The second stage of the Tour de Corse Historique included a legendary 42-kilometer special stage, extremely demanding on both drivers and cars. This grueling course was perfectly suited to the younger favorites, Julien Saunier and Tom Pieri, who now occupy the top two positions in the overall standings.
It was one of the rally’s highlights—a special stage like no other: Tallone - Pietra di Verde, 42 kilometers with barely 100 meters of straight road at any point. A 30-minute challenge for the best drivers, averaging 84.5 km/h. “At my age, I can’t push any harder,” admitted a modest Alain Oreille, 71, visibly fatigued after the effort. “But I’m happy; leader Julien Saunier only beat us by 8 seconds… lucky for him! If I had been 42 years old, I wouldn’t have taken being beaten by a 71-year-old so well (laughs). Still, I had a blast. It’s a legendary stage I’ve raced in every direction, in a Renault 11, R5, and Clio. There were many spectators in the designated zones, and the organizers did a fantastic job.”
Jos Verstappen, more accustomed to the short special stages of the Belgian Championship, also commented on the exceptional nature of this challenge: “I asked Renaud (Jamoul, his co-driver) to signal me halfway through. When he said we were only at kilometer 21, I burst out laughing under my helmet—it felt so improbable.” Earlier in the day, the driver of Porsche 911 No. 33 had a minor scare when he hit a parapet, fortunately causing only slight bodywork damage. He now sits in 9th place overall, 4’29” behind the leaders.
Julien Saunier and Frédéric Vauclare, who were already leading yesterday, confirmed their strong form by setting the fastest time in today’s first special stage. They remain in the lead, but nothing is decided yet—the top five are separated by less than two minutes, and only 122 of the 388 kilometers of special stages have been completed.
The best recovery of the rally so far belongs to Christophe Vaison and Pascal Duffour, who jumped from 15th after ES 1 to 5th tonight. “I’m a bit disappointed though, I’m not feeling great in the car,” remarked the driver of Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4 No. 3. “My gearbox is too long for getting out of slow corners. We’ll try to change the gears for tomorrow.”
Even more disappointed was Olivier Capanaccia, who was 2nd overall last night but lost more than 7 minutes in the first special stage this morning due to a disconnected electronic module.
Struggling with brake issues in his BMW M3 during ES 5, the Corsican driver was unsure tonight whether he would continue tomorrow. Another tough day hit Anthony Fotia, who had been in 3rd place but lost over 3 minutes in ES 4 due to an injector failure in one of his BMW M3’s cylinders.
VHC standings
1. Saunier-Vauclare (Porsche 911 3L RS) in 1h26'13"
2. Pieri-Cortes (BMW M3) at 16"
3. Oreille-Oreille (Porsche 911 Carrera 3L RS) at 1'09"
4. Casanova-Corvi (BMW M3) at 1'49"
5. Vaison-Duffour (Ford Sierra Cosworth 4X4) at 1'57"
2023 winners leading the VHRS
Although they have only won one of the five special stages so far, Lionel Garnier and Bertrand Triffault (Porsche 911) chose their moment well. Their standout performance came in the longest stage of the rally, the 42-kilometer one, where they came within 13 seconds of the reference time on a 44-minute stage. In Lucciana, the 2023 edition winners were still hesitant to think about a repeat victory, as there’s a long road ahead and the gaps remain tight.
VHRS standings
1. Garnier-Triffault (Porsche 911) at 52"
2. Feligioni-Feligioni (Porsche 911 SC) at 58"
3. Baillet-Piret (Porsche 911 SC) à 62"
4. Blaise-Vandevost (Volkswagen Golf) at 68"
5. Arnal-Goudou (Morris Cooper S) at 71"
Heading West tomorrow
The route will follow the RN 193, the island’s main artery, up to the Ponte-Leccia crossroads, where the first special stage of the day will begin, passing through the villages of Morosaglia, Castineta, and Gavignano, where old schist houses and Roman-Baroque religious buildings reflect the splendor of the agro-pastoral heritage.
A new special stage will then lead competitors to the outskirts of Corte, and the next two stages will take them to the Citadel of Calvi, via a dizzying descent through one of the most beautiful villages of Balagne, Speloncato.
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