Turkey - NEW DATE - 18-20 Sep 20

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 5 – Rally Turkey

Posted: September 18, 2020 4:54 AM

Fresh from its recent 1-2 in Rally Estonia, Hyundai Motorsport is gearing up for the fifth round of the revised FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Turkey, which takes place next weekend (September 18-20).

The team made an impressive return to action in Estonia with a strong showing across all three Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC cars. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja scored their maiden victory as a Hyundai Motorsport crew with a stellar performance to help the team move to within five points of the manufacturers’ championship lead.

Rally Turkey will offer another stern gravel test, albeit at slower speeds than the fast and furious Estonian round, with rough and rocky conditions, hot temperatures and tricky technical roads. Hyundai Motorsport will field a three-car entry into the event with Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul and Tänak/Järveoja joined by nine-time world champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.

First held as a championship round in 2003, Rally Turkey moved to its current Marmaris location in 2018 offering Hyundai Motorsport a brand-new challenge. The team has since picked up two consecutive third-placed podium results at the event, while its crews are no stranger to success in the country. Tänak won two years ago, while Loeb - despite not tackling the most recent format - won in Turkey on three separate occasions (2004, 2005 and 2010).

A shortened itinerary sees 12 stages run over 223km with no spectators due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions. Crews will get their first taste of competitive running on Friday evening with two stages held near to the Asparan Service Park. Like last year’s event, Saturday will head west for two loops of stages totalling 107km. The final day includes the longest individual stage of the event, the 38.15km Çetibeli test, which will guarantee maximum focus and determination right to the end.

All three crews have tested on gravel terrain in Greece this week, in conditions similar to those expected at Rally Turkey.

Team Principal Andrea Adamo said:
“We had a fantastic weekend in Estonia, which was the result of months of hard work by the team at Hyundai Motorsport, but we cannot assume that will be the same again in Turkey - our rivals are working just as hard. The stages in Turkey are rough and unpredictable, so we have to remain focused on the job in hand. We welcome back Séb and Danos into the team, who I am sure will bring their usual spark and experience to support our championship efforts alongside Thierry/Nicolas and Ott/Martin. We know that Turkey can often have a sting in its tail, so we must remain concentrated right up the conclusion of the Power Stage.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Crew will be targeting a return to form after disappointing Estonia
Neuville currently holds fifth in the drivers’ standings

Neuville said: “We didn’t get a representative result in Estonia, so we definitely want to put that right in Turkey. It’s our third time visiting this event, since it moved to Marmaris, and it’s one of the roughest rallies of the season. The stages are really nice, some flowing parts and other very twisty sections. We have to try to push hard, even in the rough, while trying to survive with the car. Our objective will be to get the maximum points we can from the event with a focus on the championship. We’ve always had good speed in Turkey but haven’t been able to get the desired result, so hopefully it will be third time lucky.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Victory in Estonia moved Tänak up to third in the drivers’ championship
Previous winner of Rally Turkey in 2018

Tänak said: “It was a special moment to get our first victory for Hyundai Motorsport in Estonia, but now we must refocus on the next event. The championship is short, so we need to make the most out of every opportunity that presents itself. Rally Turkey is definitely the roughest event of the season; it is always very hot and demanding for both car and crew. Our objective this year is to fight for the win and to continue our title push.”

Crew Notes: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
French-Monegasque crew return for first WRC event since Rallye Monte-Carlo
Three previous Turkey wins but never competed on stages in the Marmaris-based event

Loeb said: “I am excited to be back competing for Hyundai Motorsport for the first time since Monte-Carlo - and my first gravel event since Catalunya last season. I actually haven’t competed in Rally Turkey since 2010, and I have no knowledge of these particular stages compared to other crews who have taken part in the past two seasons. We have had a day of testing ahead of the rally, so I am focused and ready to do the best I can for the team. My aim is simply to be competitive and in the game; we require a lot of familiarisation, but I am always motivated to push for a good result.”

Weekend at a Glance
The 2020 edition of Rally Turkey will take place over three days, starting with 25km of action on Friday evening - Içmeler (13.90km) and Gökce (11.32km)
The action heats up on Saturday with 107km of competitive stages across two loops of three tests - Yesibelde (31.79km), Datça (8.75km) and Kizlan (13.15km) - separated by lunchtime service
Sunday will be far from a straight-forward finish to the rally with the longest individual stage of the event, Çetibeli (38.15km), followed by the shorter Marmaris (7.05km). The loop will be run twice, giving crews 90km of demanding stages on the final day - culminating in the Power Stage where extra points will be available for the five fastest drivers.

Turkey’s testing terrain next up for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

Posted: September 18, 2020 4:53 AM

After the fast and smooth stages of Rally Estonia, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team faces a very different test on the rough and rocky roads of Rally Turkey for the next round of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship on September 18-20. After a podium finish when the WRC season restarted in Estonia last week, Sébastien Ogier continues to lead the drivers’ standings ahead of his team-mate Elfyn Evans with Kalle Rovanperä in fourth, while Toyota remain at the top of the manufacturers’ championship.

Based in the coastal resort of Marmaris, Rally Turkey features some of the toughest terrain in the WRC, with the rocky gravel surface and high temperatures combining to create demanding conditions for the cars. The relatively slow average speeds can add to the complexities, reducing the airflow available to cool the engines, transmissions and brakes.

This year’s Rally Turkey begins on Friday evening (following shakedown in the morning) with the ?çmeler and Gökçe tests. That is followed on Saturday by a full loop of three stages to the west of Marmaris, repeated following midday service. Sunday features the longest stage of the rally – the 38.15-kilometre Çetibeli – plus the shorter Marmaris test, both run for a second time after a final service break.

Quotes:
Tommi Mäkinen (Team Principal)
“Rally Turkey is a very demanding event with really tough road conditions. It is true that it has not been our strongest event up until now, even though we won there in 2018 when it was new for everybody. However, we have been doing a lot of work since last year’s event, concentrating on improving our package for conditions like those that we face in Turkey. We know that our car is now much better in these conditions compared to last year and I think that we can be confident of a good rally.”

Sébastien Ogier/ Julien Ingrassia
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“I obviously have some good memories of Turkey from last year when Julien and I won the rally. To repeat this result this time is not going to be easy: It is a tough rally for everybody, but for us opening the road it will be especially challenging I’m sure. But I’m actually excited to see what we can do with the Yaris WRC. We had some very good tests recently to prepare for the event, and I believe we have definitely made some improvements and some steps forward with the car, so let’s see what we do.”

Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Rally Turkey is always a difficult event and it will be quite a stark contrast to the fast roads that we had in Estonia: It’s a lot more slow-speed and a different character altogether. It is sure to be very hot and very physically demanding for the crews, and also very demanding on the cars. We need to be ready to adapt to that. We did some testing in Greece a few weeks ago to prepare and the car felt pretty good, so we hope that will transfer to a good feeling on the rally.”

Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“The roads in Turkey are very rough and I think that these conditions are generally quite difficult for me: I haven’t done so many rallies like this yet in my career, although I did do Rally Turkey last year in WRC2 so I have a little bit of experience of what the rally is like. It seems that the team has made a very big step from last year with the car and I think we should be better now in these types of conditions. I hope that we can all show good pace there.”

M-Sport - CHASING A STRONG RESULT IN TURKEY

Posted: September 18, 2020 4:49 AM

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRCs will be chasing a strong result when the FIA World Rally Championship returns to Rally Turkey this week.

With less than two weeks separating the Turkish fixture from the previous outing in Estonia – and no time to return to the workshop in Cumbria – the Fiestas will be cleaned, stripped and re-prepped on site in the Asparan Service Park.

Transforming the set-up from that required for smooth and fast gravel to that of rough and abrasive gravel, the technicians travelled to Turkey last weekend and will soon get to work changing and strengthening a number of items to ensure the Fiestas are geared up for the challenges ahead.

New suspension parts and transmissions will be fitted, alongside additional protection to safeguard against the rough terrain and larger fans and cooling packages to combat the soaring temperatures. The engineers will then fine-tune the set-up and raise the ride height for optimum performance on Turkey’s demanding stages.

Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:
“We’re confident of a good result in Turkey. The Fiesta has proven strength and performance when it comes to this event, and our drivers are all capable of delivering a good result this week. Estonia wasn’t our rally, but Turkey provides a completely different challenge and I think we have a good chance. All three drivers have recorded strong results here, and I’m sure we can give our rivals a run for their money.

“I also want to take this opportunity to praise our team of engineers, technicians, truck drivers and logistics co-ordinators. Travelling from Estonia to Turkey and getting the cars turned around in a matter of days was no easy task, but each and every one of them has risen to the challenge. They’ve all shown the spirit we pride ourselves on here at M-Sport, and I hope to see their hard work rewarded with a strong result.”

LAPPI / FERM
Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm know what it takes to tame the Turkish terrain. Finishing second at the event last year, the Finns led the rally for much of the weekend – enthralled in an intense, inter-team battle with six-time World Champion Sébastien Ogier. Teaming his knowledge of the Turkish stages with the strength of the Fiesta this year, Lappi will be keen for a strong result and intent on reining in his rivals.

Esapekka Lappi said:
“We finished second in Turkey last year, and it would be great to follow that up with another strong result this week. We’ve seen good speed from the Fiesta there in the past, and for sure we will be better suited to these stages. You need to use your head at a rally like this and know when to push and when to take your foot off the pedal. It’s a fine balance between speed and endurance, but if we can get that right then we shouldn’t be too far away from a strong result.”

SUNINEN / LEHTINEN
Teemu Suninen and Jarmo Lehtinen are feeling optimistic as the FIA World Rally Championship heads to a number of their favoured events. Having finished just shy of the podium on both of his Turkish outings, the young Finn has every chance of doing one better this year – harnessing the strength and power of his Ford Fiesta WRC in pursuit of his second podium of the year.

Teemu Suninen said:
“We had a really good rally in Turkey last year. I learnt a lot that weekend and I think we had the right balance between showing good pace and driving well through the stages without making any mistakes. The goal will be to build on that again this week, and hopefully challenge for another strong result. A rally like this is never easy and it demands a lot physically, mentally and mechanically, but if we can have another clever drive with the right speed for the right sections then I’m confident of another strong result.”

GREENSMITH / EDMONDSON
Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson produced one of the most epic victories of the year when they won the WRC 2 Pro category at Rally Turkey last year. Getting wide into the last corner of the penultimate stage, the pairing rolled into a ditch and had to work tirelessly to get their Fiesta back on the road and repaired for the final stage – which they completed at competitive speed to take the Ford Fiesta Rally2’s maiden international victory. Graduating to the Fiesta WRC this year, the Brits will be looking to increase their knowledge and experience in the FIA World Rally Championship’s top flight.

Gus Greensmith said:
“I’m really looking forward to Rally Turkey, and hope it won’t be quite as eventful as last year! That has to be the most dramatic win of my career, but it just goes to show how strong the Fiesta is across all categories. That strong chassis should be a big advantage for us this week as we know how demanding the Turkey stages are. They’re the roughest of the year, but they’re also physically and mentally demanding and you need to calculate when to push that loud pedal and when to back off. It’s a tricky balance, but we plan to get it right and continue learning as much as we can.”

FOURMAUX / JAMOUL
Fresh from their second place at Rally Estonia, Adrien Fourmaux and Renaud Jamoul will be back in action at this weekend’s Rally Turkey and challenging for victory in the FIA World Rally Championship’s premier support series, WRC 2. Despite never encountering the Turkish stages before, the pairing will have the strength and performance of the Fiesta on side and keen to chase a first international victory.

Joining Fourmaux in another two Ford Fiesta Rally2s, Alberto Heller and Jose Diaz will be joined by ‘PEDRO’ and Emanuelle Baldaccini in the WRC 3 category – as will 2019 FIA Junior WRC Championship Champions, Jan Solans and Mauro Barreiro, in an M-Sport Poland run Fiesta Rally2.

Adrien Fourmaux said:
“This will be my first time in Turkey and I’m looking forward to discovering the stages. We know they will be rough and very demanding, but we also know that the Fiesta is a strong and competitive car so I hope that we can push for another good result. That is definitely our goal, but these stages demand respect and we’ll have to learn fast – discovering the right balance and knowing when to show our speed and when to be more cautious.”

Entry List

Posted: September 2, 2020 5:23 AM

Turkey - NEW DATE - 18-20 Sep 20 - ENTRY LIST

Rally Turkey moved forward 1 week

Posted: August 11, 2020 6:33 AM

Under the Auspices of the Presidency of The Republic of Turkey the 5th round of FIA World Rally Championship “Rally Turkey”, will be hosted by Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) on September 18/20. With Rally Turkey being ‘the biggest sports organization that our country hosted’ in the last two years, the Rally will host the globally known drivers and thousands of tourists, alongside Marmaris’ unique pinewoods and its beautiful sea.

With the championship paused due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be resumed with the Rally Estonia on September 4/6 and after this rally, the teams will be directing their horizons to Turkey. Rally Turkey, which will begin on Friday, September 18th, will host the breathtaking battles of the world’s fastest rally drivers. The excitement that will go on for 3 days in Marmaris, Ula and Datça, will be broadcasted worldwide from 155 TV channels.

Speaking about the biggest international sports event our country hosted in two years, President of TOSFED Eren Üçlertopra?? said:
"We are so proud to have the Rally Turkey organization, sponsored by the Turkish Presidency. Firstly, I would like to thank our President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, our Minister of Youth and Sport Mehmet Muharrem Kasapo?lu and every single statesperson that has contributed to this project. Once again we are ready, to show our country’s strength to the world, to improve our country’s image abroad and to help promoting our country.

WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel, thanked the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Youth and Sports and TOSFED (Turkish Automobile Sports Federation) and said:
“Marmaris is a popular holiday destination where all participants and travelers can travel to with joy and safety, with the priorities taken after the recent coronavirus pandemic. To create a safe environment within the organization, FIA’s and Republic of Turkey The Department of Health’s COVID-19 protocols will be implemented to the organization”

Event Website / Details

Posted: July 2, 2020 11:05 AM

Rally Turkey