The “Tour de Corse” was actually born from a discussion between friends ! Gathered around a table, the guest of the time are thinking of putting the Grand Prix de Corse back on track, an event organised thirty-five years earlier.

The dream becomes reality when, on the 17th and 18th of December 1956, the “Ten Thousand Turns Rally” was set. On this year, of the 43 competitors to take the start, only 24 have succeeded in crossing the finish line. Misses Gilberte Thirion and Nadège Ferrier, winners with their Renault Dauphine, were far from thinking that they had just started writing an important page of history…

The following year, the event is already part of the National Grand Tourism Championship, and in parallel stands the first edition of the Isle of Beauty's rally, won by team Altieri-Calizzi and their Triumph TR3.

An uninterrupted world epic !
When the World Championship for Manufacturers is created in 1973, the heart of the motor sports authorities swings between the “Tour de France” and the “Tour de Corse”. Finally, the “Tour de Corse” is chosen. The event has always been at the highest level of the discipline ever since…

1979 was not a year like the others in the history of the “Tour de Corse”. Indeed, the International Federation for Automotive Sports (the FISA) creates the World Rally Championship for Pilots, which obviously integrates the “Tour de Corse” in its schedule ! Bernard Darniche wins for the fifth time in Corsica, but Björn Waaldegard is at the same time the new World Champion.

The “Tour de Corse” epic is then at the centre of all interests, each new edition seeing new exploits. The first years of the 21st century have been for instance marked by the domination of French pilots or cars. The year 2000 sees brothers Gilles and Hervé Panizzi win with their Peugeot 206 WRC, followed in 2001 by Spanish pilot Jesus Puras who wins driving his Citroën Xsara WRC.

A year later, thanks to Gilles Panizzi, Marcus Grönholm and the late Richard Burns, Peugeot grants itself with a magnificent and historical hat trick on the roads of the “Tour de Corse”.

Alas, the French epic takes a break… The 2003 and 2004 are indeed much more difficult for Napoleon's fellow countrymen... Two foreign pilots, and not the least ones, succeed in the exploit of adding to their records the isle's asphalt event : Norwegian Peter Solberg (Subaru Impreza WRC), and then Estonian Markko Märtin (teaming with late Michael Park) on a Ford Focus WRC.

The Loeb years
But in 2004 in Corsica, the French fans have a new occasion to cheer by celebrating Sébastien Loeb, sacred World Rally Champion for the first time in Corsica ! The very same 'Seb' will do even better in 2005 : already assured to be the new World Rally Champion before even the start of the “Tour de Corse”, the French man wins the ex-Ten Thousand Turns rally for the first time of his career and, above all, wins all the special stages. Such an exploit had never taken place in the history of the World Rally Championship…

Past winners