Rally Preview

The event's harsh terrain should have a familiar feel. Run high in the Anatolian mountains, over a variety of broken gravel roads, the stages are broadly similar to those used a fortnight ago on the preceding event in Cyprus. However, there are some important differences. Firstly, the speeds in Turkey are nowhere near as slow as in Cyprus. Secondly the stages are more varied, with several water-splashes and a range of interesting corners making them a spectator's favourite. Turkey has also had its date on the calendar altered for 2006, meaning that conditions should be significantly different to last year's. Its new slot, four months later and right at the end of the summer, makes rain a distinct possibility, as well as fog over some of the mountain tracks.Making its fourth appearance in the FIA WRC calendar, this year's rally will be based once again in the town of Kemer, 40km south of the holiday resort of Antalya. The event will begin with a colourful ceremonial start in Antalya's Cumhuriyet Square on Thursday evening with the proper rallying taking place over the following three days. The rally comprises 19 special stages and a total competitive distance of 351.01 kilometres. Friday's first Leg is the longest of the rally, with 152 stage kilometres, including a night-time Superspecial in the grounds of Akdeniz University. Leg two brings seven more mountain stages and another visit to the Superspecial, while Sunday's three stages make it the shortest Leg of the rally. The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp in Kemer at 1306hrs on Sunday.

Team Previews:

1. Kronos Total Citroen
2. OMV-Peugeot Norway
3. BP-Ford
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
5. 555 Subaru
6. Red Bull Skoda

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Doubtless penalised by the temporary absence of number one team-mates Sébastien Loeb/ Daniel Elena, the Kronos Total Citroën WRT has no intention to give up in Turkey. The Belgian team, currently leading the 'Manufacturers' rankings, is firmly decided to face up to this real tough break and has chosen to enter British team-mates Colin McRae and Nicky Grist to drive the number 1 Xsara. Dani Sordo/Marc Marti are the second nominated crew to score points as since Germany. Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio take the start behind the wheel of the 2005 Xsara with active differentials.

Colin McRae: "The good thing about Turkey is that I should have a good position on theroad the first day. If I should start with Marcus [Grönholm] and Mikko [Hirvonen], I think it would be harder. Hopefully the conditions will be dry and I could take profit of starting around the fifteenth position. It might be enough to make the difference on the first day and give me time to get back in the pace for the second day. That's exactly what happened in Australia last year. On the first leg I found clean roads, built up my confidence and I could match the front runners pace the next day."

Daniel Sordo: "What I know from Marc [Martí] and the other drivers is that it's faster and nicer than Cyprus, so surely more enjoyable on a driving point of view. I spoke a lot with Matthieu Bassou, our car engineer and with Michel Ducher, the BFGoodrich technician who works with us. They know the Turkish stages and for me it's a great help. Thanks to their experience, we have tried to do a good job in selecting our tyre package. Regarding my result. I must finish the rally without any scratch on the car."

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally has every reason to be satisfied with the FIA World Rally Championship 2006 so far. Both drivers are in the top ten of the intermediate driver ranking - Manfred Stohl in fifth and Henning Solberg in eighth place. In the manufacture ranking they are in the lead of the M2-teams since the beginning of the season. But now there is a new objective for the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team: to replace the Subaru works team in third place in the manufacture ranking until year's end.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "Each new rally is a challenge, of course. But I don't think that we will have any problems. Compared to Japan, where I also premiered this year, the stages in Turkey are rather slow. That helps to find your rhythm faster. Furthermore, the difference to the Cyprus Rally doesn't seem to be too big - therefore a few WRC-points should be well possible."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "I really don't remember it that well. But I like this rally and I'm sure that I can be very fast there. Furthermore, Bozian-Racing promised me an excellently prepared car for Turkey."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team's thrilling late season world title charge heads to Turkey next week with the squad's campaign boosted by a dramatic twist to the championship race. A string of strong points finishes in the second half of the campaign from Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen has enabled BP-Ford to close to within seven points of the leaders in the FIA World Rally Championship's manufacturers' series.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "I will be driving in Turkey to win the rally and then I will go to Australia to try to do the same.  I will try to avoid problems, avoid mistakes and then if everything goes well I hope to win this rally.  If we keep clear of big problems for the rest of the season then we have a very good chance of winning a championship - and the manufacturers' title looks our best option."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "As a team we need to catch the championship leaders and while we are still behind them in the points table, my approach to rallies will not alter.  I need to score good points.  If that means I can move ahead of Dani as well, then so much the better, but the manufacturers' championship is our main target."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

