andreu Vidal and Ferran Sacristan in the Morris Mini Cooper S No. 337). Also among the pursuers (2nd) are Lionel Garnier and Bertrand Triffault (Porsche 912 Coupe No. 458). They are already at the top of the leaderboard, but according to them, the big challenge is only just about to begin: "This Tuesday was a running-in day, a management test. You have more to loose than to win at the start of the race. There were no major difficulties, despite a few slightly damaged roads. Tomorrow, with departures occurring every 30 seconds, it's going to be a whole new story," said the winner of the 2023 edition, who retired after crashing out in 2024 while on his way to his second victory.
VHRS Classification
Pujols / Pujols (VW Golf GTI n°431) at 6 pts
Garnier / Triffault (Porsche 912 Coupe n°458) at 8 pts
Vidal / Sacristan (Mini Cooper S n°337) at 8 pts
Saussereau / Poulard (Fiat 124 Abarth n°468) at 8 pts
Jay / Jay (Lancia Fulvia n°444) at 9 pts
Back to tradition tomorrow
After the split routes from Calvi on the first day of the rally, it's back to basics on Wednesday. VHC and VHRS will follow the same route. The Tour de Corse Historique will go through Notre-Dame-de-la-Serra (in the traditional direction), as it has done for the past 25 years. A highlight that reminds us that the event is now in its quarter-century and has established itself as an essential fixture in the calendar.
The route will then continue to the Col de Palmarella. After a Porto/Évisa stage along the Spelunca Gorges, the downhill run to the south will conclude in Ajaccio, which the rally has not reached since 2020. In all, five ES/ZR will make for an exciting day, with a grand total of 100.6 kilometers timed!
