Tour de Corse Historique 2026 – The first entries with the return of Jos Verstappen

While the peaks of Corsica are snow-covered, its Historic event has already experienced its first major milestone. On Saturday, January 17th, registration opened for the Tour de Corse Historique (October 3-10, 2026) has generated spectacular enthusiasm, confirming the undiminished aura of the event nicknamed the Rally to the 10,000 turns. In the space of six minutes, the First 400 candidates had already confirmed their participation!

However, all is not lost for those who are late: the forms remain accessible and Places should become available as the files are analyzed. "Of course, we would like to be able to accept everyone", recognize Marie-Ange Dini, organizer of the rally. But we cannot reasonably accommodate more than 400 cars while maintaining our quality standards. At each stage, the caravan stretches for nearly seven hours, including the essential passage of the lead cars. We cannot ask any more of the marshals, who do a remarkable job, nor of the families whose homes are along the route.

We have always maintained our commitment to not selecting our competitors based on questionable criteria, but rather to giving everyone a fair chance. We regret seeing the names of loyal competitors on the waiting list. However, we want to reassure them: places will become available as we analyze the applications in more detail.

While we will have to wait until the beginning of summer to discover the official list of participants, Several prestigious names are already emerging from the raw table of registrations.

Jos Verstappen, the return

He had announced it: he would return. Jos Verstappen will indeed be at the starting line in 2026, two years after a first participation that ended in the 21th placeMeanwhile, the former pilot of Formula 1 distinguished himself by winning the Belgian Modern Rally Championship.

Discoverer of the historic rally in Corsica in 2024 at the wheel of a Porsche 911, the Dutchman changes his mount and will this time line up on BMW M3.

“I discovered historic rallying during the 2024 edition, driving a powerful Porsche 911, devoid of electronic aids. The Corsican roads have nothing to do with those I drive on all year round in Belgium, and the conditions were particularly difficult, with heavy downpours from the first day.

Renaud Jamoul and I learned a tremendous amount, especially in note-taking. We're thrilled to be back in 2026, again with Romain Joffroy's team. This time, we've chosen a newer BMW M3, which should suit me better. I can't wait to be at the start… it's a legendary event!

Julien Saunier and the revenge of the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo

As seen on the program for the 2025 edition, the spectacular Renault 5 Maxi Turbo “Philips" will be back in 2026. A return that was not a given, as the preparation and operation of Group B had proven to be complex during the previous edition.

Despite these difficulties, Julien Saunier had landed a 3rd place in VHCHaving "worked out the kinks," the focus is now on ensuring reliability.

“The 2025 edition left me with a slight feeling of incompleteness. We succeeded in our goal of getting the car to the finish line, but I think it can do better. We've launched a reliability program with two key engineers from that era, François Bernard and Philippe Coblence, who are working on the suspension, intercoolers, and turbo. New parts are being manufactured to replace some that are forty years old. A shakedown run is planned for April, followed by participation in the Rallye d'Antibes as a dress rehearsal. We're going to do everything we can to try and challenge the Porsche-BMW dominance.”

Olivier Capanaccia, champion but not satisfied

Winner scratched in 2025, Olivier Capanaccia will defend his title. In five appearances, the Porto-Vecchio native has always played a leading role: 3nd in 2020, 2nd in 2023, and leader before retiring due to engine failure in 2022.

The only unknown factor is… the car. “Winning the Tour de Corse Historique was a goal, a dream, for a very long time. It’s done, but I’m not satisfied! I would now like to win the event in the VHC category, with a car a little older than my BMW M3. To sum up: my entry is confirmed, but I don’t yet know which car I’ll be driving!”

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