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Rally of Turkey was first held in 2000 and already three years later it was part of the WRC. For a casual observer this would indicate a very well organised event with appealing special character, would it not? Truth is a bit different, however. The event was created WRC in mind, purpose-built if you will, and in their quest to win over the hearts and minds of decision makers, organisers even drafted in such experienced people like Simo Lampinen (clerk of the course, Rally Finland) and John Horton (press officer, Rally GB).
What comes to the character of the event, it is held in Antalya, south coast of Turkey and hence, in a very close geographical proximity to Acropolis and Cyprus. Roads have been quite rough but higher altitude and repair work by organisers make Turkey slightly different. What has been different is security situation. First running in 2003 as WRC round was in midst of US-Iraqi crisis and in 2004 extremists bombed Istanbul ahead of coming NATO meeting there. So far nothing has happened at the event (fingers crossed now).
A new event is always hard to judge but turkish organisers have be praised for their sincere approach to have genuine WRC event. Coming years will prove whether Turkey will be a passing fad like China or Indonesia were or can it gain a lasting status? If number of local spectators is anything to go by, the first years have not been that impressive but local entry has been surprisingly strong.
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| 2003:
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Sainz, Carlos
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Citroen Xsara WRC
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74.47 km/h
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| 2004:
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Loeb, Sebastien
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Citroen Xsara WRC
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80.88 km/h
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| 2005:
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Loeb, Sebastien
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Citroen Xsara WRC
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79.85 km/h
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| 2006:
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Gronholm, Marcus
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Ford Focus RS WRC 06
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77.43 km/h
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| 2008:
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Hirvonen, Mikko
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Ford Focus RS WRC 07
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76.59 km/h
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High altitude means that even snow is not unheard of in the stages.
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Minarets and ancient mountains with an odd rally car thrown in. That is Rally of Turkey.
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View from the top down to a stage reveals lone nature of the route, spectators are a scarcity.
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Driver wins
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Loeb, Sebastien (2)
Gronholm, Marcus (1)
Hirvonen, Mikko (1)
Sainz, Carlos (1)
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Manufacturer wins
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Citroen (3)
Ford (2)
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