BERGKVIST CLAIMS PIRELLI-SUPPORTED JUNIOR WRC PRIZE
Rally Turkey marked the final round of the 2018 FIA Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) with a new champion crowned on Pirelli tyres.
Bergkvist crowned 2018 championSwedish sensation, Emil Bergkvist, finished Rally Turkey on top, taking his first JWRC rally win and with it, the 2018 JWRC title. Heading into the rally, eight drivers had a mathematical chance of winning the championship with the top four very close in the standings. Everything was to play for with double points available in JWRC and one point for each stage win. The difficult stages meant an unpredictable conclusion to the championship and on the final day it seemed the title was between Swedes Bergkvist and Denis Radstrom.
Tough TurkeyWith high temperatures and rough and rocky stages, Rally Turkey proved to be a significant challenge for every crew across all classes. Bergkvist was able to win the rally thanks to his consistency and ability to avoid trouble through the perilous stages. He also won a highly sought-after prize package including a fully prepared M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 car, a Pirelli tyre supply with technical support and a selection of WRC2 entries for 2019.
Pirelli and Kajetanowicz win over half of the WRC2 stagesPirelli-equipped three-time European champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz was able to display his storming talent heading the top of the WRC2 timesheets nine times throughout the rally. Kajetanowicz proved the performance and strength of the Scorpion K tyres on the tough Rally Turkey stages. If it wasn’t for a power steering failure Kajetanowicz would have certainly been in contention for WRC2 victory. He still came close to scoring an overall point, denied only on the final stage by five-time world champion Sebastien Ogier.
Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli rally activity manager. “It has been an excellent year for FIA Junior WRC which Pirelli is a proud partner of. The drivers have shown great development throughout the season and proved it here on Rally Turkey. The rally presented some of the most difficult stages of the season to the junior drivers and it was great to see them apply their talents with speed and professionalism.”
What's next? While the Junior World Rally Championship returns in 2019, Pirelli will be in action on the next round of the WRC: Rally GB from October 4-7.
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For further information about Pirelli, please contact Anthony Peacock on +44 (0)7765 896 930 or anthony@mediaticaworld.com
For more information on Rally Turkey, please visit: www.rallyturkey.com