The M-Sport run Stobart-VK Rally Team has entered two 2004-specification Focus RS WRCs for Britons Matthew Wilson / Michael Orr and Finns Kosti Katajamaki / Timo Alanne.

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5. Subaru

Petter has tackled Rally Turkey three times before and has finished on the podium twice. His best result came in 2005 when he was second. Last year was Chris's first attempt at the rally and it proved to be a dramatic debut. The Australian retired on the first Leg after ripping a rear wheel off on a rock. He was back for Legs two and three to complete the route and build experience of the tricky conditions.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: 'The Turkish rally is good, I like the stages a lot and it's one that normally suits our car and tyres pretty well. We've shown good speed there in the past and I'm going to do the best job I can this time too. When it comes to setting a personal goal for the rally, I really want to say that I'll fight for a win, but given our current form that will be very difficult. So I'm aiming for a podium, but who knows maybe there will be the chance of something better. Things can change very quickly in this sport, and for sure things will turn around for us sooner or later.'

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: 'Turkey is a tricky rally with very varied conditions. Last time we had rain, hard-packed roads, some loose stuff, slow bits and flat-out sections. This year I'm expecting a bit of everything and changing conditions again - it's a fairly entertaining rally. Coming so soon after Cyprus I think it's going to be a difficult rally too. In Cyprus we weren't expecting a fantastic result, we were realistic about our chances and that's what we got. Next week I'm hoping to keep things more consistent and just hang in there. Going at the same pace we were running at in Cyprus I think a top-five finish is possible - we'll just have to wait and see.'

6. Red Bull Skoda

The two Red Bull Skoda team bosses Raimund Baumschlager and Armin Schwarz expect straight answers from the additional test session in Turkey on Monday: "We'll fly in an engine specialist from Liechtenstein just for that. He is to provide clarification on how the two for us still mysterious incidents did come about in Cyprus. We'll then process the results in time on location. After all we want to have another trouble-free rally with both Fabia WRCs in Turkey, just like we have managed so often throughout the season so far."

Harri Rovanpera: "I presume that the team will get a grip on the Cyprus problems. Of course we only had limited time for preparation, so we all have to work hard. Myself, I'm entirely motivated and I hope to finally bring in drivers' and manufacturers' points this time with a good result in Turkey without any particular problems."

Andreas Aigner:  "I ran the shakedown only twice, this was enough to determine that we can go into the rally with a lot of optimism. But the weather conditions, with plenty of rain, should make for a very tough rally."

Event Timetable

Thursday 12 October: Ceremonial start
Start  Cumhuriyet Square, Antalya 19.45


Friday 13 October: Leg 1 Kemer - Kemer
Start  Kemer                  07.00
SS1    Perge 1        22.43km 07.58
SS2    Myra 1          24.15km 08.41
SS3    Kumluca 1              9.90km  09.24
Serv A  Kemer (30 mins)                10.54
SS4    Perge 2        22.43km 12.22
SS5    Myra 2          24.15km 13.05
SS6    Kumluca 2                9.90km        13.48
Serv B  Kemer (30 mins)                15.18
SS7    Tekirova 1                5 50km        16.11
SS8    Phaselis 1              29.28km 17.09
SS9    Akdeniz University SSS 1                5.20km  19.22
Serv C  Kemer (45 mins)                20.42
Finish  Kemer                  21.27
Total                  152.94km


