Turkey returns to the World Rally Championship (WRC) for the first time in eight years, but moves from its previous base in Antalya and Istanbul to new roads on country’s south coast. The 10th round of the WRC began yesterday in the Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris.
The WRC Turkey is taking place September 13-16 in Marmaris and host 68 cars from 22 countries to race 875 km in 17 stages in 4 categories.
Hundreds of people attended the invitation-only evening on Thursday night, which included an international fashion show in which top-name models worked a red carpet catwalk stretching out into the sea.
Based in Marmaris, the brand-new route features a mix of smooth open roads and rocky mountain trails for an itinerary featuring 312.44km of competitive action for the 10th round of the season. The holiday resort of Marmaris provides fans golden beaches and the relaxing Mediterranean Sea to swim in. With temperatures forecast to be more than 30C, it would be rude not to extend a stay by a few days to soak up the sun.
The action kicked off with the crowd-pleasing 2.00km Turkey Full Speed Super Special Stage in downtown Marmaris.
The first full day of action on Friday sent crews north-east towards the city of Mugla for two loops of three stages. The first of which was the longest test of the rally – Çetibeli (38.10km). The 21.75km Ula and 12.57km Çiçekli staged add to a day of tight and twisty roads in the mountains.
The second leg on Saturday has stages close to the stunning coastline to the west of the Asparan service park.
Beginning with Yeşilbelde (34.24km), crews will then take on Datça (10.70km) and Içmeler (20.37km). A midday service breaks up the day before the loop of three stages are tackled again in the afternoon.
Four stages make up the final day. The first stage – Marmaris (7.14km) – is run twice, with the repeat run acting as the rally-ending Live TV Power Stage. Sandwiched between the two tests are single runs of Ovacik (8.05km) and Gökçe (12.65km).
Photo credit: WRC.com
