Zoom Testing ahead of the 2008 campaign

The 2008 IRC season gets underway with the Istanbul Rally this weekend, based in Turkey's historic capital where Europe meets Asia.

The all-gravel event formed the second round of the IRC last year, but this time it opens the series. The stages consist of some classic gravel roads, which are extremely varied in terms of speed and character. The surfaces are made up of fast but smooth gravel, which remains reasonably consistent even during the second run through the stages. Amongst the particular features of the rally are some water splashes, which form a spectacular highlight of the route.

In total there are 15 stages, split over two days of action, which total 255 competitive kilometres. The rally gets underway with a ceremonial start on Friday night in the centre of Istanbul, but the proper action starts on Saturday morning with the first of the special stages at 09:18.

The opening leg will see the competitors tackle nine special stages, with three service halts in total during the day. Competitors return to parc ferme at 19:07, having completed the first 153 competitive kilometres of this challenging event.

The action resumes at 0850 the following morning, when the crews tackle a morning loop of three stages that is repeated in the afternoon, with central service at Pendik in between. The winner is scheduled to cross the finish ramp at 15:42, outside the Rally Headquarters near the service park.

Weather conditions at this time of year are expected to be warm and dry, so tyre wear will be average to high. However, as is often the case in rallying, anything can happen. Last year's event produced a tight and unpredictable battle to the finish, with the Abarth Grande Punto of Anton Alen losing his lead on the final afternoon due to brake problems in the tough conditions.

Jean-Pierre Nicolas, IRC motorsport development manager
“I'm looking forward to what should be an extremely competitive event. We've got an excellent number of Super 2000 cars and Group N Mitsubishis taking the start, and looking at the entry list, there are between 10 and 15 competitors who are quite capable of winning. So it should be two days of very close competition.”

Giandomenico Basso, Abarth driver
“The full IRC is a new adventure for me this year, but I am starting with confidence. I've never competed on this rally before, but I have some experience of other events in Turkey so I think I have some idea what to expect. There is no particular strategy for me; I am just going to go at what feels like a comfortable pace and then we will see where we are at the end of the first day.”

Freddy Loix, Peugeot driver
“From what I can see it's going to be a very quick rally, but also one where there might be a risk of punctures. Our preparations have not been ideal, as we had to cancel a test in France due to bad weather. So the rally will actually be the first time that I drive the Peugeot on gravel, which should be interesting!”

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: IRC