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Capanaccia–Tyran Take Overall Win, Fassio–Olivier Triumph in VHC

Olivier Capanaccia and Mathieu Tyran have claimed overall victory in the 25th edition of the Tour de Corse Historique. It marks the first win for the Porto-Vecchio driver in his fifth appearance at the event. In the VHC category, Matthieu Fassio and Hugo Olivier took the win in a Porsche 911. In Regularity (VHRS), the victory went to Yves Deflandre and Jennifer Hugo, also driving a Porsche.



Billed as an exceptional edition due to the depth and quality of the entry list, the 25th Tour de Corse Historique lived up to the hype. On the fifth and final day of racing, with just four special stages remaining, the two leaders were still tied with an identical time of 3 hours, 50 minutes and 18 seconds — incredible! Two stages from the finish, Olivier Capanaccia and Mathieu Tyran edged ahead of Bertrand Fassio and Jean-François de Montredon by just six seconds. But the battle wasn’t over — until Fassio’s Porsche 911 suffered brake failure in SS21 and went off the road, handing the win to the crew of BMW M3 No. 9.


It’s the first win for Olivier Capanaccia, who previously finished 3rd in 2020 and 2nd in 2023. The top five overall spots were all taken by BMW M3s. Marc Valliccioni and Christophe Hochet took second, ahead of Pascal Trojani and Jean-Noël Vesperini.


Olivier Capanaccia (BMW No. 9, 1st Overall): “I’ve been close to winning for a few years now. I nearly had it in 2022 when my engine blew just after finishing Notre-Dame-de-la-Serra while leading. In 2023, I just missed out against Romain Dumas. This time, we did it! It didn’t start well — I wasn’t comfortable in the car, and we were already 51 seconds down by the end of Stage 2 in Ajaccio. But we found the right setup, and I was able to push flat-out for three days. I want to salute Bertrand (Fassio), who pushed me hard. I’m disappointed for him, as he didn’t make a single mistake. It’s been five crazy days. I’ll be back next year!”


Scratch Classification

  1. Capanaccia / Tyran (BMW M3 n°9) 4h22’52’’’

  2. Valliccioni / Hochet (BMW M3 n°16) + 3’03’’

  3. Trojani / Vesperini (BMW M3 n°11) + 5’15’’

  4. Mancini / Mancini (BMW M3 n°7) + 6’36’’

  5. Doux / Paque (BMW M3 n°22) + 6’54’’


One Fassio Replaces Another


Taking advantage — reluctantly — of his father’s retirement, Matthieu Fassio claimed victory in the VHC category, driving Porsche 911 No. 41 alongside Hugo Olivier.


Matthieu Fassio (Porsche No. 41, 1st in VHC): “It was our first time with the car and our first Tour de Corse Historique. We started very cautiously and gradually picked up the pace from Day 2. It’s hard to celebrate fully, though — I would’ve loved to share this VHC podium with my father. He does about 15 rallies a year and rarely goes off. This time, it was the brakes that decided otherwise.”


Saunier in the Spotlight


Last year’s winners, Julien Saunier and Frédéric Vauclare, were among the most visible crews all week. Their red-and-blue Renault 5 Maxi Turbo — identical to the one Jean Ragnotti and Pierre Thimonier drove to victory at the 1985 Tour de Corse — turned heads. Mechanical issues dropped them out of contention after SS7, but they still put on a show, setting four fastest times and climbing from 58th to 11th overall.


Julien Saunier (Renault 5 Maxi Turbo No. 1): “We finished the car just days before coming to Corsica — it was already a huge achievement for our technical team, especially my brother Quentin, who hasn’t slept more than three hours a night for the past three months. The car clearly wasn’t 100% yet. In fact, we had to change the head gasket on Monday, on the lawn, the day before the start. At that point, finishing even the first stage felt like a small victory. In the end, a brand-new steering part failed on us. Still, we’re proud to have made it to the finish. I had an incredible time, but I’m completely drained. These Group B cars were already physical to drive in the ’80s — with modern tyres, they’re even tougher today.”


VHC Classification

  1. Fassio / Olivier (Porsche 911 n°41) 4h31’32’’’

  2. Tailler / Jaime (Porsche 911 SC n°36) + 24’’’

  3. Saunier / Vauclare (Renault R5 Maxi n°1) + 5’42’’

  4. Van de Woestyne / Poupard (Ford Escort MK2 n°27) + 9’13’’

  5. Bussolini / Bussolini (Porsche 911 n°31) + 13’16’’



Deflandre and Hugo win VHRS


The Regularity (VHRS) category saw an equally intense battle. In the end, Yves Deflandre and Jennifer Hugo took the win in their Porsche 911 No. 371 by just 10 points. Having discovered the event in 2020, they took the lead on ZR9, early in Stage 3, and held on until the end. They were followed by another Porsche team — Pierre and Olivier Feligioni — who finished second for the second year in a row. Third place went to seven-time class winner Christophe Baillet and co-driver Jean-Marc Piret.


VHRS Classification

  1. Deflandre / Hugo (Porsche 911 n°371) 111 pts

  2. Feligioni / Feligioni (Porsche 911 SC n°343) + 10 pts

  3. Baillet / Piret (Porsche 911 n°342) + 12 pts

  4. Bocqueret / Bocqueret (Volkswagen Golf GTI n°454) + 36 pts

  5. Seno / Biagi (Opel Kadett GT/E n°345) + 38 pts


An Edition to Remember


This 25th edition will be remembered — not least for the massive number of entrants: 420 cars started from Calvi on Tuesday morning. It also stood out for its XXL format: a record 22 special stages over five legs, totalling 398 timed kilometres — figures rarely seen in modern rallying.


This success is thanks to the tireless efforts of organisers Marie-Ange Dini and José Andreani, along with their teams, officials, marshals, volunteers, partners, competitors, and the Corsican public.


The rally reached a new level this year, as shown by Renault’s involvement — the brand used the event to debut its brand-new R5 Turbo 3E.


See you in 2026!



 
 
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