Turkey Returns to the WRC in Style
Rally Turkey, which played host to one of the most memorable battles in the history of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), ended with a spectacular podium ceremony. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented the trophies to the winning Estonian crew Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja, Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu to the Finnish pair Jari-Matti Latvala and Miika Anttila in second, and FIA President Jean Todt to New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon and British co-driver Sebastian Marshall, who managed to reach the finish in third. The Manufacturers' Cup trophy for winners Toyota Gazoo Racing was handed to Team Principal Tommi Makinen by TOSFED President Serkan Yazıcı.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Erdoğan said: "The most important feature of this championship is that 800 million people around the world follow it on 133 channels. We have held the finale of a sporting event that also helps our country's beauty to be recognised worldwide. We have rewarded our champions. On behalf of myself and my nation, I thank our president (Jean Todt) very much in your presence. God willing, we will be together again next year," giving the good news that the event would remain in Turkey.
During the stages of Rally Turkey, broadcast live by the World Rally Championship's official television channel WRC TV, Marmaris's lush green pine forests and deep blue sea were laid out in all their beauty before the eyes of the world, and the organisation was widely praised.
Rally Turkey was also etched into memories sportingly. The constantly changing order and the crews' battle, as much against one another as against the demanding road conditions, was watched with admiration. Presenters on screen, and motorsport fans around the world on social media, stressed that they had witnessed one of the most dramatic rallies in the World Rally Championship.
Rally Turkey brought a fresh breeze to the World Rally Championship (WRC), which it rejoined after an eight-year absence. As well as being the first event added to the WRC calendar on a completely new route after a very long break, its dusty, gravelly, at times stony and slippery roads, full of surprises, put the crews into a fight unlike anything they were used to.
Almost all the drivers encountered a rally where being fast was not enough; it was just as important to develop strategies that carefully weighed changing conditions and risks. The crews spoke of the difficulty of the stages, and of the challenge of finding the right pace and ideal set-up.
Ott Tänak won Rally Turkey in a Toyota Yaris WRC. The Estonian driver thus took his third consecutive victory and moved up to second in the FIA WRC World Rally Championship standings. Tanak's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala finished second, while New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon took third to reach the podium for the first time this year.
Among the drivers fighting for the title before Rally Turkey, Neuville fell back with mechanical problems and Ogier after going off the road, but by taking first and second on the Marmaris stage, run as the Power Stage, they collected valuable points and kept their title hopes alive. After Rally Turkey, the World Rally Championship has turned into a far more exciting contest, with three drivers now fighting for the title.
2018 Rally Turkey Overall Classification
1. Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 3h 59m 24.5s
2. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 3h 59m 46.8s
3. Hayden Paddon/Sebastian Marshall Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 4h 01m 10.8s
4. Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 4h 03m 35.4s
5. Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jaeger Synnevaag Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 4h 06m 36.2s
6. Henning Solberg/Ilka Minor Ford Fiesta R5 4h 13m 05.1s
7. Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 4h 17m 49.7s
8. Simone Tempestini/Sergiu Itu (Citroën C3 R5 (WRC 2) 4h 19m 01.6s
9. Chris Ingram/Ross Whittock Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 4h 19m 45.8s
10. Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) 4h 20m 15.7s
2018 FIA World Rally Championship Standings
1. Thierry Neuville 177
2. Ott Tanak 164
3. Sebastien Ogier 154
