446 Classic Rally Cars Start Epic Adventure
The 26th edition began with 446 cars departing Calvi on Tuesday morning. The five-day competition combined demanding Corsican roads, changing weather conditions, long special stages, and the mechanical challenges associated with historic rally machinery.
The organizers, led by Marie-Ange Dini and José Andreani, have already indicated that the event will return in 2027, although the supplied announcement does not specify exact dates. For the 2026 edition, Porsche 911 crews emerged as the central story, securing the overall victory, sweeping the VHC podium, and filling all three places in the Regularity classification.
Raphaël Astier and co-driver Denis Giraudet claimed victory in the 26th Tour de Corse Historique, overcoming a dramatic final-stage engine problem to win the historic rally in their Team Joffroy Porsche 911 RS. The French crew had controlled the competition since Tuesday’s opening stages, building a substantial advantage through a series of fastest times. However, an engine problem before the final special stage threatened to overturn their commanding lead. Astier and Giraudet ultimately reached the finish with a 1-minute, 47-second advantage over Tom Pieri and his co-driver in a BMW M3. Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud completed the overall podium in a Lancia Delta HF Integrale.
Porsche 911 RS Dominates the Opening Stages
Astier established his advantage during the opening two days of competition, setting six consecutive fastest stage times on Tuesday and Wednesday. His performance put the Porsche 911 RS at the front of the field early in the rally, forcing his closest challengers to pursue an increasingly difficult deficit. The decisive performance came on Thursday afternoon during the 40.8-kilometer Chiatra–Feo special stage, the longest timed test of the event. Astier was more than 40 seconds faster than his rivals on that stage alone, extending his advantage and giving the Porsche crew valuable breathing room heading into the final two days.
Final-Stage Engine Trouble Nearly Costs Porsche the Victory
The Porsche crew entered the last of the rally’s 19 special stages with a lead of 3 minutes, 5 seconds. An engine problem developed before the start of the final 18-kilometer test, forcing Astier to nurse the car toward the finish. As the Porsche struggled through the stage, Pieri’s BMW M3 closed the gap dramatically.
By the finish, Astier’s advantage had fallen to just 1 minute, 47 seconds. Although the crew had lost 78 seconds of its lead, the margin accumulated earlier in the rally proved sufficient. The result gave Astier and Giraudet a victory built on early speed, a decisive performance on the rally’s longest stage, and the ability to bring a mechanically compromised car home.
BMW M3 and Lancia Delta Integrale Complete the Podium
Tom Pieri finished runner-up in his BMW M3, matching his second-place result from the 2024 Tour de Corse Historique. The Marseille driver was among the few competitors able to interrupt Astier’s run of fastest times, winning a special stage on Thursday morning. Pieri also entertained spectators with the BMW’s characteristic rear-wheel-drive slides, but could not match the Porsche crew’s overall pace.
Yoann Bonato secured third overall in a Lancia Delta HF Integrale on his historic rally debut. The driver from Les Deux Alpes used the Lancia’s four-wheel-drive traction to his advantage in wet conditions, recording a fastest stage time during the event. The result demonstrated the Delta Integrale’s competitiveness against the Porsche 911 and BMW M3 entries at the front of the historic rally field.
Fellow Lancia driver Didier Auriol had been running inside the top ten before a brake problem contributed to his departure from the road on Thursday.
Julien Saunier’s Renault 5 Maxi Turbo Retires After Podium Charge
One of the most dramatic stories of the final day involved Julien Saunier and his Renault 5 Maxi Turbo. Saunier, winner of the 2024 Tour de Corse Historique, began the final day with the pace to challenge the leading contenders. He set the fastest times on the first and third of the day’s five special stages, passing Bonato and then Pieri to climb into second place overall. His challenge ended during the descent from Évisa to Porto. Taking a cautious approach on a section that was not particularly suited to the Renault, Saunier later attributed his mistake to “a lapse in concentration.”
Contact with a wall tore the right-rear wheel from the car, forcing his immediate retirement. Despite failing to finish, Saunier recorded five fastest stage times, the second-highest total of the rally behind Astier. His performance highlighted the potential of the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, although the release notes that wet conditions limited opportunities to exploit the car’s full capabilities.
