Bostancı Retains TRC Lead
The second round of the 2019 Turkish Rally Championship, Rally Mediterranean, took place in Northern Cyprus on 17-19 May. Organised by the Northern Cyprus Touring and Automobile Association, the rally covered a total distance of 537.82 kilometres, with 34 cars and 68 competitors battling over 10 special stages totalling 110.05 kilometres.
In Rally Mediterranean, the second round of the season, which featured 14 crews from Turkey, eight of them from Castrol Ford Team Türkiye, Castrol Ford Team Türkiye's European Champion driver Murat Bostancı won five of the 10 stages as well as the power stage. Despite a 1m20s penalty on the first day and a serious loss of time caused by a puncture, Murat Bostancı delivered an excellent performance for the rest of the event and finished the rally third overall.
The 2WD and junior classes were won by Emre Hasbay, a young driver who began competing this year for Castrol Ford Team Türkiye.
After Rally Mediterranean, Murat Bostancı retains the lead of the Turkish Rally Championship on 49 points, followed by Deniz Fahri on 46 points and Burak Çukurova on 44 points.
Serdar Bostancı: "We kept our lead on the first gravel rally of the season"
Castrol Ford Team Türkiye Team Director Serdar Bostancı gave the following assessment after Rally Mediterranean: "As Castrol Ford Team Türkiye, we are moving forward with firm steps towards our goal of winning the Turkish Rally Championship titles for manufacturers, drivers and co-drivers, young drivers and 2WD, as well as the Turkish Historic Rally Championship. In this respect, despite the bad luck we suffered in Rally Mediterranean, the second round and first gravel rally of the season, we won the power stage and five stages, and we kept our lead in the overall championship standings after the first gravel rally of the season. On the other hand, in line with our mission of bringing young talent into Turkish motorsport, our young driver Emre Hasbay, who began competing with our team this year and shows great promise, gave us all great happiness by winning the 2WD and junior classes. After the second round of the new season, I wish success to all the crews and drivers who took part in this important event."
