Bostancı Is the New Master of the Aegean

The opening round of the 2019 Turkish Rally Championship, the Obel Cıvata 29th Aegean Rally, was organised by the Ege Otomobil Sporları Kulübü in Seferihisar, Izmir. Held on 13-14 April with 60 cars and 120 competitors, the event was run over a route totalling 258.78 kilometres, of which 107.25 kilometres were special stages.
On Saturday 13 April, following the start ceremony at the Euphoria Aegean Resort Hotel, attended by Seferihisar Mayor İsmail Yetişkin, Izmir Provincial Director of Youth and Sports Nüammer Uslu and TOSFED Vice President Ömer Tolon, the crews battled both their rivals and the demanding stages over two days, with a fierce fight throughout.
Returning to the Turkish Rally Championship after a three-year absence, Murat Bostancı-Onur Vatansever of Castrol Ford Team Türkiye took the lead on the second stage in their Ford Fiesta R5 and held it all the way to the finish to win the Obel Cıvata 29th Aegean Rally.
The crew of Burak Çukurova-Vedat Bostancı, Turkish champions for the past two years, competing in a Skoda Fabia R5 for BC Vision Motorsport, finished second, 12.5 seconds behind, and took the win on the power stage to add an extra 5 points to their tally.
Another BC Vision Motorsport crew in a Skoda Fabia R5, Deniz Fahri-Bahadır Gücenmez, completed the podium in third. At the end of a tough rally, Castrol Ford Team Türkiye won the manufacturers' title, while BC Vision Motorsport took the teams' victory.
In the 2WD classification and Class 3, Fatih Kara-Bilge Ayan took victory in a Fiat Egea for Fiat Motorsporları, while the other class wins were shared by Kağan Karamanoğlu-Nehir Yılmaz in a Ford Fiesta R2T for Castrol Ford Team Türkiye in Class 4, Erkan Güral-Burak Koçoğlu in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX for GP Garage My Team in Class N, and Ali Hakan Kerci-Soner Çevik, competing as privateers in a Ford Fiesta R1, in Class 5.
In the Young Drivers classification, Ali Türkkan, who has switched from circuit racing to rallying, won on his first rally experience in a Fiat Egea, with Üstün Üstünkaya of Castrol Ford Team Türkiye second and Buğra Can Kılıç of the Egea Youth Cup third. In the Young Co-Drivers classification, Ali Emre Yılmaz, competing in the Egea Youth Cup, was first and Efe Eryalaz second as they began their season.
The rally also counted towards the Turkish Historic Rally Championship, where the battle between classic rally cars over 35 years old ended with victory for six-time Turkish Historic Rally Champion Engin Kap-Özden Yılmaz. The Parkur Racing crew, driving a 1976 Ford Escort MK1, were followed by Kemal Gamgam-Orkun Demir, who competed for Castrol Ford Team Türkiye in a similar car, while the Izmir-based crew of Uygar Birgili-Afşin Baydar took third and the Category 1 win in a BMW 316.
In the Zafer Vatansever Rally Cup classification, İlhan Mutluay-Cumhur Önder took the overall win and the Category 2 win in a Citroën C2, Murat Güray-Bora Yakın took second overall and the Category 4 win in a Fiat Palio, Özcan Söke-Barkın Şahin took third overall and the Category 3 win in a Ford Fiesta ST for Castrol Ford Team Türkiye, and Kemal Çetinkaya-Onurcan Şirin won Category 1 in a Fiat Palio.
The 2019 Turkish Rally Championship continues with the Mediterranean Rally on 18-19 May.