Murat Retains Championship Lead

The İTO 40th Istanbul Rally, round four of the 2019 Turkish Rally Championship organised by the Istanbul Automobile Sports Club (İSOK) on 6-7 July, ended in victory for the Murat Bostancı-Onur Vatansever crew from Castrol Ford Team Türkiye. Bostancı-Vatansever maintained their lead in the Turkish Rally Championship following the win, while Burak Çukurova-Vedat Bostancı took second in a Skoda Fabia R5 for BC Vision Motorsport, with the same team's Deniz Fahri-Bahadır Gücenmez crew completing the podium in third.
On the 238.73-kilometre gravel route around Ballıca, Göçbeyli, Oruçoğlu and Bıçkıdere in the Şile district, the Class N win went to Uğur Soylu-Mehmet Köleoğlu, who competed as privateers in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX.
The two-wheel-drive classification and Class 3 were won by Fatih Kara-Bilge Ayan, who competed for Fiat Motorsporları in a Fiat Egea 1.4 T-Jet. The young drivers' classification and Class 4 went to Emre Hasbay-Batuhan Memişyazıcı of Castrol Ford Team Türkiye, while Hakan Kerci-Soner Çevik won Class 5 in a Ford Fiesta R1.
The historic category, open to classic rally cars over 35 years old, was won by Engin Kap-Oytun Albayrak of Parkur Racing in a 1976 Ford Escort MK2. Kemal Gamgam-Orkun Demir of Castrol Ford Team Türkiye took second in a similar car, with Nüvit Karakaşlı-Enez Al third in a VW Golf GTI.
In the Zafer Vatansever Rally Cup classification, Özcan Söke-Barkın Şahin took the overall and Category 3 win in a Ford Fiesta ST. İlhan Mutluay-Cumhur Önder finished second overall and first in Category 2 in a Citroen C2, while Hakan-Havva Gürel took third overall and the Category 1 win in a Suzuki Baleno. The Category 4 win in this classification went to Murat Güray-Bora Yakın in a Fiat Palio.
Round five of the 2019 Turkish Rally Championship will be Rally Turkey, part of the World Rally Championship, which the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) will organise in and around Marmaris on 12-15 September.