Historic Tour of Corsica: Julien Saunier first leader

The entire impressive caravan of the Tour de Corse 2024 was woken up this morning by the short storm that hit the Porto-Vecchio region in the south of the island of beauty. Thunder rumbled, heavy rain fell on the region and the day had a hard time breaking because the sky was so overcast. However, it didn't last.

When the first special stage started, it had been a long time since it had rained. The mild temperatures (24 C°) and the wind allowed the 8,13 km road between Conca and Favone to dry out. At the finish, most of the riders were reproaching themselves for having opted for tyres for the wet. It was a mistake ", Alain Oreille will say at the end of the stage. " It was largely OK on slicks. ", will confirm Philippe Gache who did not want to take any risks anyway. For his 2^e When it came to the Tour, it was Tom Pieri who set the best time, just 1'' ahead of Julien Saunier who, while smiling, accused his 911 of being " too soft " Discovering the event, Anthony Fotia ranked just behind Oreille 3^e, ahead of Bertrand Fassio and Olivier Capanaccia. This first section was however only an appetizer before the first big part of this Tour with the 18,83 km of the Col de Bavella.

While a violent gust of wind overturned several structures in the Porto-Vecchio service park, the rain reappeared at the end of the course. This did not pose a problem for Saunier who confirmed his good form. Winner of the Catalunya in March in the championship ERC Historic, the 42-year-old driver finished the stage with a 14'' lead over Olivier Capanaccia who is navigated by the smiling Audrey Nesta. "We are satisfied with our times," concluded the local. I didn't take any risks. We got into the rhythm and the car worked well." At 3^e rank, Alain Oreille is in ambush 20'' ahead of Pieri who had more difficulties. The car was never straight, he grumbled. I struggled to find traction. »

Although he was expected on this wet ground, Christophe Vaison was one of the “losers” of the day. We had a gearbox problem from SS1, explained the trainer. We will have time for assistance to resolve this issue. » However, nothing is lost for the former winner who is 7^e at 35''. He is one second ahead of Jos Verstappen which has shown itself to be far from the image that is conveyed.

« It was a good day, said the Dutchman. Considering all the work the team has done to prepare for this Tour and the hours we have spent with Renaud (Jamoul, his co-pilot, Editor’s note) for the reconnaissance, it would have been a shame to ruin everything today. We had to find our marks on this terrain, with my notes, the car, the tires… We also had some brake problems. The team is looking for a solution. Concerning the settings, I don't really want to change things, at the risk of going too far (laugh). Hopefully the second stage will be easier weather-wise. We don't have any openers so we'll find out the road conditions when we get there. I don't know yet how I'm going to negotiate the long 42km special. I just remember it took us 2 hours to make the notes during the reconnaissance! »

Three time trials are on the program for the 2^e day, Ventiseri/Serra di Fiumorbo (27,09 km), Tallone/Pietra di Verde (41,94 km) and Casalta/Prunelli di Casacconi (25,99 km). Arrival will be at Bastia airport.

Ranking at the end of the first stage