Ranking among his achievements are his conquering of the Monte Carlo Rally in 1981,[1] what was the first turbo victory in the history of the WRC, alongside compatriot Jean-Marc Andrié[2][3] against the might of the ultimate four-wheel-drive upstart, the Audi Quattro. In the following season, he took his Renault 5 Turbo to victory at the Tour de Corse. Jean Marc Andrie later committed suicide in 1999.[2][3][4] The Maxi version of the same Renault 5 was to reign again on the asphalt stages of European rallying, when in 1985, Ragnotti claimed the Tour de Corse again with Group B rallying at its zenith; a win that came on debut of Renault 5 Maxi Turbo. His co-driver by that time was Pierre Thimonier (whose son Gilles would also be a co-driver for Jean Ragnotti).[5] Pierre Thimonier died of cancer in 2008.[6][7] The 1985 Rothmans Tour de Corse would also prove to be a tragic affair after the fatal crash of Attilio Bettega on SS4 (Zerubia) of the event.
In the 1990s, Ragnotti continued to drive for Renault, this time in their front-wheel drive Clio Maxi.
