Soylu Takes Championship Lead
Uğur Soylu and Soner Tamer of GP Garage My Team, supported by EVOFONE, won Kocaeli Büyükşehir Rally, round six of the Petrol Ofisi Maxima 2026 Turkish Rally Championship.
Of the 40 crews that started the tough event, 29 made it to the finish. Can Alakoç and Bilge Ayan of Castrol Ford Team Türkiye finished second, while Eytan Halfon and Gürkal Menderes of GP Garage My Team completed the podium in third. Soylu, who drives a Skoda Fabia Rally2, followed up his victory on Eskişehir Rally with another win in Kocaeli to move into the championship lead.
Organised with the contributions of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, Körfez Municipality, Otokar, Remed Assistance, Salados, Fora, AutoClub, Power App, Telsan and Auto Karasu, the event produced intense battles over nine special stages that were made considerably tougher by rain on both days.
Championship leaders Kerem Kazaz and Ross Whittock of Team Petrol Ofisi arrived in Kocaeli at the top of the standings and led the rally after the first three stages. An alternator belt problem on the fourth stage, however, forced them to retire at the start of the final stage of the day. The crew rejoined under Super Rally on the second day and took the bonus stage win and the Remed Assistance special award.
Uğur Soylu and Soner Tamer took the Class 2 win, while GP Garage My Team won the teams' classification. Osman Ceylan and Batuhan Doğan won the 2WD and Class 4 categories, while Castrol Ford Team Türkiye's Can Alakoç and Bilge Ayan took Class 3 and the young drivers' title. Uğur Kaban and Mert Kaya won Class 5, and Sevgi Aktürk and Begüm Uludağ won the women's crews' classification.
In the event's Behiç Yurdaçalışan TOSFED Rally Cup classification, Ömer Güneş and Ege Can Ünlü won both the overall classification and Category 3. Tuncer and Asena Sancaklı were second overall, while Baran Demirkan and Tarık Doğançay finished third in the cup and won Category 2. Orçun Nural and Süleyman Terzioğlu won Category 4, and Berat Yıldırım and Onur Sırımoğlu won Category 1. Candan Erim, who competed alongside Mesut Şafak Doğan, was the cup's top woman driver, while Asena Sancaklı was the top woman co-driver.
The rally season will end with the Orhan Yüce 46th Istanbul Rally, organised by the Istanbul Automobile Sports Club (İOSK) on 13-15 November.
