Turkish Crews in Greece for Acropolis Rally

Having completed the opening two rounds of the 2017 European Rally Championship and climbed to fourth in the teams' standings, the Castrol Ford Team Türkiye squad heads to Greece for the third round of the championship. At the Acropolis Rally, Murat Bostancı-Onur Vatansever will compete in a Ford Fiesta R5, while Buğra Banaz-Burak Erdener and Ümitcan Özdemir-Batuhan Memişyazıcı will start in the front-wheel-drive 1.0 Ecoboost Fiesta R2T to strengthen Castrol Ford Team Türkiye's challenge in the teams' championship.

Regarded as one of the toughest rallies of the season, the two-day Acropolis Rally sees the crews tackle a total of 686.3 km on gravel, including 229.8 km spread over 12 special stages.

Murat Bostancı, the championship-winning driver of Castrol Ford Team Türkiye, who finished this rally as the leader of the two-wheel-drive class in 2016, said: "The characteristics of the stages are close to those in Turkey, and I want to make the most of the advantage of having competed here last year. We have prepared very well technically, and in this rally we will use for the first time Pirelli's XR-class tyres, made specially for events like this. I have complete confidence in my Ford Fiesta R5. I think we will return from Greece with the best possible result for our team, and I believe we will represent our country in the best way."

Castrol Ford Team Türkiye team director Serdar Bostancı said of the Acropolis Rally: "We completed the first two rounds of the season on two separate team islands in the Atlantic Ocean, which were unfamiliar to us. Now we will compete with our young crews on a route we are more used to and like. With its climate and nature similar to Turkey's, we are much more ambitious this time at the Acropolis Rally in Greece."Bursa-based İsmet Toktaş, who is contesting the Turkish Rally Championship this season in a Ford Fiesta R2T with the support of AES Elektronik, RMK Makina, Buron Mimarlık, Nando and Hankook, is also travelling to Greece as a privateer, with Sedat Bostancı as co-driver.

The Fırat Yükselir-Ecem Çalık crew, who will compete in RC5 with a Ford Fiesta R1, will also start in Greece as privateers, and will be taking part in a European Rally Championship event for the first time.