The Fiat Grande Punto Super2000 made its FIA World Rally Championship debut at the weekend on the Rally of Turkey, and on this toughest of challenges, the new car was really tested against the odds.  While Paolo Andreucci and Anna Andreussi were powering their way to the Italian Rally Championship title on the Rally Costa Smeralda, Giandomenico Basso and team-mate Volkan Işık were struggling through the treacherous mud and rocks on the roads on the Rally of Turkey.

Basso, who had already wrapped up both the 2006 FIA European Rally Championship and the inaugural International Rally Challenge (IRC) for Fiat, was chosen to give the new car its eagerly-awaited WRC debut.  The Italian, with Mitia Dotta alongside as usual, was backed up by local driver Volkan Işık and his co-driver Güray Karacar.  The event started badly with both cars hitting the same bridge and ripping their right front wheels loose on the very first timed stage to be run, dreadful weather conditions having blighted the early rally itinerary. 

The New Business 16 team patched the two cars up overnight and, taking advantage of the ‘SupeRally’ rule, which allows cars to re-enter the event subject to a stiff time penalty, they were back in the fray in time for the start of leg two.  Basso then set a string of very fast times, chasing home the WRC machines at the front whilst consistently setting quicker times than the Group N and JWRC cars.  The rally potential of the Super2000 Grande Punto was amply demonstrated, although its durability is still in question. 

The final leg, held on Sunday morning, comprised of just three very tough, loose-surface stages, and Volkan Işık, who had dropped out of the running for a second consecutive day on Saturday, was back in the decimated field for a third time.
 

The opening stage of the day, the 5.50km SS17 (Tekirowa 2), saw the two Grande Punto drivers 17th and 18th overall, again the fastest non-WRC machines, Işık pipping his team-mate Basso by just 0.8 of a second, the Italian moving up to 42nd overall.  With the penultimate stage of the rally (SS18, Chimera 2), Basso really turned up the heat, posting the 15th quickest time (1 minute 7.6 seconds off the fastest overall, Petter Solberg in the Subaru Impreza WRC 2006) and in the process getting himself in amongst the privately-entered WRC machines.  Basso thus moved one place further up the overall leaderboard to 41st place.  Işık meanwhile was 17th on the stage, 6.5 seconds adrift of his team-mate.

The final stage of the rally (SS19, Olympos) and Basso turned in his finest performance of the event, posting an incredible 13th fastest overall time, just 1 minute and 27.7 seconds away from the fastest time set by Petter Solberg over the 28.55km long stage, who was also involved in his own fight back up the overall leaderboard.  Basso was faster on the test than three WRC machines, including the highly experienced Harry Rovanpera (Skoda Fabia WRC) and the new Turkish Champion Ercan Kazaz (Subaru Impreza).  Işık, too, posted a highly competitive time, 16th quickest overall and again faster than the Group N and JWRC runners.  This final flourish allowed Basso to finish 38th overall.  Overall, the rally represented a very tough start on the WRC scene for the Grande Punto, but one which allowed its loose surface potential ability to be demonstrated clearly.