Diker and Oral's 2,190km Challenge Comes to an End

Mithat Diker and co-driver Erdal Oral got off to an unlucky start to TransAnatolia Rally Raid 2025. The rear axle on the car failed at the ceremonial start of the event. The service crew worked at a frantic pace to carry out the repair, and the Suzuki Grand Vitara was ready to race on Sunday morning. In the opening stage on Sunday 31 August, Mithat Diker failed to reach the finish after another mechanical failure. The crew were forced to skip the second stage of the day, and their Suzuki Grand Vitara was towed back to the service area.

There was a tragic accident at TransAnatolia Rally Raid on Sunday. ATV competitor Hasan Yatgın, number 151, lost his life in a crash at the 47th kilometre of the Uludağ-Domaniç stage. Following the sad incident, the TransAnatolia Rally organising committee cancelled the third day of the event and declared a day of mourning.

During the cancelled third day, the Suzuki Grand Vitara was repaired by the service crew and made ready for day four. The Ege Asal Motorspor team started day four highly motivated. Having run into trouble on the Salt Lake stage in both of their previous events, the crew finally broke that jinx this time: despite snapping their driveshafts and being reduced to two-wheel drive, they reached the finish. Over the two stages run on day four, they finished second in the car category.

TransAnatolia continued on Wednesday 3 September on the Cappadocia route. After final preparations in the service area set up in Nevşehir's Göreme, the competitors started at two-minute intervals early in the morning. Because a replacement for the driveshaft broken on the Salt Lake stage could not be sourced within the service time, they began the day in two-wheel drive. Even so, Mithat Diker and Erdal Oral won the final stage of the day. Kuvvet Erim Onur and Sırımoğlu won the day, while Hüseyin Kurt and Özaydın Dölek finished second.

On Thursday 4 September, towards the end of the first stage, run in open terrain with clear visibility, muddy sections that were difficult to pass, caused by field irrigation across the route, slowed Mithat Diker and Erdal Oral. As a precaution against any problem, the crew got out of their car to inspect the ground before continuing. Although taking the muddy sections cautiously cost around 20 minutes, Mithat Diker and Erdal Oral completed the first stage in second place.

On the day's second stage, the rally moved from the fields into the mountains. After the 36th kilometre, visibility was limited by vegetation in the forest, but Mithat Diker and Erdal Oral won the stage and ended the day in first place. Kuvvet Erim, who finished the day second, closed right up on rally leader Hüseyin Kurt.

Mithat Diker and Erdal Oral entered Friday 5 September with a fast start. They won the Yeşilgöl stage, run in high-altitude forest, in 1 hour 57 minutes. Kuvvet Erim and Onur Sırımoğlu were second, just 1 minute behind. On the day's second special stage, Ilgaz, the Ege Asal Motorspor crew found a good pace, but this time had to race against the clock to change punctured tyres. Mithat Diker and co-driver Erdal Oral changed the tyre very quickly, but as they got moving again Kuvvet Erim was in their mirrors. Drawing on 53 years of experience, Mithat Diker gave the rival no way past and, although second on that stage, finished the day first by 9 seconds.

Having won the last two days, Mithat Diker and Erdal Oral wiped out the time penalties incurred from failing to finish the early stages with mechanical problems and climbed to second overall in the car category. On Saturday 6 September, they managed to finish second on the first special stage, Köroğlu, despite suffering punctures. The final stage, Burhan Turan, was cancelled because of dense fog and the competitors went directly to the finish podium. The crew collected their trophies at the prize-giving ceremony held at the Büyük Abant Hotel at 17:30 the same day.

In the car category at TransAnatolia 2025, Bekir Kuvvet Erim and Onur Sırımoğlu, driving a Toyota Hilux, won in 19 hours 35 minutes 35 seconds. Mitat Diker and Erdal Oral, in a Suzuki Grand Vitara, were second in 28 hours 06 minutes 21 seconds, and Hüseyin Kurt and Özaydın Dölek, in a Mitsubishi L200, completed the rally in third in 33 hours 13 minutes 21 seconds.

Taking to the finish podium as second in the car category and Class 2 winners, Mithat Diker and Erdal Oral said: "At TransAnatolia, where we competed over a thrilling 2,190-kilometre route through very tough terrain across 17 provinces, starting in Bursa and ending in Bolu, we once again underlined our passion for motorsport and our enduring strong bond with it. In Turkey's biggest motorsport event, which is identified with the country's nature, geography and historic routes, the success we achieved at TransAnatolia 2025, after thousands of kilometres of dusty roads, sharp corners, fast straights and unexpected challenges, has reinforced our determination to carry on down this road."

The Diker-Oral crew have begun preparations, before their overalls have even dried, for Odunpazarı ESOK Rally, round five of the Petrol Ofisi Maxima Turkish Rally Championship, to be held in Eskişehir from 12 to 14 September 2025.