Zoom The IRC jumps one destination

The start of the Istanbul Rally, first round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, will be given Saturday April 5th.

The contenders were initially set to contest the season's opening race in Kenya, but political unrest forced IRC organisers to pull the Safari Rally event off the calendar last January, thereby establishing Turkey as the first destination of the series this year.

The country's largest city will host the IRC during the first week-end of April. Entry forms can still be filed until Friday March 21st, with the official entry list to be published five days afterwards.

The rally programme is as follows:

Tuesday, April 1
12:00 : Opening of the Service Park
15:00 - 19:00 : Collection of material and documents

Wednesday, April 2
08:30 – 11:00 : Collection of material and documents
11:00 – 19:00 : 1st day of reconnaissance
16:00 – 19:00 : Administrative checks for FIA

Thursday, April 3
08:00 - 19:00 : 2nd day of reconnaissance
10:00 – 16:00 : Administrative checks for FIA
12:00 : Media Centre opens
15:00 : Safety Tracking System test
16:00 – 20:00 : Administrative checks for private entries

Friday, April 4
08:00 – 12:00 : Scrutineering & sealing – marking
10:30 – 11:00 : Recce of Shakedown
11:00 – 13:00 : Shakedown
13:30 : First stewards' meeting
14:30 : Publication of Start List for Day 1
14:30 : Pre-rally press conference
18:00 : Ceremonial Start

Saturday, April 5
08:30 : Start of Day 1
19:07 : Finish of Day 1 / Parc Fermé
22:30 : Publication of Day 2 partial unofficial classification
22:30 : Publication of Start List for Day 2

Sunday April 6
08:50 : Start of Day 2
15:42 : Finish of Day 2 and of rally
16:30 : FIA press conference
16:30 : Final Checks
18:30 : Publication of provisional results

Daniel BASTIEN
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