Additional fastest stage times on the final day were recorded by François Delecour in a BMW M3, Maxime Rizzo in a Porsche 911, and Thomas Argenti in a BMW M3.
Porsche 911 Crews Sweep the VHC Podium
Porsche achieved a clean sweep of the VHC category podium, with Astier and Giraudet leading two Porsche crews representing the Belgian SG Racing team. Bertrand and Anne Penlae finished second in their Porsche 911 SC, followed by Jean-Marc and Patricia Bussolini in a Porsche 911 RSE. The Bussolinis were competing in their 17th Tour de Corse Historique.
2026 Tour de Corse Historique — Overall Classification
| Position | Driver / Co-driver | Car | Result |
| 1 | Raphaël Astier / Denis Giraudet | Porsche 911 RS #10 | 3h 32m 44s |
| 2 | Tom Pieri / Pieri | BMW M3 #12 | +1m 47s |
| 3 | Yoann Bonato / Benjamin Boulloud | Lancia Delta HF Integrale #6 | +2m 31s |
VHC Classification
| Position | Driver / Co-driver | Car | Result |
| 1 | Raphaël Astier / Denis Giraudet | Porsche 911 RS #10 | 4h 33m 42s |
| 2 | Bertrand Penlae / Anne Penlae | Porsche 911 SC #37 | +24m 14s |
| 3 | Jean-Marc Bussolini / Patricia Bussolini | Porsche 911 RSE #31 | +32m 37s |
Christophe Baillet Claims Eighth Tour de Corse Historique Regularity Victory
Porsche’s success extended beyond the speed competition, with Christophe Baillet securing his eighth Tour de Corse Historique Regularity victory. Driving a Porsche 911 with co-driver Jean-Marc Piret, Baillet took the lead during the opening Regularity Zones in the Balagne region and maintained his advantage throughout the event. The Franco-Belgian crew delivered consistent performances across the five stages, including Friday night’s demanding tests.
Defending champions Yves Deflandre and Jennifer Hugo finished second in another Porsche 911. After placing only tenth following the opening stage, they recovered to second the following day and remained in contention until a minor off-road excursion during Stage 4 complicated their challenge.
Third place went to Bruno Saby and Christophe Marques in a Porsche 911 SC. Saby, a former Tour de Corse winner, improved his position throughout the event and recorded a regularity-zone victory on his way to the podium.
Regularity Overall Classification
| Position | Driver / Co-driver | Car |
| 1 | Christophe Baillet / Jean-Marc Piret | Porsche 911 #332 |
| 2 | Yves Deflandre / Jennifer Hugo | Porsche 911 #330 |
| 3 | Bruno Saby / Christophe Marques | Porsche 911 SC #356 |
The Regularity competition also recognized winners across four average-speed categories.
| Category | Winning Crew | Car |
| Haute | Lacassagne / Lutran | Lancia Delta Integrale #319 |
| Intermédiaire | Baillet / Piret | Porsche 911 #332 |
| Modérée | Kashin / Kostyrko | Volkswagen Scirocco #368 |
| Basse | Loens / Loens | Morris Cooper S #487 |
Key Facts
| Fact | Detail |
| Event | 26th Tour de Corse Historique |
| Winner | Raphaël Astier / Denis Giraudet |
| Winning car | Team Joffroy Porsche 911 RS #10 |
| Overall margin | 1 minute, 47 seconds |
| Overall time | 3h 32m 44s |
| VHC time | 4h 33m 42s (as reported) |
| Starting field | 446 cars |
| Special stages | 19 |
| Longest special stage | Chiatra–Feo, 40.8 km |
| Final special stage | 18 km |
| Overall runner-up | Tom Pieri / Pieri, BMW M3 |
| Overall third | Yoann Bonato / Benjamin Boulloud, Lancia Delta HF Integrale |
| Regularity winner | Christophe Baillet / Jean-Marc Piret |
| Regularity win count | Eighth |
| Next edition | 2027 (exact dates not supplied) |
Gallery
Above contents © 2026 Tour de Corse Historique reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee , @rexmcafee 🏁
