Jean-Pierre Nicolas was the first foreign driver to win the Tour of the Island, the former name of the Rally Vinho da Madeira. The French national managed the feat in a Renault R8 Gordini in 1967, at a time in which the Madeiran competition was giving its first baby-steps in terms of the internationalization of this event, an event conceived also as a promotional medium for the region as a tourist destination. Nicolas was a driver who enjoyed long and hard races, being the Madeiran competition one of the hardest at the time.

Jean-Pierre Nicolas was born in 1945 and debuted in motor-racing in 1963 as his father's co-driver. He went on to the driving-gear during the year he was present in Madeira. In 1970 he started driving an Alpine A110 and was with that model that he became his country's champion in 1971. In 1973 he began a long-lasting connection to Peugeot which would only come to an end after he became one of the drivers developing and debuting the, then new, Peugeot 205 Turbo 16. He won five World championship rallies and is, along with Hannu Mikkola, one of the few drivers to win the three African stages of the aforementioned competition: Morocco, Kenya and Côte D'Ivoire. Today he is a consultant for brands and competitions.