French rally champions Didier Auriol and Yoann Bonato will team up to compete in the 26th annual Tour de Corse Historique (3-10 October 2026). Both men will drive 1992 Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluziones in a bid to claim overall victory in the Competition category.
Twenty-five years Bonato’s senior, Auriol burst onto the rally scene by winning the 1988 Tour de Corse in a privately-entered Ford Sierra – helping to earn him a Lancia works seat for the 1989 WRC campaign.
Auriol went on to compete with Lancia for four seasons, scoring 11 WRC victories, three Tour de Corse wins and contributing to the marque’s 1989, 1990 and 1992 manufacturers’ titles. With six wins from three different marques to his name, he remains the most successful driver in Tour de Corse history.
Bonato, meanwhile, has authored a remarkable career of his own. Having secured six French Rally Championship titles between 2017 and 2025, he is the most successful driver in the series’ history. While Bonato has spent much of his career loyal to Citroën, he is currently defending his 2025 title in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale – so it’s fitting he’s driving a Delta in the Tour de Corse Historique.
Separated by a generation but united by their heritage and love of rallying, both men are close friends. A teenage Bonato joined Auriol’s team in 2002 and credits his mentorship with helping him become a professional rally driver. Bonato is said to have encouraged Auriol to participate in this year’s Tour de Corse Historique.
The 2026 event represents Auriol’s first competitive outing in a Lancia Delta since 1992, when he won six events to claim a record that was eventually surpassed by Sébastian Loeb in 2004. Auriol played an intimate role in the Delta Integrale’s final development and describes the 1992-spec car as ’demanding, physical, but incredibly effective.’
Auriol last contested the event in 2018, finishing second overall in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. This time, returning in a car he helped develop and knows intimately, he and Bonato will each have their sights set on the top step of the podium.
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