Saturday 14 October: Leg 2 Kemer - Kemer
Serv D  Kemer (10 mins)                08.00
SS10    Kemer 1        20.50km 08.33
SS11    Silyon 1                27.36km 09.21
Serv E  Kemer (30 mins)                11.11
SS12    Kemer 2        20.50km 12.04
SS13    Silyon 2                27.36km 12.52
Serv F  Kemer (30 mins)                14.42
SS14    Chimera 1              16.91km 16.00
SS15    Phaselis 2              29.28km 16.58
SS16    Akdeniz University SSS 2                5.20km  19.11
Serv G  Kemer (45 mins)                20.31
Finish  Kemer                  21.16
Total                  147.11km


Sunday 15 October: Leg 3 Kemer - Kemer
Serv H  Kemer (10 mins)                09.15
SS17    Tekirova 2                5.50km        09.48
SS18    Chimera 2              16.91km 10.31
SS19    Olympos        28.55km 11.19
Serv I  Kemer (20 mins)                12.42
Finish  Kemer                  13.06
Total                  50.96km
Rally Total            351.01km

Leaderboard after Leg 1

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 57min 25.1sec
2.  P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 57min 51.2sec
3.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 58min 13.9sec
4.  H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 58min 14.6sec
5.  K Katajamaki/T Alanne FIN Ford Focus RS 58min 37.3sec
6.  C McRae/N Grist GB Citroen Xsara 58min 51.0sec
7.  C Atkinson/G MacNeall AUS Subaru Impreza 58min 51.6sec
8.  X Pons/C Del Barrio E Citroen Xsara 58min 59.3sec
9.  M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 59min 21.3sec
10 F Duval/ P Pivato B Skoda Fabia 59min 24.9sec

Leg One News

Petter Solberg (Subaru) led the chase of Grönholm, the rejuvenated Norwegian winning the final three stages to close the gap.  Henning Solberg (Peugeot) spun after puncturing a left front tyre on stage 6 but he is fourth, less than a second behind Hirvonen.  Kosti Katajamaki (Ford) lies fifth, despite clipping a bridge, ahead of Colin McRae (Citroen).  McRae, replacing the injured Sébastien Loeb, held fourth before a poor tyre choice this afternoon cost time and he slipped back.  Team-mate Dani Sordo held eighth until he also suffered with his tyre selection and dropped three places.  Harri Rovanperä (Skoda) lost 30sec after hitting a rock and damaging the rear left suspension but he was able to limp back to service.  The only major retirement was Jan Kopecky (Skoda) who broke his steering on stage 6.

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Colin McRae/Nicky Grist are sixth at the end of an opening leg that was deprived of three special stages in the morning by some truly awful road conditions and weather. Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio occupy eighth place while Dani Sordo/Marc Marti are 11th.

Colin McRae: "I can't pretend that I'm not a bit disappointed. OK, we've lost time, but at least we know exactly why. We had hoped for dry conditions, or at least a clean line, whereas it was muddy from start to finish. However, I'm very happy with my Xsara. I grew in confidence with it as the day went on. It's certainly been an interesting way to get to grips with it !"

Daniel Sordo: "The positive side was that my Xsara still felt predictable and easy to drive despite that handicap. On SS8 my notes worked well and I had a good feeling - I was hoping for a decent performance. Tomorrow, we will try to make the right tyre choices and climb back up the leaderboard."

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team is represented by one team in the absolute top field - Henning Solberg and Cato Menkerud. The Norwegian OMV duo lies in fourth place after leg one. They are only 0,7 seconds behind a place on the podium. Manfred Stohl and Ilka Minor got off to a worse start. Following problems in the beginning they nevertheless fought their way up to current ninth overall place. Their goal is to score points which should be possible if the course dries up.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "We are not satisfied with our performance. The right feeling is also missing. Sometimes I think that we're on a good way but the times speak a different language. And there is also the problem that we can't optimally accelerate out of the turns. Right now we hope that things will be better on Saturday. If the course dries up this should work out."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud:  "The duel with my brother gives me wings. Today we already achieved two second-best overall times. Too bad that three special stages were cancelled and one was abridged today. For these conditions really suit us."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen mastered treacherous conditions to lead the Rally of Turkey after today's weather-hit opening leg.  The Finns hold a 26.1sec advantage in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car following a day in which more than half the competitive distance was cancelled, as torrential rain turned the mountain gravel tracks in the south of the country into a muddy mess.  Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen lie third.  Their similar BP Ultimate and Castrol-branded Focus RS World Rally Car is involved in a battle with the Solberg brothers.  The Finns are 26.1sec behind Petter and just 0.7sec ahead of Henning.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "It was incredibly difficult this morning. It was so muddy, with surprises everywhere, and it was impossible to attack in those conditions because I could have slid off the road in first gear in that weather.  It was just a question of survival.  I was surprised how quickly it dried, to the point that the driving line was dry in places. I lost time this afternoon but that was through running first on the road.  I cleared the drying mud away from the surface and that left drier conditions for those behind.  I haven't driven as aggressively as I would if I was fighting with Sébastien Loeb but I'm not on my own at the front.  Petter has been driving quickly and I will have to push hard tomorrow and keep a close watch on his split times.  I'm happy to be ahead but the gap is not big enough to relax"

