| Hirvonen and Lehtinen initially took the lead on Stage 2 but deliberately stopped near the end of stage 9 on Friday to give themselves a better road position on Saturday’s second day. Latvala and Anttila, who briefly lead after Stage 6, did likewise, to drop down to fifth and third places respectively.
On Saturday reigning World Rally Champion and current Championship leaders Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC) acted as road sweepers over Turkey’s dry, narrow and rock-strewn mountain tracks. “Sometimes the second pass can be even worse that he first,” Loeb said at the end of the repeated Silyon test (SS13). “It’s so slippery and I have to make a completely new line.” Despite a valiant effort, including fastest time on Stages 15, 16 and 18 the French pairing could only manage third, dropping back behind Hirvonen in the FIA WRC points table.
Spain’s Dani Sordo and Marc Marti (Citroen C4 WRC) overhauled Norway’s Henning Solberg (Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team) in stage 17 to take fourth place. Henning lost valuable seconds in the closing stages with brake problems.
Henning’s younger brother, Petter finished one place and 15 seconds behind in sixth place. The former World Champion, partnered by Welshman Phil Mills, was encouraged by the continuing improvements to the all-new Subaru Impreza, despite stalling in Stage 17.
Matthew Wilson, son of Ford Rally Team Principal Malcolm, was seventh in the second Stobart Ford Focus. The Teams third car was withdrawn after driver Gigi Galli became ill. The Italian decided not to restart on Sunday on the advice of his team doctor, who treated him on Saturday for exhaustion and dehydration.
The Stobart team said Galli had been affected by the intense heat – 48 degrees Celsius during the hottest time of the day - and demanding rally conditions during the previous two days and had been asked to rest and rehydrate. Galli had been running third for much of Friday and Saturday’s competition after setting three fastest stage times, but dropped to eighth after his car suffered a turbo boost valve failure.
African Rally Champion Conrad Rautenbach (Citroen WRC) co-driven by Britain’s David Senior, was eighth after making up five places since Stage 2 on Friday morning.
Munchi’s driver Federico Villagra was ninth and Scotland’s Barry Clark, enjoying his prize-drive from the Fiesta Sporting Trophy, was classified 10th overall on only his second drive in a WRC Ford Focus.
The Turkey Rally was disappointing for both Suzuki with both cars retiring and the previously consistent Chris Atkinson, who was classified 13th.
For Rally of Turkey results and news; http://www.wrcturkey.com/
For latest standings in the FIA World Rally Championship, news, video clips, etc; http://www.wrc.com/
WRC Manufacturer Team websites;
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team; http://www.bpfordwrc.com/
Citroën Total World Rally Team; http://www.citroen-wrc.com/
Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team; http://www.munchis.com.ar/
Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team; http://www.stobartmotorsport.com/
Suzuki World Rally Team; http://www.suzukisport.com/wrc
Subaru World Rally Team; http://www.swrt.com/
Other WRC websites;
Pirelli - WRC; http://www.pirellityre.com/web/motorsport/rally/wrc/default.page
The next and ninth round of the 15-round FIA WRC is the 58th Neste Oil Rally Finland; http://www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi/
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