Young Finnish driver Anton Alen has got off to a flying start on his very first drive for the Abarth team, finishing the first leg of the Fiat Rally in Turkey this afternoon with a controlling 17 second advantage at the front.

The Istanbul-based rally which counts for both the Intercontinental Ralluy Challenge (IRC) and FIA European Rally Championship officially got underway last night with a short spectator-orientated 'superspecial' stage in the paddock area of the Grand Prix circuit. While the two new Super2000 Peugeot 207 entries - joining the IRC for the first time - got off to an excellent start, finishing 1-2 on the time sheeets, the Abarth team were much further back, ending the opening night in 14th and 16th positions, with Andrea Navarra – the winner on the opening round of the IRC in Africa – ahead of Anton Alen. The young Finn, making his debut with Abarth, said last night that he hopes mainly to get to the finish, in order to build up more experience of the car. Watching Anton was his famous father, Markku, who drove for Fiat and Lancia for more than 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s. "There's no pressure on Anton, but I think he could go well," commented Alen Sr. "I've not really got any advice to give him - I think he can work it all out on his own now!"

However that initial caution was somewhat misplaced as it all changed at the top of the leaderboard this morning, Alen getting his career with the Italian team off to a fantastic start by winning the first proper gravel stage of the Rally of Turkey this morning. He set fastest time by nearly three seconds on the five-kilometre SS2 stage, comfortably beating the two Peugeots of Nicolas Vouilloz and Enrique Ojeda. The result moved Alen up to fourth overall, five seconds behind the leader Ojeda. Vouilloz was second, while local driver Yagiz Avci was third in a Mitsubishi. Alen's pace, according to his father Markku, could be down to some longer gear ratios used by Abarth that make the Grande Punto very quick on fast stages.

Peugeot driver and former mountain bike champion Vouilloz soon took over at the top from his team mate and he led the rally as the crews pulled into the first service area this morning, followed by the flying Grande Punto Abarth of Anton Alen. Vouilloz though was holding on to a very slender lead after the first four stages, of just three seconds over Alen. "The stages are really slippery, and quite technical as you cannot see through the blinds bends," he said. "We tried our best to have a good pace, but I think everybody is playing themselves in." Meanwhile Alen said that the stages reminded him slightly of his native Finland, but that he was still having to learn the car. "The driving style is completely different to the Group N cars I am used to," he reported. "You have to keep the car working at very high revs: you cannot rely on torque. The most important thing is to keep the driving style very clean."

Ojeda was delighted with third place on his four-wheel drive debut, just ahead of the top local driver Volkan Isik in another Grande Punto. The leading Group N car at this point was Renato Travaglia's Mitsubishi in fifth place, while Andrea Navarra's was in sixth place in his Grande Punto, a position that was mostly down to the fact that he is sweeping the road clean today for everybody else.
 

Vouilloz lost the lead of the rally six kilometres from the end of SS6, with a front-left puncture to his Peugeot. The puncture cost him 50 seconds, so Alen moved into the lead the rally. It was an advantage that the Finn maintained as the cars raced towards the second service point of the opening leg, the youngster arriving with a 21 second advantage, and with just four stages remaining of leg one, including a second run through the superspecial next to the service area. "I'm trying a bit now, as I feel more comfortable with the car on the second run through the stages," said Alen at the second service. "On the last stage before service I backed off a bit, but apart from that I've been driving fairly hard, but certainly within myself. I'm not counting on anything: there is a long way left to go."

Behind Alen was the Peugeot of Ojeda, who had enjoyed a trouble-free run over the opening seven stages – unlike his team mate Vouilloz who was now in fifth place - just one second behind Travaglia's Mitsubishi in fourth. Vouilloz was determined to try and fight back on the cleaner four stages still remaining in the afternoon, exploiting the nimble handling of his Peugeot 207 S2000.

During the final quartet of stages Alen maintained his advantage at the front, arriving at overnight parc ferme in Istanbul with a 17.7 second lead over Ojeda's Peugeot 207. "It's been a very tough day of rallying and I certainly didn't expect to come out of it in the lead," said the 23-year-old son of rally legend Makku. "My priority for this rally has been to learn the car and how to drive it, rather than set quick times. I tried to stick to a pace that was quick, but with no risks. There is a long way still to go and I am sure the others are coming quickly now.”

Second at the end of leg one was Ojeda, and the Spaniard's only problem late in the day was a 10-second penalty that he picked up for leaving the second service a minute late, after the Peugeot mechanics had detected a water leak. Local driver Volkan Isik is in third place overall overnight in another Grande Punto, 29.2 seconds off the rally leader, this time the car is entered by the Turkish Fiat importer's team, Fiat Motorsporlari. By the end of the opening leg Vouilloz had recovered well and he is next up having fought his way back to fourth thanks to a string of fastest stage times. He is now just 0.6 of a second behind Isik.

Alen's team mate Navarra struggled all day as a result of being first on the road and sweeping it clean for everyone else. However the problem went away during the repeated stages in the afternoon and the Italian was able to climb up to fifth place overall, 45.5 seconds off the lead, and just ahead of former FIA European Rally Champion Travaglia who is the top Group N car in his Mitsubishi Lancer.

After all his ecellent efforts over 11 tough stages today Alen will be looking to maintain his advantage in the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 at the front during leg two. Tomorrow, the crews will compete on eight more challenging stages to the east of Istanbul before the finish line is reached at 1600.