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "It was like driving on thin ice and the grip changed all the time so I had no idea which parts would be slippery. I think I can push Petter tomorrow.  I'm really enjoying battling with other drivers because on the last few rallies I've not had to fight with anyone. I've had to raise my speed and I'm enjoying that.  I'm a little frustrated to lose time this morning when I started too steadily but it was just so muddy."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

Friday the 13th didn't prove too much concern for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team in Rally Turkey as the cars of Kosti Katajamaki and Matthew Wilson came home in 5th and 14th respectively.

Matthew Wilson: "These are the worst conditions that I've ever driven in. We had lots of under steer which made it so tricky and also the road surfaces were so changeable, there was just no grip."

Kosti Katajamaki: "I am happy with how things went today although the conditions were very difficult. I actually prefer it when it is wet and slippery instead of when it is drying out. I'm hoping for more rain tomorrow!"

5. Subaru

Petter Solberg lies in second place overall after an action-packed first Leg of competition on Rally Turkey today. The combination of some shrewd tyres choices and a perfectly reliable car kept Solberg near the top of the leaderboard all day and enabled him to set the fastest time on three stages.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "It's been a very good day actually. The development is clearly going in the right direction and the car is improving all the time. We'll have to keep pushing further and there's still a long way to go to keep looking for the speed, but after today I've got a good feeling."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "We've taken quite a conservative approach to today because of the conditions. The set up changes we made earlier have made the car a bit easier to handle in the rough stuff and we're happy that we are driving to the plan. I'm sure that we can take some time out of the guys ahead and hopefully make up some positions."

6. Red Bull Skoda

The two Fabia WRCs of Red Bull Skoda were running at a variable pace today, on the first leg of the Rally of Turkey. In the beginning it was Andreas Aigner who made everyone take notice with P7, but subsequently his times tailed off slightly. After his mishap in the morning when he had returned to the Kemer service park on three wheels, Harri Rovanpera was able to show his speed on the final stages of the afternoon, his reward was a seventh-fastest special stage time as well.

Harri Rovanpera: (After SS3) "It was very slippery, and it all went very fast. I wasn't able to avoid the rock because of all the mud on the road. We can be glad that we were even able to return to service on three wheels."

Andreas Aigner:  "It was incredibly difficult to choose the right pace in conditions like these without running off the road. Each and every corner is giving you goose bumps since you don't know whether or not there will be enough grip. Quite slowly we got used to these conditions, so I hope we can continue like that. We even had a mascot in the car: For some unknown reason we had a lizard as a stowaway on SS 3."

