Bostancı Wins Bosphorus Rally
The 44th International Bosphorus Rally, which counts towards the European Rally Cup, the Turkish Rally Championship, the Turkish Historic Rally Championship and the TOSFED Rally Cup, was held in Istanbul for the 44th time on 24-26 July.
The rally featured 54 cars across four separate categories and 108 competitors, with entrants from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany, Ireland, Hungary, Finland and Bulgaria as well as Turkey. It began on the evening of Friday 24 July with a ceremonial start at 20:30 from Pendik Atatürk Square. Over two days and 600 kilometres, spread across 12 special stages on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, the hot weather made life difficult for both officials and competitors.
Murat Bostancı and Onur Vatansever won the rally in a Ford Fiesta S2000 for Castrol Ford Team Türkiye. Orhan Avcıoğlu and Burçin Korkmaz took second for the same team, while Rashid Al Ketbi and Karina Hepperie, competing for X Dubai World Rally Team in a Ford Fiesta R5, finished third. With this victory, Bostancı and Vatansever have built a significant lead in both the European Rally Cup and the Turkish Rally Championship standings.
Menderes Okur and Bora Arabacı, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX for Tok Sport WRT, won Class N in the demanding event. The RC4, 2WD and Junior Drivers class win went to Ümitcan Özdemir and Afşin Baydar, who competed in a Ford Fiesta R2 for Castrol Ford Team Türkiye. The AutoClub Special Award for the best crew among the privateers went to Hakkı Ağaoğlu and Nehir Yılmaz, while privateers Kerim Tar and Sevilay Genç, in a Ford Fiesta ST, took the RC3 class win. Simin Bıçakcıoğlu, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX for Neo Motorspor, claimed the rally's best female driver award.
In the Historic category, open to classic rally cars over 30 years old, Ercan Kazaz and Emire Cantürk won in a Ford Escort MK2 for Bonus Unifree Parkur Racing. Second place went to Hannu Pulkkinen and Juho Rahkonen, a Finnish crew from the same team who are competing on a Turkish licence this season, while Haydar Güçlü and Murat Yıldırım took third in a 1968 BMW 2002 ti. In Category 1, for cars up to 1600 cc, victory went to Sinan and Sedef Dündar in a Volkswagen Golf GTI MK1...
The 44th Bosphorus Rally also counted towards the TOSFED Rally Cup and was run as two separate events: Round 5 on the first day and Round 6 on the second. In Round 5 on Saturday, which consisted of six special stages, the Category 1 win went to Emrah Ali Başo and Semih Erkal, who made their first start in a Ford Fiesta R1. Alptekin Işıkalp and Selin Özgür won Category 2 in a Citroen C2, Hakan Ertarman and Yunus Emre Bol took Category 3 in a Renault Clio Ragnotti, and Akın Bilgütay and Ozan Sönmez won Category 4 in a Fiat Palio.
In Round 6 on Sunday, also made up of six special stages, Emrah Ali Başo and Semih Erkal in Category 1, Alptekin Işıkalp and Selin Özgür in Category 2, and Hakan Ertarman and Yunus Emre Bol in Category 3 once again stood on the top step of the podium.
The Turkish Rally Championship continues with the Ford Otosan Kocaeli Rally, organised by the Kocaeli Automobile Sports Club on 22-23 August...
