Who Will Be Champion?

Ahead of this weekend's Rally Istanbul, the final round of the Petrol Ofisi Maxima 2024 Turkish Rally Championship, who will take the title is the big question...

The season, which began in Sarıkamış and continued through the Aegean, Bodrum, Yeşil Bursa, Eskişehir and Kocaeli, ends in Istanbul. The championship fight really does look to hang by a thread. Just 4.7 points separate Kerem and Ali; Kazaz has 114.50 and Türkkan 109.8.

Will 18-year-old Kerem Kazaz, who opened the season with victory on Sarıkamış Rally and is the current championship leader, add his name to the roll of honour — where his father appears four times — as Turkish Rally Champion in his very first season?

Or will Ali Türkkan, who made us all proud by winning gold at the FIA Motorsport Games last weekend, be the one smiling again after 2023, adding another star to his epaulette?

The answer to these two questions, which hinges on all manner of equations and possibilities, will become clear at the stop of Stage 8 at around 15:00 on Sunday.

Although dropping points by retiring from the last two gravel rallies, Eskişehir and Kocaeli, looks like a serious disadvantage for Ali, the fight seems set to go down to the final stage, and the extra points from the power stage in particular will be decisive.

Besides these two frontrunners, Marmaris Aegean winner Ümit Can Özdemir, with 90.50 points in total, also still has a 'mathematical' chance of the title, even though he failed to finish the last two rallies and lost ground. There is no need to repeat it, but it is a fact that anything can happen in motorsport right up to the last stage, so it is worth reminding that Ümit Can is also in the mix.

Going into the final rally, Kerem Kazaz leads the Juniors, Uğur Soylu the Masters and Burcu Çetinkaya the female drivers, and those positions will not change. We are already celebrating Kazaz Jr.'s junior title, Soylu's second Masters title, and the women's title for Çetinkaya, who returned this season after a long break. Among female co-drivers, Rally Istanbul will be decisive. Begüm Uludağ leads Sevi Akal by 5.8 points. We will see who is smiling this weekend.

In the 2WD Championship, with Refik Bozkurt's title already settled before the final rally, his closest rival Çağlayan Çelik and Refik have both decided to move up to 4WD and get behind the wheel of Skoda Fabia R5s for the overall classification in Istanbul...

Looking at the latest situation in the classes: Refik Bozkurt in Class 4 and Okan Öztürk in Class N have secured their class titles with 45 points and one event to go.

In Class 3, Ali Türkkan leads with 56 points, but his team-mate Efehan Yazıcı is very close behind on 53.8. Rally Istanbul will decide the outcome of the Rally3 battle.

In Class 5, in a contest between two female drivers, Sevcan Sağıroğlu leads with 49 points. Kübra Denizci Keskin is second on 42...

We will see whether it is Sevcan or Kübra who lifts the trophy at the TOSFED Gala Night.

In the Teams Championship, GP Garage My Team leads with 171.80 points. Although Parkur Racing competes in the championship with a single car, it is second on 135.50 points thanks to the points from Kerem Kazaz's junior title, and still has a mathematical chance of the championship. In third, on 132.70 points, is Atış Motorsports, which has joined the Turkish Rally Championship this year.

Castrol Ford Team Türkiye's 18th Manufacturers' Championship will become official after this event.

In the Historic Championship, which fell short of the expected interest this year with low entries, Kemal Gamgam, one of the most experienced names in the field, leads in a Ford Escort MKII for Parkur Racing. In Istanbul, where he will start as 'champion', Gamgam will be joined by young competitor Ömer Güneş in a similar MKII, also prepared by Parkur Racing.

Finally, let's take a look at the TOSFED Rally Cup. This season the cup is held in memory of Celal Gülerhan, an experienced driver who competed in motorsport for many years and passed away last year, and Taner Oruç leads. However, Berkay Erdoğan is right behind, 20 points adrift. In short, Taner must finish in Istanbul to win the cup. The candidates for second and third are Ömer Faruk Çabuk on 56 points, and Evren Olcay and Ömer Gür, who have 51 points each.

Note: On Rally Istanbul, Kerem Kazaz will compete with Corentin Silvestre, Ali Türkkan with Burak Erdener, and Ümit Can Özdemir with Kutay Ertuğrul. Because of co-driver changes during the season, they have not been named in the article.