Leaderboard after Leg 2

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 49min 50.4sec
2.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 51min 55.6sec
3.  H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 2hr 52min 36.0sec
4.  C Atkinson/G MacNeall AUS Subaru Impreza 2hr 52min 54.4sec
5.  K Katajamaki/T Alanne FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 52min 56.1sec
6.  X Pons/C Del Barrio E Citroen Xsara 2hr 53min 19.9sec
7.  C McRae/N Grist GB Citroen Xsara 2hr 53min 34.6sec
8.  F Duval/ P Pivato B Skoda Fabia 2hr 54min 02.6sec
9.  M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 2hr 54min 12.1sec
10 D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen Xsara 2hr 54min 18.4sec

Leg Two News

Petter Solberg (Subaru) continued to lead the challenge to Grönholm.  The Norwegian set two fastest times but retired on the penultimate stage when he hit a rock and was launched into a ditch.  His demise allowed brother Henning (Peugeot) to climb into third.  He escaped with a broken wheel after hitting a rock this morning and the engine briefly stalled this afternoon. Chris Atkinson (Subaru) enjoyed a good day, moving up from seventh to fourth.  He was just ahead of Kosti Katajamaki (Ford), who lost some seconds a with a handbrake problem early this afternoon.  Xevi Pons (Citroen) also went well, the Spaniard climbing from eighth to fifth before eventually ending the day in sixth.  He lies ahead of team-mate Colin McRae, who dropped time this morning with a poor tyre choice.

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio occupy sixth place tonight, leading the Citroen Xsara line-up. Colin McRae/Nicky Grist are immediately behind them, while Dani Sordo/Marc Marti have climbed back into the top 10. All three Xsaras are in a position to score driver or manufacturer points, and the crews will be trying to improve their totals on the short final leg.

Colin McRae: "I've not enjoyed it, what with the hail in Chimera that would have made even walking difficult, and that horrible stage where Dani set an excellent fastest time. It's the sort of thing that you just want to get over with. Tomorrow I'm hoping for normal conditions, so that we can up our pace and end the rally on a positive note."

Daniel Sordo: "With our '8' compound BFGoodrich tyres cut appropriately, we had an incredible amount of grip" he said. "I was told to be wary of the lack of grip in chimera but after a few corners I felt very confident. I could not avoid the rock that caused our puncture : I saw it at the last minute and it was right on the racing line. I'm not as high up the order as I would have liked, but there are many positive aspects to this rally : in particular my excellent feeling with the Xsara and the quality of our notes. I set two fourth-fastest times on stages I didn't know and I took my first stage win on gravel. It's been a good day!"

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

It could be another magic moment for the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team at the "Rally of Turkey". After day two the Norwegian OMV duo Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud lies in sensational third place. Should this still be true on Sunday it would mean the second podium place, after Mexico (Manfred Stohl), for the team and Bozian-Racing. But there are still three special stages to go and considering the varying conditions in Turkey a lot could yet happen.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "I hope the weather forecast will prove right and the sun will shine on Sunday. That would definitely heighten our chances."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "There is still a lot of hard work ahead. Especially when it rains since we only have used rain tyres and Atkinson is just 18,4 seconds behind us. But we are determined not to let the podium slip away. We're on track and know that we can get there under our own steam."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team lies first and second in the Rally of Turkey tonight after another day of treacherously slippery competition in the southern mountains. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen, who powered to the front in the opening kilometres yesterday, ended the second leg of this three-day event with a 2min 05.2sec lead in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen hold second in a similar Focus RS.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "I'm in a pretty good position so I hope that tomorrow I can keep my lead. It is better to have a big lead than a 30sec advantage.  I feel confident and the car is strong but you can never tell.  Petter was pushing quite hard and I needed to keep a close eye on his times because he was on my mind quite a bit."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "I was driving on the maximum most of the time this morning, although there were some places where I could have pushed a little more. Henning was pushing hard behind me so I couldn't afford to make mistakes.  On the last few events I have been able to drive cautiously to save the car but that's not the case here.  I have a strong car and I was driving flat out.  Once I heard Petter had retired I eased off, but that's not always a good thing because you lose your rhythm.  Second would be a great result, but I must remember that tomorrow won't be easy."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

Information unavailable at time of going to press

5. Subaru

Subaru World Rally Team driver Chris Atkinson made up three places during today's second Leg of Rally Turkey to end the day fourth overall. With three more stages left to run on Sunday, Atkinson is carrying the flag for Subaru after a stage winning performance from Petter Solberg was brought to an end by a rock on the day's penultimate test. Solberg is expected to re-join the event tomorrow.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: 'We came around a corner and the car hit a rock in the road. We bounced off the stage and into a ditch. I can't believe this after we've had so many positives earlier in the rally. It was an incredible feeling to again be fighting at the top, and it's very good to see that everyone's hard work is showing with more speed. There's still more to do, but we're getting back again.'

