1956-2006 : 50 years of passion
The Tour de Corse was born out of a conversation between friends. That evening they came up with the idea of reorganising the Grand Prix de Corse, an event that had been created 35 years earlier.
Their dream became reality on 17 - 18 December 1956 with the ‘10.000 corners Rally` taking place. In that first year the rally heralded a field of 43 competitors, but only 24 made it to the finish line. Mesdames Gilberte Thirion and Nadège Ferrier claimed the Rally`s first victory with their Renault Dauphine, not realising that they had just made automobile sporting history…

The most recent editions of this mythic event have proved to be as passionate as in 1956. How can one forget Sebastian Loeb in 2005, when, after confirming his second World Championship title in Japan, ran away with the former 10.000 corners rally, winning it for the first time in his career. Even more impressive, he succeeded in winning all of the 12 super specials during the event. This amazing feat had never been done before in the FIA World Rally Championship…

The Frenchman eclipsed all of the other competitors closely followed by Toni Gardemeister (Ford Focus WRC) and Petter Solberg (Subaru Impreza) after François Duval`s retirement with the second Team Citroën Sport Xsara.

Organised for the last two years in the heart of Ajaccio, the town centre will once again host the Rallye de France Tour de Corse for next years 50th edition. Based around the Palais des Congrès, this formidable building, a showcase for the Chambre de Commerce et d`Industrie, will once again welcome the FIA World Rally Championship circus in the most optimal conditions.

The organisers of the Tour de Corse would like to thank their sponsors for their support and team spirit during the 2005 edition despite the pre-event difficulties...

The city fathers of Ajaccio and the 2006 edition organisers count on your presence to help them celebrate 50 years of passion – 50 years of Rallye de France Tour de Corse and invite you to share with them this extraordinary event in the history of Automobile racing.


Tags: france, tour-de-corse, passion, 50years, mesdames-gilberte-thirion, nadege-ferrie, renault-dauphine, ajaccio,