The Route: 1,000 Km and 10,000 Turns
- TDCH
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
True to its reputation, the 26th Tour de Corse Historique (3 to 10 October) will offer little respite to competitors, who will cover 625 miles, including 257 miles of timed sections. Beyond the sporting challenge, the programme also promises some wonderful cultural and tourist discoveries.
SATURDAY 3, SUNDAY 4 AND MONDAY 5 OCTOBER
SCRUTINEERING AND ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS - CALVI
Introduced last year, the TDCH Village in Calvi returns for 2026 on a vast six-hectare site, bringing together the service park, parc fermé, scrutineering marquee, exhibitor stands and food trucks in one convenient location. Just 250 metres from the beach and less than one kilometre from the town centre, the venue is freely accessible to all spectators.
PRACTICE SESSION
Two non-timed runs will allow crews to fine-tune their preparations, with a maximum of three passes per day permitted (either during the morning or afternoon session).
Sunday session, from 10:00 to 17:00: Cateri - Montemaggiore (5.6 km)
Monday session, from 09:00 to 17:00: Lumio - Lavatoggio (4.7 km)
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION - CALVI
On Monday, the day before the start, the rally’s official presentation will take place at 11:00 in the presence of organisers Marie-Ange Dini and José Andreani, several drivers and local elected officials. The conference will be broadcast live on the TDCH YouTube channel.
FESTIVE EVENING - CALVI
At 16:00, the drivers’ and co-drivers’ briefing will be followed by a festive evening featuring a concert and a light-up drone show.
TUESDAY 6 OCTOBER
STAGE 1: CALVI - CALVI
VHC: 62.4 KM | VHRS: 71.3 KM
Regularity (VHRS) and Competition (VHC) crews will pass beneath the start arch in alternating order before following separate routes to their respective special stages.
The VHC category will tackle “Notre-Dame-de-la-Serra” in its traditional Calvi - Fango direction, while the VHRS crews head into the Balagne hills for a first special stage running alongside the Codole reservoir.
The second VHRS special stage starts in Cateri, a village renowned for its rich religious heritage, particularly the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, before finishing beyond the famous Montemaggiore hairpin sequence, which hosted the finish of the Tour de Corse Historique in 2025.
This opening day determines the starting order for the following stage.
STARTING ORDER: VHC, Légende et VHRS en alternance
Starting Order : VHC, Légende et VHRS alternate
VHC
11h28 - SS 01: N.-D.-de-la-Serra (13,7 km) 11h51 - SS 02: Argentella - Fango (12,3 km) 16h01 - Arrival at the Calvi parc fermé
VHRS / Légende
12h53 - ZR 01: Tesa - Muro (13 km) 13h36 - ZR 02: Cateri - Montemaggiore (11,2 km) 17h16 - Arrival at the Calvi parc fermé
WEDNESDAY 7 OCTOBER
STAGE 2: CALVI - LUCCIANA (217.2 KM)
Departing from Calvi, competitors head towards Haute-Balagne for a day featuring four special stages, three of which exceed 25 kilometres in length.
On roads overlooking the sea, SS3 offers a demanding and winding climb to the Battaglia Pass. It passes through the village of Speloncato before finishing in Pioggiola.
Technical and particularly fast-flowing, SS4 combines tight corners, high-speed sections, climbs and descents all the way to the outskirts of Pietralba.
SS5 follows the roads of the Casaluna valley, passing through Cambia, nestled at the foot of Monte San Petrone, then Carticasi, before reaching the regrouping park in Francardo.
In the afternoon, SS6 takes competitors towards the Golo valley via the village of Silvareccio. This final special stage, run on a particularly narrow and twisting road, demands precision and concentration right to the final corner.
Starting Order: Légende, VHRS, VHC
07h43 - SS 03: Speloncato - Pioggiola (13,2 km) 08h26 - SS 04: Bocca Capanna - Pietralba (26,6 km) 09h59 - SS 05: Aïti - San Lorenzo - Santa Lucia di Mercurio (29,7 km) 10h59 - Arrival at the Francardo Regrouping Area 12h42 - SS 06: Barchetta - Penta di Casinca (28,5 km) 13h52 - Finish podium at the CCI car park - Aéroport Bastia-Poretta (Lucciana)
THURSDAY 8 OCTOBER
STAGE 3: LUCCIANA - PROPRIANO (251.5 KM)
After the Pont de l’Enfer special stage, competitors take on SS8, the longest stage of the rally at 40.8 kilometres. It passes through Matra, a small hilltop village south of the Castagniccia region. Surrounded by mountains and forests, this former stronghold of the powerful Matra family retains traces of its rich past through its traditional houses, the Church of Saint Bernardino of Siena and its narrow streets, all set within an unspoilt corner of rural Corsica.
