Friday reiew:
The longest stage of the Tour de Corse Historique, spanning 252 kilometers, saw a relentless duel between the top two overall contenders, Julien Saunier and Tom Pieri. Tonight in Propriano, just 40 seconds separate the two leaders heading into the final stage.
During their battle against the clock, the competitors of the Tour de Corse Historique experienced a timeless moment at the halfway point of the fourth stage in the regrouping area of Évisa, one of the most beautiful villages in Corsica. “The rally must benefit the entire island, including its rural areas,” explained rally founder José Andreani during the 2024 edition’s presentation on Monday. “By spreading this park over two kilometers of the main street, we try to support all the local restaurants.”
On the sporting side, today’s menu featured 93 kilometers of timed sections spread across four special stages. Leader Julien Saunier (Porsche 911) and his rival Tom Pieri (BMW M3) traded blows, with the latter managing to claw back 11 seconds from his competitor, closing the gap to exactly 40 seconds. Barring any surprises, the Saunier-Vauclare duo is expected to emerge victorious from the four special stages totaling 75 kilometers in tomorrow’s final stage. “Since this morning, we’ve been in a management mode,” admitted the Lyon driver at the Propriano parc fermé. “I’m not even enjoying driving anymore because I’m so on edge, listening for any suspicious noises in the car. You really have to be careful because there are lots of traps, like water runoff on the exit of corners. The co-driver is more important here than anywhere else. I’d even say that 60% of my performance is thanks to Frédéric (Vauclare).”
Another standout performance came from Olivier Capanaccia and Audrey Nesta, who won two of the day’s four special stages. Having been ranked 44th on Wednesday night due to an electrical issue in ES 3, the Corsican team continues their remarkable comeback, now sitting in 13th place overall. A top 10 finish is now within reach.
The current top 10 is dominated by three Porsche 911s and six BMW M3s. The sole outlier is the Ford Sierra Cosworth of Christophe Vaison and Pascal Duffour, ranked 7th. Their four-wheel-drive car, difficult to handle on the island’s narrow roads, is the only vehicle of its type to make it into the top 50 overall.
Fatigue is Setting In
Jos Verstappen had a slight scare today when oil was spotted seeping from his Porsche engine during the liaison between Fango and Porto. Fortunately, it was nothing serious, and the Dutchman was able to continue, finishing the day in 8th place. However, it’s the end of the road for Christophe Casanova and Dominique Corvi, who made an error on cold tires at the start of the stage from Porto to Évisa. Their BMW M3 No. 6 lost its left rear wheel, and tonight it joins the list of 106 confirmed retirements.
While the fourth day was uneventful for Christophe Baillet and Jean-Marc Piret (Porsche 911), who remain the leaders in regularity, it was more complicated for Jean-Pierre Gagick. “Everything was fine until a wall crossed the road in the third special stage (ES 12),” joked the host of TF1’s Automoto, who shares the cockpit of his Ford Mustang (No. 430) with influencer Emmanuel Hankard, aka eh0601 on Instagram. “We managed to straighten the bodywork, which was rubbing against the front left tire in right-hand corners, but we decided to skip the last stage and bring the car back to Propriano. We’ll take a minor penalty that won’t stop us from continuing tomorrow. I really want to finish this extraordinary rally, which is in my top 5 best events in the world for historic cars, alongside Le Mans Classic and Goodwood Revival.”
What’s Next
Col de Siu, Col de Tana, Col de Saint-Eustache… The first three special stages, in the Taravo region, will be notably mountainous. Returning to Alta Rocca, a final surprise awaits the competitors: a brand-new special stage descending from the Ospedale plateau along a wide, fast road through a pine forest, with occasional glimpses of the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio. This is where the finishers and winners in each category will be celebrated.
