The Tour de Corse Historique will celebrate its 25th anniversary in October, and will do so by paying tribute to a car that won the rally it was inspired by 40 years ago.

The Renault R5 Turbo will be the historic rally’s spotlight car for 2025, intended to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of Jean Ragnotti winning the 1985 Tour de Corse; the Tour de Corse was part of the WRC calendar at the time, a designation it held from 1973 to 1995 and again from 1997 to 2008. Ragnotti had also won on Corsica with the Renault in 1982. Each TDCH has featured a certain car as the feature, with the 2024 edition celebrating the Lancia Rally 037.

Also known as the Renault 5 Turbo, the car was introduced in 1980 with homologation for the FIA Groups 3 and 4, competing in both rally and touring car racing. It was one of the first times Renault developed a turbocharged race car, relying on a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produced as much as 345 horsepower in the Maxi Turbo model.

Ragnotti scored the car’s first WRC win at the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally, followed by his two Tour de Corse titles. Joaquim Moutinho notched its fourth and final at the 1986 Rallye de Portugal.

The Renault continued to see action with local and regional teams before becoming a popular face in classic rallies. The 2024 Tour de Corse Historique saw 23 such cars take part, with Gilles Suzanne winning the D5 (BJ) class in one.

Besides the Renault tribute, the TDCH has switched from its usual starting hub in Porto-Vecchio to Calvi because of construction in the former city. It will be the first time the rally begins in Calvi since 2013.

“We would like to thank the city of Porto-Vecchio, its residents, and its shopkeepers for their dedication and enthusiasm in contributing to the success of the event over the past ten years,” begins a statement from race orgnizer Marie-Ange Dini. “We regret having to temporarily end this chapter. Calvi will host the rally caravan, deploying all the necessary resources. The people of Calvi and Balagne will lend their energy and enthusiasm to make this event a true success. The local fervor, the friendly atmosphere, and the generosity of the people will make Calvi an unmissable place where sport and culture will blend harmoniously, in rhythm with the engines and the enthusiasts.

“We are now looking forward to opening registration. It’s always exciting to see the first crew appear on our control screen. This time, we’ll be particularly watching out for the registration of R5 Turbos, a model we are very happy to celebrate with the support of the Renault.”

The race is scheduled for October 4–11, while registration opens on January 18.

Featured image credit: Classic Media