Rally of Turkey

Milan, 25 February 2003 - Two and a half weeks after the conclusion of the Uddeholm Swedish Rally, competitors are preparing to make the 2,900km journey to the Mediterranean to embark on round three of the 2003 FIA World Rally Championship, the Rally of Turkey. Based in the holiday region of Antalya, 720km south east of Istanbul, it's the first time the Turkish event has been included in the WRC calendar, and with FIA 'long-haul' regulations having prevented teams from testing there, it remains an unknown for almost all the competitors. Not only a new event for the competing WRC crews, Rally of Turkey is also a relatively new event in its own right. Running high in the Anatolian Mountains, the twisty, rocky stages, which are not dissimilar to those of the event's Mediterranean counterparts Cyprus and Greece, are being used for only the third time in the rally's history. Correctly judging the weather will be a critical factor for success, and with some stages running at altitudes of 1400m there is a high possibility of heavy rain, or even snow, causing wet and slippery conditions. As a result, average speeds are expected to be half way between those of Cyprus and Greece, making it potentially the second slowest rally in the championship. Beginning with a ceremonial start on Thursday 27 February in the historic town of Antalya, followed by a 1.55km sprint around the Efes Pilsen Super Special Stage, the rally starts in earnest on Friday 28 February at 0800hrs. All the action is then based around the holiday resort of Kemer, 42km south of the start. Historically a sleepy village nestled on the coast, Kemer has progressively grown over the last fifteen years and is now one of the liveliest resorts in the south of Turkey. The service park will be based to the east of the town for the whole event, with Rally Headquarters 8km further west along the seafront. The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp in Kemer at 1545hrs on Sunday 2 March. The three-day event will be contested over 18 gravel stages, covering a total of 380 competitive kilometres. The longest test, the Perge stage at 32.85km, will be used for SS5 and SS17, while the shortest, the twisty Efes Pilsen Super Special at 1.55km, will be used for SS1. Entries The 555 Subaru World Rally Team will be entering regular drivers Tommi Mkinen and Petter Solberg in the Rally of Turkey. Both will be eligible to score Manufacturer's points for the team. Both newcomers to the Turkish event, Tommi and Petter will be drawing on their knowledge of similar rallies, including Greece and Cyprus. The experience and talent of the two Subaru stars, twinned with the Impreza's impressive reputation on rough gravel surfaces, promises an encouraging debut for the 555 Subaru World Rally Team on this brand new event. Driver Quotes Petter Solberg: " I am feeling very comfortable with the new car - Sweden was much better once I changed my tyre choice and I was happy with the performance. You can see that the car is strong from the good job that Tommi did, and I set the fastest time on the final stage. We're going to use a set-up very close to the one we used in GB, with just a few changes. I'm in the same position as everybody else with this event - I don't really know what to expect as we haven't been able to test there. That said, I think we have everything under control. A new event is just part of the game and I am looking forward to it. " Tommi Mkinen: " I feel so very good with the new car, we are smiling a lot at the moment! The result in Sweden was very good for us and we are feeling confident. I have no idea at all of what to expect with the conditions and the stages in Turkey, I have never been there - even on holiday! However, I've been testing in Spain this week and did some work on the set-up of the car for Turkey. We had one terrible day of weather and another of very good weather and the car performed well in both so based on that, I'm not too worried about the type of conditions that we will find in Turkey. We are certainly ready for the next event." " It's a popular misconception that new events such as Turkey put all the drivers, -says Lapworth- both new and old, on a level playing field because in practise, you often find that it's the more experienced drivers that are able to adjust more quickly to the changing conditions. Similarly, while people think that new events benefit new teams, it's the more established teams that can utilise their experience of competing in different conditions in countries such as Indonesia. It's great to have a new challenge in the Championship, but as it's new it's very difficult to predict the outcome. It should be a fascinating event, I'm really looking forward to it."