Ragnotti built his career around Renault, a manufacturer committed to turbocharged technology at a time when normally aspirated engines still dominated rally fields. His co-driver for the 1981 Monte Carlo triumph was fellow Frenchman Jean-Marc Andrié. The victory came against strong opposition that included the emerging Audi Quattro, a four-wheel-drive machine widely expected to dominate the rally landscape; that Ragnotti won in a rear-wheel-drive Renault 5 Turbo was considered a significant upset and a demonstration of the potential of forced induction on tarmac. Jean-Marc Andrié later died by suicide in 1999.
The 1981 Monte Carlo Rally holds a firm place in WRC history as the event where turbocharged power first prevailed at the top level of the sport. Ragnotti's Renault 5 Turbo took full advantage of the narrow, winding asphalt stages that suited nimble, high-power rear-wheel-drive cars. The win validated Renault's turbocharged programme and foreshadowed the turbo era that would reshape rallying throughout the 1980s.
Ragnotti developed a particular mastery of the Tour de Corse, the all-asphalt rally held on Corsica that demands precise commitment through high-speed mountain roads. He won the event in 1982 in a Renault 5 Turbo, consolidating his reputation as one of the fastest drivers on tarmac.
In 1985, he won the Tour de Corse again, this time at the wheel of the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, a Group B evolution of the original car. His co-driver on that occasion was Pierre Thimonier, who later died of cancer in 2008; Thimonier's son Gilles would subsequently serve as Ragnotti's co-driver. The 1985 victory was also notable for coming on the debut of the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, an emphatic introduction for the new machine. That same event was overshadowed by tragedy when Italian driver Attilio Bettega was killed in a crash on the fourth special stage.
In the 1990s, Ragnotti continued his association with Renault, now competing in their front-wheel-drive Clio Maxi in an era when Group A regulations had replaced the explosive Group B cars. Though the competitive landscape had changed considerably, his continued participation reflected a loyalty to the Renault programme that had defined his career. His three WRC victories — the 1981 Monte Carlo and the Tour de Corse wins of 1982 and 1985 — remain his most significant results in the championship.
Ragnotti's contribution to rallying history is most sharply defined by the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally, a result that marked the opening of the turbo chapter in the WRC. He demonstrated that tarmac stages, with their premium on throttle control and car balance, could reward driving artistry as much as outright mechanical power, and his record on the Tour de Corse — two wins across different eras and machinery — underlines his status as one of the sport's finest asphalt specialists.