Alakoç: "We Still Can't Forget the Spectator Support"

Bursa-based crew Cem Alakoç-Yusuf Çelik made a very quick start to the Aegean Rally with the 11th fastest time on the opening stage, but a puncture and a bent track rod on their Ford Fiesta ST dropped them well down the class standings. Alakoç, who began competing last season and has caught the eye with a fast driving style, summed up the rally for turkmotorspor readers:
"Before the rally there was a lot of talk about the TOSFED Rally Cup and the question of spectators, and I'd like to say something on that... Having won two of last year's four cups at Rally 34, I am very well aware of what this event means to many crews. Yes, winning a cup in the TRC is very hard, but it really is possible at a high pace. Coming from the TOSFED cup and beating TRC drivers is a source of motivation in itself. This challenge is important, I think, because it shows rally spectators who could be future drivers and co-drivers that they too could "get in and go". When these people see that you can go fast in cheap cars, they will dare to get into the sport. Because the current rally audience is made up of the friends of competing crews as much as of true rally enthusiasts, when the number of entrants rises, the number of spectators will rise too..
Unlike many crews in Izmir, we tried not to just finish, but to go for both the spectators and the time. Of course, doing both at once brings some risks. In the end, we lost too much on a corner taken in first gear, and then cut early, which gave us a puncture and a bent track rod. That cost us seven minutes and second place in the class. But at the finish we received fantastic support from genuine rally fans, people who weren't from our close circle. We have been living with the joy of those moments since Sunday.."

Alakoç-Çelik, who compete in Class 3 in a Ford Fiesta ST with PIBLO support, will continue their season at Rally Turkey Marmaris on 13-15 May.