380 crews will set off on Tuesday, and until Saturday, aboard historic racing cars that have forged the legend of rallying on the Isle of Beauty in recent decades. An exceptional meeting place for lovers of beautiful mechanics.
Special envoy to Porto-Vecchio
The sky of Porto-Vecchio lit up on Monday evening with fireworks announcing the opening of the 22e edition of the Tour de Corse Historique, an emblematic event for cars that have written the legend of the Isle of Beauty rally in recent decades. On Tuesday morning, after undergoing technical checks for two days, 380 crews (a new record number of participants, which makes this unmissable event on the calendar the biggest historic rally in Europe) will set off to attack the a route of 19 specials on closed roads comprising 380 km timed alternating with 620 km of liaisons. The event will end on Saturday after five stages taking the classic cars to the north of the island before a descent towards Porto-Vecchio.
An avalanche of beautiful mechanics
Spectators, who will gather along the roads used in the past by the Tour de Corse, a legendary event in the World Rally Championship, will be able to admire the Porsche, Alpine, Lancia, BMW, Peugeot, Ferrari, Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Ford of all ages, and many other models, having forged the history of this discipline. Competitors are divided into three main categories: VHC (Historic Competition Vehicles), VHRS (Historic Sports Regularity Vehicles) and Legend (exhibition without timekeeping).
A Lancia Stratos at the start
The opportunity for the island public, connoisseurs of rallying, to savor the passages of some renowned drivers and a multitude of jewels on four wheels of motorsport. Philippe Vandromme will thus be at the wheel of a Lancia Stratos, a collector’s item since it won the 21e edition of the San Remo Rally with the Tony Fassina/Mauro Mannini crew in the former World Rally Championship. An opportunity, too, to admire the passages of Bruno Saby, former winner of the Dakar (in 1993). The Isérois, who has blown his 73 candles and whose counter shows forty starts worldwide (and two victories, including one in Corsica in 1986 precisely), will start with a Golf in the VHRS category. A participation under the sign of generosity since the former Peugeot driver will raise funds for the fight against cancer with the association Hope, Isère against cancer. One, among many others, of the attractions not to be missed among this firework of racing cars, this time illuminating the Corsican roads, in a postcard setting, for the next five days.