Local driver Yagiz Avci beat the FIA European Rally Championship regulars to win round 3 of the 2011 ERC season, the Bosphorus Rally in Turkey at the weekend.
The Castrol Ford Team Turkey driver clinched the win by 25.7 seconds ahead of Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 S2000) after three days of competition that included 16 Special Stages on the gravel-based event.
Renato Travaglia (Ford Fiesta S2000) led the rally after the first day of competition, but when the Italian crashed out early on day 2, Avci took over at the head of the field and was never again headed.
The Turkish driver led by more than 40 seconds at the end of the second leg and controlled that gap to secure victory on the final day of competition.
“I’m so happy to have won a big rally after such a long time,” said Avci. “Our opponents were fast but we completed the event without a single problem. This was the most important achievement of my life.”
With Avci not registered for championship points, Betti’s second place was enough to move the Peugeot man to the top of the standings with erstwhile leader Luca Rossetti opting to miss the event.
“We are happy,” said Betti. “We expected to win but at least we have got some ERC points.”
Maciej Oleksowicz (Ford Fiesta S2000) kept his title hopes alive with third place ahead of another local driver, Murat Bostanci (Ford Fiesta S2000), while Szymon Ruta (Peugeot 207) S2000 continued his strong form in fifth.
FIA European Rally Championship result – Round 3, Bosphorus Rally
Top Ten overall
1 Yagiz Avci / Bahadir Gucenmez, Ford Fiesta S2000, 2:27.49.0
2 Luca Betti / Maurizio Barone, Peugeot 207 S2000, +25.7
3 Maciej Oleksowicz / Andrzej Oleksowicz, Ford Fiesta S2000, +1:00.6
4 Murat Bostanci / Andrej Obrebowski, Ford Fiesta S2000, +3:39.5
5 Szymon Ruta / Sebastian Rozwadowski, Peugeot 207 S2000, +5:08.3
6 Ercan Kazaz / Serdar Kurbanzade, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, +5:29.8
7 Antonin Tlust’ak / Jan Skaloud, Skoda Fabia S2000, +9:58.1
8 Ugur Soylu / Fatih Inan, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, +11:28.2
9 Todor Slavov / Dobromir Filipov, Renault Clio R3, +12:31.8
10 Menderes Okur / Aras Dincer, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, +12:53.7
Championship Standings (after 3 rounds)
1 Luca Betti, 89pts
2 Luca Rossetti, 85
3 Maciej Oleksowicz, 63
4 Renato Travaglia, 35
= Szymon Ruta, 35
6 Antonin Tlust’ak, 27
7 Dimitar Iliev, 25
8 Alessandro Perico, 21
9 Todor Slavov, 12
10 Stefano Albertini, 9
Next round: 24-25 June, Geko Ypres Rally, Belgium
Watch Bosphorus Rally highlights on Motors TV this Friday at 10:35pm (BST).
Andy Wilkinson
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