At the end of SS9, Col de Sorba, crews make their way to the regrouping halt in the church square of Ghisoni. This emblematic village has welcomed generations of the sport’s greatest drivers on special stages that have since become legendary. With its narrow roads, relentless bends, Corsican pine forests and rugged mountain scenery, this sector captures the very essence of the rally of 10,000 turns.
With SS10, competitors tackle another iconic stage, the Col de Verde, at an altitude of 1,289 metres.
Starting Order: Légende, VHRS, VHC
07h48 - SS 07: Taglio Isolaccio - Talasani - Sainte Lucie de Moriani (17 km) 08h51 - SS 08: Chiatra - Feo (40,8 km) 11h18 - SS 09: Col de Sorba - Ghisoni (14,3 km) 11h38 - Arrival at the Ghisoni Regrouping Area 12h41 - SS 10: Ghisoni - Fischer (29,2 km) 14h51 - Finish podium at the Port de Propriano - Quai l’Herminier
FRIDAY 9 OCTOBER
STAGE 4: PROPRIANO - AJACCIO (243.1 KM)
This stage, run entirely within the Alta Rocca region, begins with SS11, which passes through the villages of Cargiaca and Loreto-di-Tallano before reaching Zerubia.
SS12 starts in Orone and heads towards Carbini, from where competitors continue to the regrouping halt in Quenza, a village whose history is closely intertwined with that of the rally. In 1977, it notably hosted the start of a marathon special stage measuring an astonishing 131 kilometres. The Sole e Monti inn is also one of the most emblematic landmarks in the history of the Tour de Corse, having welcomed drivers, teams and enthusiasts for decades.
The Aullène - Zicavo special stage remains associated with the remarkable achievement of Claude Balesi who, in 1987, placed his modest Renault 5 GT Turbo ahead of every factory-backed car. A feat forever etched into the memory of Corsican motorsport. At the Col de la Vaccia, spectators can enjoy outstanding views of the competitors from the inn bearing the same name.
The final special stage of the day, SS14, follows the roads of the Corsican hinterland via the Calzola Bridge and Pila-Canale before finishing in Bisinao.
Starting Order: VHC, Légende, VHRS
07h28 - SS 11: Arbellara - Zerubia (25,8 km) 08h56 - SS 12: Chialza - Orone (14,3 km) 09h56 - Arrival at the Quenza Regrouping Area 11h19 - SS 13: Aullène - Zicavo (29,8 km) 13h02 - SS 14: Petreto Bicchisano - Bisinao (29,8 km) 14h27 - Finish podium at the Rond-point Hôtel Campo dell’Oro - Ajaccio
SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER
STAGE 5: AJACCIO - CALVI (222.3 KM)
The final stage begins with the Vero - Lopigna special stage, run in the opposite direction to its usual configuration. The day then continues with SS16 (Sari-d’Orcino), SS17 (Coggia) and SS18 (Évisa), the latter having the particular distinction of being contested entirely downhill.
The most iconic of all Corsican special stages brings the 2026 edition to a close: Argentella - Calvi, better known as “Notre-Dame-de-la-Serra”. Already featured on the opening day for competitors in the Competition category, it is this time run in a south-to-north direction, a first in the history of the TDCH for VHC entrants.
Starting Order: VHC, Légende, VHRS
07h53 - SS 15: Vero - Lopigna (27,9 km) 08h46 - SS 16: Ambiegna - Masorchia (14 km)
09h34 - SS 17: Coggia - Appriciani (13,6 km) 10h22 - SS 18: Evisa - Porto (14,7 km) 12h15 - SS 19: Argentella - Calvi (18,3 km) 13h00 - Finish podium at the Village TDCH - Avenue Christophe Colomb - Calvi
