Back to News
Former Tour de Corse winner and five-time podium hero, François Delecour, returns to the Mediterranean island this weekend for the 2015 Tour de Corse: round eleven of this year’s World Rally Championship and the fourth round of the 2015 R-GT Cup.
About the Tour de Corse Rally
Running from Friday, Oct 2nd to Sunday, Oct 4th, Tour de Corse consists of nine long and challenging stages. Nicknamed the ‘Rally of 10,000 Turns’, the total distance covered by Tour de Corse competitors is just under 1,000 kilometres. A third of that is rallied flat-out at average speeds of 100 km/h, inches from the immovable Corsican granite.
Tuthill Porsche driver, François Delecour, arrives in Corsica leading the FIA R-GT Cup championship by 18 points from rival, Romain Dumas, with just two R-GT rounds remaining: the Tour de Corse and then Rallye Du Valais at the end of October. Neither driver can secure the title this weekend, but Delecour competes with the championship foremost in mind. Finishing this rally is essential to the Frenchman’s title hopes.
Sabrina de Castelli partners François Delecour
Debuting with Tuthill Porsche this weekend is co-driver, Sabrina de Castelli. With multiple Tour de Corse podiums and numerous class wins on this event to her credit, Sabrina brings a wealth of experience to the team and is thrilled to be racing with Delecour.
“François is a legend of the World Rally Championship, so one can imagine how I felt when he asked me to join him: it was Christmas come early,” says Sabrina. “François is professional, in excellent physical condition and super-competitive. Rally life with François is flat-out: even after recce it is bike, shower, something to eat and then sleep, so we can work flat-out the next day!
“The team has been very welcoming and testing was excellent. The car is fantastic: very fast, with great noise and sensations inside. Anyone who has never rallied in a Porsche has simply not rallied! To co-drive this car with François, who has such a great history on Tour de Corse is very exciting.”
François Delecour on WRC Tour de Corse
“Tour de Corse is a breath of fresh air,” says François Delecour. “Corsica was always like a holiday for us on WRC: after the sameness of Sweden or Finland, we arrived in this breathtaking landscape, recce driving through beautiful villages, always with magical views across the sea and throughout the island’s interior. Before the rally started, you felt well.
“Then begins the Tour de Corse and it is unique. This rally never stops turning: it is so aggressive on tyres, brakes and suspension. Wildlife can appear on the course at any time: once I was held up by three wild boars on the road. Such surprises always happen in Corsica – it is very unpredictable – but the people here love rallying, so we are truly among some of the greatest fans in the world.”
Tuthill Porsche races for R-GT Title
“Tour de Corse is one of the world’s most special rallies,” says team boss Richard Tuthill. “We’ve competed here previously in historic 911s on the Tour de Corse Historique run by our friend, Yves Loubet, but to see our car on the entry list for another WRC round previously won by a Porsche 911 is very exciting.
“With so much WRC experience on our team thanks to François, Sabrina and Chief Engineer, Graham Moore, we are fully aware of the unique challenges presented by this incredible rally. Though the prospect of another Tuthill Porsche WRC win is very appealing, the championship remains our priority. Our aim for this weekend is to complete 1,000 kilometres of Corsican Tarmac and reach the chequered flag. We’ll give our full support to François and Sabrina and push for the best finish possible.”
Follow Tuthill Porsche on the Tour de Corse Rally
Follow all the Porsche action from the 2015 Tour de Corse on the Tuthill Porsche Twitter feed, with up-to-the-minute reports from every stage of the three-day event. We will also share a daily report here and on Facebook.
Send us your photos if you are out on stage! Email media@tuthillporsche.com. Here’s some video of Delecour and de Castelli testing pre-Corsica:
