Rally Turkey receives a strong entry

August 31, 2018 0 Comments

The 2006 Rally of Turkey was the 128th and final FIA World Rally Championship event that Nicky Grist contested – when he and Colin McRae replaced an injured Sébastien Loeb in a Kronos team Citroën Xsara WRC.

It was the finale to an incredible WRC career, which saw Nicky win 21 events – including two RAC Rally wins, two Safari Rally wins and four Acropolis Rally wins. He’s also finished on the WRC podium 43 times, scored 183 WRC points and set fastest time on over 400 WRC stages!

It’s a different looking Rally of Turkey this year, with a new base in the southern Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris for starters. But what will be the same is the unforgiving rocky gravel stages and the high level of competition, with 52 crews battling for WRC, WRC2 and JWRC honours.

M-Sport Ford, Toyota, Hyundai and Citroën have all entered three car teams, as the close battle for the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles intensifies. M-Sport and Toyota have their normal driver line up, while Hayden Paddon/Seb Marshall join Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul and Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jaeger in a trio of i20 Coupe WRCs and Khalid Al Qassimi/Chris Patterson join Mads Østberg/Torstein Erikson and Craig Breen/Scott Martin for their third start of the year in a works C3 WRC.

Also returning, for the first time since Rally Italy, is Yazeed Al Rajhi/Michael Orr in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

In WRC2, ŠKODA Motorsport stable-mates Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler and Pontus Tidemand/Jonas Andersson go head-to-head for the first time this season.

Chris Ingram/Ross Whittock make their WRC2 debut in a Toksport WRT-prepared Fabia R5, while Gus Greensmith will be co-driven by Alex Gelsomino (in Turkey and on Wales Rally GB) in his Fiesta R5.

Tom Williams/Phil Hall carry the Union Flag in the Junior WRC, with double points on offer on this, the final round of the Fiesta R2 series.

This year’s Rally of Turkey takes place 13-16 September.