Volkan Işık has won the 32nd ELPA Rally in Greece, the ninth round of the FIA European Rally Championship, at the wheel of his Fiat Motorsports Turkey Grande Punto Abarth S2000. For Işık and co-driver Kaan Özşenler, the somewhat surprising result marked his first European win, and gives him a real shot at the European Rally Championship title. “I did not expect to win this rally,” said Işık. “Even the second place would be good for us. But we are happy now. We were near this victory for long, this time; we made it and we are very satisfied.”

It was a highly impressive display from start to finish from the former multiple Turkish national champion, who faced some tough opposition on the mixed-surface event, the first in any major rally championship in many years. The rally was split into two legs, the first on asphalt, the second on gravel. In addition to Işık’s entry, a second Grande Punto S2000 was entered by the Cersanit Rally Team for Poles Michał Sołowow and Maciej Baran. A third Grande Punto, intended to be run by Italian outfit MRT for fellow Poles Tomasz Czopik and Łukasz Wroński, failed to materialise after logistical problems.

Starting with a stage on Thursday evening, the rally began well for Işık, the Abarth driver setting equal fastest time with the PH Sport-run Citroën C2 S1600 of Simon Jean-Joseph and Jack Boyère. Losing just under a second on the first stage on Friday morning to the Martinique-based driver, with Renato Travaglia’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX in close company, Işık hit back on SS3, the 28km Holomondas 1, which he won by 2.8 seconds from Jean-Joseph, reversing the deficit into a 1.9-second lead. The gap would see-saw back and forth over the day’s repeated stages, with both drivers consistently pulling away from the field, but eventually Işık and Özşenler would complete the seven-stage leg with a lead of just 0.2 seconds over the C2 – a remarkable result after 111km of flat-out driving.

Due to new ERC point-scoring rules implemented from his season onward, however, that small margin would nevertheless prove highly significant for the Turkish crew. In addition to the standard WRC-style points score allocated to the first eight finishers at the end of the rally, the ERC also allocates points to the fastest three crews on each leg on a 3-2-1 basis. With every point crucial in his campaign for the ERC title, this represented a crucial haul for Işık. “I’m happy for the three points we gained today but not for our starting position tomorrow, because we will have a disadvantage in the gravel,” he said at the end of the first leg. “The stages were nice today, the car was good and the rally is great so far.”

In sixth place overall and fifth in the FIA ERC classification lay Sołowow. “We have faced no problems during the second loop,” said the Polish driver. “My main observation is that the tarmac stages at Halkidiki are more grippy than those in Patras. But the stages are really nice and safe.  Tomorrow we will race 150 kilometres in difficult conditions on gravel. I think that we will benefit from our starting position and we will try to win.”

Leg two was made up of six gravel stages, but despite it being Işık’s favoured surface, the opening stage, Toroni 1, was less than perfect for the Abarth driver. Renato Travaglia pulled out a blinding time, 27.2 seconds clear of Işık, and claimed the overall lead, just under four seconds in front of the Turk. His lead was short-lived, however; Işık restored his position at the top of the leaderboard on the very next stage by immediately responding with fastest time on SS9, Ambelonas 1.
 

The turnaround was equally as emphatic as on the previous stage, his time over 28 seconds quicker than the Mitsubishi. This set the Abarth up with a lead the Turks would not relinquish, a point reinforced by two more quickest times on the last two stages of the rally (SS12 and SS13).

The winning margin was a comfortable 1:28.8 over Travaglia and Daniele Vernuccio, who suffered late problems, with third place occupied by Jean-Joseph and Boyère, over two minutes down on the victorious Grande Punto. Michał Sołowow and Maciej Baran’s Grande Punto came home fourth, while Bulgarians Krum Donchev and Stoyko Valchev rounded out the top 5. Fellow Bulgarians, Dimitar Iliev and Yanaki Yanakiev, were unlucky to be disqualified for a rule infringement whilst refuelling, which was protested by the Citroen team and subsequently upheld. Driving on appeal in leg 2, the pair retired due to differential problems in SS9, as did locals Aris Vovos and Loris ‘El-Em’ Meletopoulos in their similar car.

“This was our first European Rally Championship win and the first for Turkey,” said a delighted Işık after achieving the victory. “The feeling is very nice. Also, we gained a lot of points for the ERC. Because we had more time than in the other rallies, we were able to concentrate especially for ELPA Rally, but we were not expecting to win here. The gravel stages were really difficult and the mixed surface seems nice, but it also has extra cost.”

For his part, Sołowow regarded the rally as a thorough challenge. “Very difficult rally, especially today in the gravel stages,” said the Polish Abarth pilot. “It was our first time in gravel with the Punto.  We had not the proper setup but I think we will progress in the future.”

After nine rounds of the 2007 FIA ERC, Işık’s win has hoisted him right into contention for the title; in addition to the three points from leg 1, a further three points from the second leg, plus 10 for the victory, sees him come away with the maximum 16 points. Immediately following the rally’s conclusion he was provisionally the championship leader, but Jean-Joseph gained two extra points when Travaglia was excluded for a scrutineering infringement. This tips the balance in the Frenchman’s favour, who now has 49 points to Işık’s 48. Despite his retirement, Dimitar Iliev (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) is also still in the picture with 44 points. Travaglia, who has 35 points, has lodged an appeal, and an overturning of the stewards’ decision would see the Italian also re-enter the title fray.

The 10th and final round of the 2007 FIA ERC will take place in a fortnight’s time (October 19-21) with the Rally d’Antibes in the south of France. Işık will take on Jean-Joseph for the title over stages which, to him, will be unfamiliar turf, but that the Frenchman, the reigning national champion, knows like the back of his hand. The challenge will be all-asphalt, another factor which will favour Jean-Joseph and the nimble Citroën C2, but Işık, a gravel specialist, can draw strength from his performance on the asphalt sections of the ELPA Rally.

by Shant Fabricatorian