Ümit Can Özdemir Wins, Burak Çukurova Takes the Title
Round six of the Shell Helix 2021 Turkish Rally Championship, the 41st Istanbul Rally, ended in victory for the Ümit Can Özdemir-Batuhan Memişyazıcı crew, who drove a Ford Fiesta R5 for Castrol Ford Team Türkiye.
Özdemir finished the first day of the rally 10 seconds ahead of the Burak Çukurova-Vedat Bostancı crew and kept that advantage on the second day, taking the top step of the podium once again after Rally Kocaeli. Burak Çukurova-Vedat Bostancı of BC Vision Motorsport finished second, 10.8 seconds behind, while the Cem Alakoç-Emir Şahin pairing, also driving for BC Vision Motorsport, took third place on the 41st Istanbul Rally. Alakoç and Şahin impressed with their pace on their first outing in the TrackVia-backed Skoda Fabia R5.
Castrol Ford Team Türkiye won the manufacturers' award for the rally, while BC Vision Motorsport took the teams' victory. After the 41st Istanbul Rally, Burak Çukurova was crowned 2021 Shell Helix Turkish Rally Champion.
The rally was organised by the Istanbul Automobile Sports Club, known as İOSK, with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Budget as title sponsors and the contributions of Spor Toto, Viaport Marina, Autodrom, Sardunya, Arpos Teknoloji, Auto Club, Fora Takip and Power APP. In the 2WD, Young Drivers and Class 4 classifications, Ali Türkkan-Aras Dinçer of Castrol Ford Team Türkiye finished first; Buğra Can Kılıç-Yusuf Çalık of Evofone Rally Team won Class N; Erol Akbaş-Egemen Dural of Castrol Ford Team Türkiye won Class 3; and Çağlayan Çelik-Ufuk Uluocak of Clio Rally Trophy Turkey won Class 5. 
In the Young Co-drivers classification at the 41st Istanbul Rally, Alperen Tetik, who competed alongside Gürol Baranlı, lifted the trophy. Su Yüksel, who won the Women's category in the 2019 TOSFED Looking for a Star project and is following the championship this season with TOSFED and FIAT support, took the podium as the top female driver with Yağmur Aksoy as co-driver, while Çiçek Güney, who competed with Dağhan Ünlüdoğan, won the Female Co-drivers award.
In the historic rally classification, open to classic cars over 35 years old, Üstün Üstünkaya-Kerim Tar of Parkur Racing, who had retired on the first day with a mechanical problem and started the second day under Super Rally, won both the overall classification and Category 2 in their Ford Escort MKII.
In the Şevki Gökermen Rally Cup, Yaman Yılmaz-Soner Tamer, driving a Fiat Egea, won the overall classification and Category 2, while Alptekin Işıkalp-Sevi Akal won Category 1, Emrah Ali Başo-Yasin Tomurcuk won Category 3 and Erhan Akbaş-Ersen Yıldız won Category 4. 
In the 2021 Clio Rally Trophy Turkey, which consisted of six events and ended with the 41st Istanbul Rally, Çağlayan Çelik-Ufuk Uluocak took the title, while in the 2021 Fiesta Rally Cup the Kağan Karamanoğlu-Oytun Albayrak pairing secured the season title.
