Çukurova-Bostancı Win in Kocaeli
The Ford Otosan 35th Kocaeli Rally, the seventh and final round of the 2017 Turkish Rally Championship, was held on 11-12 November with 58 cars and 116 competitors. Also counting towards the Turkish Historic Rally Championship, the Renç Koçibey Rally Cup and the Fiesta Rally Cup, the event saw crews battle over eight stages across two days. The rally ended on Sunday evening, 12 November, with a prize-giving ceremony on the finish podium in front of 41 Burda AVM, with 31 cars reaching the finish.
ÇUKURODA-BOSTANCI ON TOP
After a demanding two-day rally, Burak Çukurova-Vedat Bostancı, competing for BC Vision Motorsport in a Skoda Fabia R5, won the Ford Otosan 35th Kocaeli Rally. Çukurova-Bostancı had already secured the 2017 Turkish Rally Championship title ahead of this rally, and made it official by closing the season with a victory.
Uğur Soylu-Mehmet Köleoğlu took second in a Skoda Fabia R5 for Toksport WRT, while Cem Alakoç-Yusuf Çelik, driving a Ford Fiesta R2 for Ford Motorsport Turkey, reached the finish podium in third.
THE CLASS BATTLES WERE FIERCE
Cem Alakoç-Yusuf Çelik also took the Class 4 and 2WD class wins, while the other class winners were Hotmoz Kalhor-Kamran Hatam Khani in Class N, who travelled from Iran to compete in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX for Toksport WRT, and Murat Soyçopur-Can Hergüner in Class 3 in a Renault Clio R3. The leading female driver was Burcu Çetinkaya Bucak, competing with Çiçek Güney in a Ford Fiesta ST for Ford Motorsport Turkey, while the leading female co-driver was Tuğba Bora, who competed with Melih Evranlı in a Ford Fiesta ST for Ford Motorsport Turkey. The youngest driver prize also went to the same team, with And Sunman competing alongside Bahar Sunman, while the teams' award went to BC Vision Motorsport.
HISTORICS DEFY THE YEARS
Rally cars over 35 years old continued to defy the years in Kocaeli. The fastest of the eight historic crews to start was Burak Türkkan-Onur Arslan in a Ford Escort MK2 for Parkur Racing, who also won Category 2 and the Redbull.com power stage.
In this class, Levent Gür-Oytun Albayrak took second overall and the Category 1 win in a Fiat 131, while Gerçek Sunman-Göktuğ Tuncay claimed third overall, also in a Fiat 131.
BAŞO WINS THE RENÇ KOÇİBEY CUP
In the Renç Koçibey Rally Cup class, which saw 31 crews start, Emrah Ali Başo-Gürkal Menderes won in a Ford Fiesta R1, with Mert Gür-Ege Can Ünlü second in a Fiat Palio and Özcan Öz-İlker Çaçen third, also in a Fiat Palio. The category winners were Başo-Menderes in Category 1, Yasin Güleç-Ali Özsoy in Category 2 in a Peugeot 206 RC, Murat Üçbaşaran-Oktay Öztürk in Category 3 in a Peugeot 306 GTI, and İrfan Tatlıcılar-Levent Çulhacı in Category 4 in a Fiat Palio.