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "The conditions on those last two mountain stages were very difficult. We went for a steady run and were cautious trying not to get caught out by the snow, ice or mud. There's no need to be a hero, however we've again moved up and are in fourth position. Tomorrow we will just continue this approach and try and make up more time and positions.'

6. Red Bull Skoda

The Red Bull Skoda drivers were able to slightly improve their overall positions, but it was even more gratifying that Aigner's and Rovanpera's pace has been improving substantially today. Aigner managed a sensational fourth-fastest time on SS 14, ahead of people like Colin McRae, Mikko Hirvonen and Manfred Stohl. On stages 10 and 15 the Styrian finished tenth and seventh. Harri Rovanpera too was pushing hard and was able to post a ninth-fastest time on SS 11.

Harri Rovanpera: "I tried to push all the time and drove right on the limit. Unfortunately I had two tyre failures on a single stage which again lost me a lot of time. The conditions on the special stages were very hard to assess and very changeable, there was still a lot of mud on the road."

Andreas Aigner: "It was a lot of fun, Raimund had already told me that we had fitted the right tyres. I'm very satisfied with today's peformance, a further two top ten times in addition to my fourth-fastest time are good results."

Final Results

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 28min 16.3sec
2.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 30min 39.7sec
3.  H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 3hr 31min 22.3sec
4.  X Pons/C Del Barrio E Citroen Xsara 3hr 31min 43.7sec
5.  K Katajamaki/T Alanne FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 31min 44.8sec
6.  C Atkinson/G MacNeall AUS Subaru Impreza 3hr 31min 52.8sec
7.  D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen Xsara 3hr 32min 41.1sec
8.  M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 3hr 32min 46.6sec
9.  F Duval/ P Pivato B Skoda Fabia 3hr 33min 51.9sec
10 A Aigner/K Wicha A Skoda Fabia 3hr 35min 13.7sec

Final Leg News

Ford World Rally Team claimed a magnificent 1-2 finish on the Rally of Turkey today to move into the lead of the FIA World Rally Championship. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen led from start to finish in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to secure their fifth victory of the season in treacherously slippery conditions.  The Finns won by 2min 23.4sec from team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, who equalled their career-best result in another Focus RS. Henning Solberg (Peugeot) claimed his first WRC podium finish in third, despite a leaking brake pipe on the penultimate stage which he fixed himself.  A thrilling three-car battle for fourth saw the trio swap positions on every stage.  It ended with Xevi Pons (Citroen) leaping from sixth to fourth on the final test.  He finished 1.1sec ahead of Kosti Katajamaki (Ford), who climbed to fourth on the penultimate stage but suffered a loss of power on the final test due to high oil and gearbox temperatures.  Chris Atkinson (Subaru) started the day in fourth but spun on the penultimate stage to slip to fifth and dropped another place on the last test.  Dani Sordo (Citroen) started the day in 10th but snatched seventh with top three times on the final two stages.  However, team-mate Colin McRae had less success, stopping on the final test with alternator troubles and losing seventh place.

1. Kronos Total Citroen

The final leg of the Rally of Turkey on Sunday was short, consisting of three special stages made up of 51 competitive kilometres. However, Kronos Racing's two young Spaniards put it to excellent use. Xevi Pons and Dani Sordo concluded an excellent rally by making up two and three places respectively on the final day. Pons ended up just off the podium, while reigning Junior World Champion Sordo was seventh. Colin McRae/Nicky Grist were forced into retirement on the final stage with an alternator problem.

Colin McRae: Retired

Daniel Sordo: "I was here in Turkey for the first time. It's a nice rally and quite specialised. From the beginning I had a Xsara that was forgiving and easy to drive : exactly what you need in these conditions. My notes were accurate, and there were not too many surprises. OK, on Friday I went for a tyre choice that was hardly ideal. On the other hand, I set some quick times on the first run through some of the stages, I also set my first fastest time on gravel - which is something I won't forget - and finally I finished the rally pushing hard. It's all very encouraging."

