Avcıoğlu Is the New Lord of the Aegean
The 27th Saygılı Rulman Aegean Rally, organised by the Ege Otomobil Sporları Kulübü (ESOK), took place on 21-23 April. The rally began on Friday evening, 21 April, with a start ceremony at the amphitheatre in Bornova Aşık Veysel Park, and this year broke with tradition by moving from its familiar route in the Seferihisar region to a new one.
SUMMER AND WINTER IN ONE EVENT
On the opening day, Saturday 22 April, which began under overcast skies, the drivers struggled with tyre choice, and the biggest surprise was the snowfall that greeted them on the first stage, which climbed into Manisa's Spil Dağı National Park. The second day, around Kemalpaşa and Bayındır, felt like a day left over from summer, and the fight continued right up to the final kilometre of the last stage.
AVCIOĞLU-KORKMAZ WIN THE BATTLE AT THE TOP
Making their first start in Izmir for Toksport WRT, the team they joined this season, in a Ford Fiesta R5, the Orhan Avcıoğlu-Burçin Korkmaz crew took the overall win to make a fast start to the season. With this victory, Avcıoğlu and Korkmaz wrote their names on the rally's roll of honour and also gained an early advantage in the championship by opening the season with a win. The Burak Çukurova-Vedat Bostancı crew, competing this season for BC Vision Motorsport in a Skoda-supported Fabia R5, finished the demanding rally second, and BC Vision Motorsport also took the teams' award, introduced at every rally this season. The Yağız Avcı-Bahadır Gücenmez crew, racing for Neo Motorspor with Red Bull and Peugeot Türkiye support, had a luckless first day and started the second day 17th overall, but climbed all the way to third overall. Last year's Turkish Rally Champions Avcı and Gücenmez, driving a Peugeot 208 T16 R5, also won the Redbull.com bonus stage, adding extra points to their championship tally.
COMPETITION WAS INTENSE IN THE CLASSES
Ford Motorsport Turkey's Ümitcan Özdemir-Batuhan Memişyazıcı crew finished the rally as winners of the 2WD classification and Class 4 in a Ford Fiesta R2T, while Hakan Ertarman-Yunus Emre Bol took the Class 3 win in a Renault Clio Ragnotti and Alptekin Işıkalp-Selin Özgür won Class 1 in a Citroen C2. In Class N, Adil Küçüksarı-Kerim Tar were the crew to take the class win for Neo Motorspor in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX. The rally's top female driver was Burcu Çetinkaya Bucak, who returned to the stages after a short break in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX for BC Vision Motorsport, while the top female co-driver was Nehir Yılmaz, who competed alongside Hakkı Ağaoğlu for GP Garage My Team, and the best young driver was 22-year-old Ford Motorsport Turkey driver Saipcan Hasbay, who competed with his mother Merve Hasbay. 
CLASSICS DEFY TIME
In the historic classification, open to rally cars over 35 years old, Burak Türkkan-Onur Aslan of Parkur Racing took the win in a Ford Escort MK2, with Kemal Gamgam-Orkun Demir second, also in a Ford Escort MK2, and Levent Gür-Oytun Albayrak third in a Murat 131. Türkkan-Aslan won Category 2, for 2-litre cars, while Gür-Albayrak won Category 1, for 1.6-litre cars.
NEXT ROUND IN BULGARIA
After this event, the 2017 Turkish Rally Championship will travel abroad for the first time, continuing in Bulgaria. Rally Bulgaria, which also awards points to the European Rally Cup, will be organised by the Bulgarian Automobile Sports Federation on 19-21 May and will welcome Turkish crews.
