RALLY TURKEY SET TO DECIDE OUTCOME OF FIVE-ROUND
FIA JUNIOR WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP (JWRC)
· Sweden’s Emil Bergkvist and Dennis Rådström top JWRC standings
MARMARIS (TURKEY): Double points will be on offer at this weekend’s Rally Turkey for drivers taking part in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) in what promises to be a thrilling finale to the rookie category on the Turkish Riveira.
Rally Turkey has attracted 13 Juniors amongst the 14 WRC 3 entrants. Sweden’s Emil Bergkvist arrives in the tourist town of Marmaris with a 14-point lead in the JWRC category over fellow countryman Dennis Rådström. The advantage is largely irrelevant with 50 points available to the winner and a point on offer for each stage win. The championship is very much still wide open.
The 24-year-old category leader has yet to claim a victory this season, but second places in Sweden and Finland and third in Corsica have given him the advantage, despite Rådström taking victories in both Sweden and Portugal. His rival’s downfall was a costly accident in Finland.
Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, on the other hand, won in Corsica and has done well enough on the non-JWRC rounds – including taking the win in Sardinia – to have forged into an 11-point lead in the FIA WRC 3 category. “Anything is possible here,” claimed the Frenchman. “A lot can happen and we have done as much preparation as possible so that we will have no regrets.”
Estonian Ken Torn finds himself in contention for the title following an impressive victory in Finland, while Julius Tannert also has an outside chance of claiming the title along with the likes of Callum Devine and Enrico Oldrati. Terry Folb is still recovering from a torn clavicle ligament sustained in an August’s mountain biking accident.
Fifteen drivers have scored points in the series so far this year, including Turkey’s sole representative Buğra Banaz at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R2. The 26-year-old Castrol Ford Team Turkey driver hails from the town of Eskişehir and lies ninth in the points’ standings.
While the JWRC title takes centre stage, Franceschi will be hoping to extend his advantage in the WRC 3 two-wheel drive R2 category for cars powered by 1.6-litre turbocharged engines. He currently holds the advantage over Finland’s Taisko Lario, Rådström and Bergkvist. Lario has moved into late contention for the title after finishing second in Sardinia and claiming the win in Germany recently.
As officials, media and team personnel from all across the world continue to arrive in Turkey, priority and non-priority drivers have now completed the first day of their stage reconnaissance for the 17-stage event.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), FIA Priority drivers will be able to carry out low-speed passes through the remainder of the special stages before the official five-kilometre Shakedown gets underway on Thursday morning at Değirmenyani.
2018 FIA JWRC Championship – latest positions:
1. Emil Bergkvist (SWE)
2. Dennis Radström (SWE)
3. Jean-Baptiste Franceschi (FRA) 62 pts
4. Ken Torn (EST)
5. Julius Tannert (DEU)
6. Terry Folb (FRA)
7. Callum Devine (IRL)
8. Enrico Oldrati (ITA)
8. Buğra Banaz (TUR)
10. Luca Bottarelli (ITA)
2018 FIA WRC 3 Championship – latest positions:
1. Jean-Baptiste Franceschi (FRA) 79 pts
2. Taisko Lario (FIN)
3. Dennis Radström (SWE)
4. Emil Bergkvist (SWE)
5. Enrico Brazzoli (ITA)
6. Ken Torn (EST)
7. Louise Cook (GBR)
7. Julius Tannert (DEU)
9. Terry Folb (FRA)
10. Callum Devine (IRL)
Ends
For further media information:
2018 Rally Turkey, Media Centre, E-mail: National Media Officer Atil Atilgan. [email protected] and [email protected] or English staff writer Neil Perkins, [email protected].
