Aegean Rally Ready for the Start

The 29th Obel Civata Aegean Rally, the opening round of the Turkish Rally Championship, was presented to the media at a press conference held at the Euphoria Aegean Resort & Spa Hotel with officials and competitors in attendance.

The first to speak was Aegean Automobile Sports Club (EOSK) President Özer Yüce. In his speech, Özer Yüce gave information about the stages and the general outline of the event. He said the rally would cover a total of 258.78 km, including 107.25 km of special stages, and that an exciting rally awaited everyone, with 62 cars and 124 competitors taking part. Noting that the support of sponsors and public institutions played a major part in the organisation, he thanked Obel Cıvata and Dap Yapı for their contribution to the development of the sport and to making the event possible.
After his speech, Özer Yüce handed over to Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) Vice President Ömer Tolon. Tolon thanked the Aegean motorsport family, whose great efforts made the event possible, as well as the supporting institutions and organisations. Next to speak was TOSFED Sporting Director Murat Kaya, who highlighted the importance of the Aegean Rally as the opening rally of the Turkish Rally Championship and said that the weather conditions could affect the results. He concluded his speech by wishing the teams and competitors success. Finally, 2018 Turkish Rally Champion Burak Çukurova said he greatly enjoys the Aegean Rally and its stages, which he is contesting for the 18th time. He added that he wants to leave the Aegean Rally with a strong result and make a confident start to the season.
The press conference was also attended by five-time Turkish Rally Champion Yağız Avcı; Murat Bostancı, who returns to the Turkish Rally Championship after a two-year absence; Buğra Banaz, who will contest the Turkish Rally Championship in a four-wheel-drive car for the first time; last season's third-placed Cypriot driver Deniz Fahri and his team-mate from Northern Cyprus, Bora Manyera; young driver Ali Türkkan, the 2017 Turkish Circuit Racing Super Group champion, who will start a rally for the first time; and the Izmir-based competitors Ayhan Germirli and Mustafa Nazik, who will compete in the Zafer Vatansever Rally Cup. All of them made statements about the event.