Historic Tour of Corsica – Julien Saunier will be driving an R5 Maxi Turbo

Last year, he arrived on tiptoe. Having never competed in the Tour de Corse, he didn't really know what to expect. With his Porsche With the green practically finished on the boat during the crossing from the continent, Julien Saunier had bluffed more than one person. Adopting the right tempo in dry or wet conditions, he had climbed to the front and had resisted his various adversaries. The element of surprise will not be able to play twice. The candidates for victory in the Tour de Corse Historique 2025 (October 4-11) will undoubtedly be wary of the 43-year-old rider.

In order to participate in the tribute paid to the R5 Turbo, Saunier has started preparing a Maxi 5. This idea came to me as soon as the 2024 edition arrived, he explains. Just after the podium, organizer Marie-Ange Dini told me that she was preparing a celebration for the fortieth anniversary of Jean Ragnotti's victory in 2025. As an ambassador driver Renault, I didn't want to let such an opportunity slip away, so I started looking for a car... In vain. I didn't really believe it anymore when I was contacted by the family of an owner who died in November. It's a model that had been assembled in 1998 by Bozian, from a Maxi chassis sold with a stock of parts, in 1988, by the Dieppe factory. It is entirely in accordance with the original version and even has the precious DPV, a system patented by Renault Sport to permanently keep the turbo spinning, in order to eliminate the response time. This mechanism is now impossible to find, to the point that it alone represents a large part of the car's value. »

Julien Saunier and his brother have almost finished reassembling the R5 Maxi which will be at the start of the Tour de Corse Historique (Photo: Classic-Média)

An R5 Maxi faithful to the original

Among the problems that Saunier had to solve to complete this project with his brother was the replacement of the original aluminum roll cage (not approved for VHC) with steel tubes. We will soon begin reassembling the engine and gearbox, which have been overhauled, he adds. We'll then have to decide whether to keep the original electronic box or use a more recent model. The same goes for the intercoolers. We want the car to be faithful to the original, but also to be efficient and reliable. Fortunately, we can count on the support of Renault, as well as the invaluable advice of François Bernard and Philippe Coblence, the chassis and engine managers at the time. "Once the project is completed, it will be time to carry out the first tests in order to be ready for October and the battle in Corsica against the M3s, the Porsches and Bruno Saby's Lancia.