Aegean Rally Celebrates 33rd Edition in Marmaris
The second round of the Petrol Ofisi Maxima 2024 Turkish Rally Championship, the Aegean Rally, is celebrating its 33rd edition in Marmaris. Located where the Mediterranean meets the Aegean and admired around the world for its spectacular natural setting, Marmaris will also host a touring event on the same dates, organised by the Classic Automobile Club in memory of Samiye Cahide Morkaya, the Republic's first female racing driver.
66 Crews to Compete in the Rally
Organised by the Ege Otomobil Spor Kulübü (EOSK) and run on asphalt, Rally Marmaris Aegean will begin on Friday 22 March with a start ceremony at Marmaris Atatürk Square from 18:00, followed by a spectator stage at İçmeler Market Place at 18:43. The crews will get an early start on Saturday 23 March, completing a loop of three stages covering the İçmeler, Bördübet and Selimiye route before returning to the service park. The same loop will be repeated in the afternoon, with the day ending at the Karayolları service park at 16:28. On the final day, Sunday 24 March, the crews will tackle the stages around Akyaka, Kıran and Akbük once each. The action will conclude with a prize-giving ceremony on the podium at Marmaris Atatürk Square from 14:00.
A Parade of Stars in Marmaris
In Marmaris, Burcu Çetinkaya, who has been elected president of the FIA Women's Commission, will be joined as co-driver by Fabrizia Pons, who with Michele Mouton became the first female co-driver to win a World Rally Championship event. Volkan Işık, one of the legends of the Turkish Rally Championship, is also returning to the stages for GP Garage My Team in a Hyundai i20 R5. In addition, the well-known performer Fatma Turgut, who is known for her passion for motorsport, will take the driver's seat of the 000 car. As part of the rally's environmental awareness project, the young and popular star will run all the stages in an electric car for the first time in Turkish Rally Championship history. Activities such as planting seeds in nature and cleaning up the stage routes are also part of the rally programme.