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team has reason to celebrate at the "Rally of Turkey". Following Manfred Stohl in Mexico, OMV Teammate Henning Solberg also reached the podium on Sunday. This also means the first top 3 place in the FIA World Rally Championship for the 33-year-old Norwegian. A competitive performance on the final day won Manfred Stohl and Ilka Minor one WRC-point in the driver ranking. In the manufacture ranking the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team took no less than eight points.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor:  "We tried everything and on Sunday we were really fast. I didn't lose seventh place just on the last special stage. In any case it is one point won and we can leave Turkey with our heads held high. I nevertheless expect top results for the next rallies once again."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud:  "When we reached the finish of the SS Cato suddenly started to cry. I couldn't help myself and joined in. It is such a wonderful day for us. I'd like to thank my family, Bozian Racing and my sponsors who have made such happiness possible for me."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team claimed a magnificent 1-2 finish on the Rally of Turkey today to move into the lead of the FIA World Rally Championship. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen led from start to finish in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to secure their fifth victory of the season in treacherously slippery conditions. The Finns won by 2min 23.4sec from team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, who equalled their career-best result in another Focus RS.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "To win with no problems in such tricky conditions is a fantastic achievement from the whole team. Yesterday was one of the worst days I have seen in the WRC.  It was a difficult rally with so much mud and I felt far more relaxed when I no longer had to push after Petter Solberg retired yesterday.  It was incredibly hard to attack on roads that were so slippery it was difficult to stand up."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "This has been a really strong weekend from the team and a very important result. We made no mistakes which is excellent in these tough conditions.  They constantly changed and we even saw hail yesterday.  I was confident before the start because I knew changes to the set-up of my car would benefit me and I would be quicker.  It is fantastic to have a 1-2 finish for Ford and Finland.  We had such a good car and it was a good team effort.  There are three more rallies and I hope for three more podiums."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

No information available at time of going to press

5. Subaru

Subaru World Rally Team driver Chris Atkinson finished sixth on Rally Turkey today after a tense final Leg of competition which brought multiple changes to the top ten. Atkinson started the day in a realistic pursuit of third place, but a small mistake on the second test dropped him into the frantic battle for fourth instead. After 351 stage kilometres in some extremely difficult conditions, Chris finished the rally just nine seconds adrift of fourth place and 30.5 seconds off the podium. After retiring on the second Leg, Petter Solberg restarted today to test different settings for the forthcoming gravel events. Solberg set the quickest time on two of the three stages.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "Apart from hitting the rock yesterday, the rally was actually quite good for us. The car has improved and we enjoyed being back again where we should be. Of course we are not happy with the overall result, but we're happy with the performance. We'll keep pushing harder as we know there is still much more to come."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "It's been a tricky weekend as the speed is encouraging but still we want better results. We struggled with the set-up all weekend and trying to find the right balance, so it's good to get to the finish. We're sure to be trying in Australia as it's my home rally and we led there last year and want to get a strong result."

6. Red Bull Skoda

On the final day of the 7th Rally of Turkey in Kemer, the sun shone permanently for the first time after the disastrous weather conditions of the days before. Red Bull Skoda was able to bring both Fabia WRCs to the finishing line without any problems this time despite the difficult and very changeable conditions.

Harri Rovanpera: "I had no technical problems whatsoever this time. Personally, I expected a bit more from my rally in Turkey. Unfortunately, losing the wheel on the first day cost me more than a minute for sure, and it's simply impossible to make that up again."

Andreas Aigner: "On the first day I still felt a bit insecure because of the heavy rain and the loads of mud on the road, but I'm very happy with the second and the third day. We, and I'm referring to the entire team, have taken another big step up the ladder, and I want to thank everybody, including my co-driver Klaus Wicha. Obviously I'm feeling very good right now, I can really push on each and every stage already which makes me particularly happy. I hope that I'll be able to repeat that in December at the conclusion of the WRC season in Wales."