09.07.2003  FIAT PALIO SUPER 1600 RALLY CAR GAINS STRONG FIRST VICTORY IN YUGOSLAVIA

Nejat Avci, who was the 1997 European Champion, joined the FIAT-Abarth Motorsports team this year and is mostly responsible for the Palio's first success outside Turkey. 

He said after the race, "This is the first foreign race for the Palio Super 1600 and it was a important introduction with much happiness for us. We are very pleased with the cars adjustments. The viewers and competitors here have shown very much attention to the Palio Super 1600. This has become an even greater source of happiness. Although we lost one and a half minutes due to minor problems, we never connection with the struggle of the race and because of that, although our main competitor had to withdraw from the race on the first day and we slowed down a little bit, we gained an important victory in the Super 1600 category. The points we have gained here will be very valuable for us in the Turkey Rally Championship and in the Super 1600 category". 

All 16 special stages of the Interspeed Rally were held on 194km's of asphalt roads.

Previously, the Rally Bulgaria, which was held in Bulgaria between the 13th and 15th of June, saw success for the FIAT-Abarth Motorsports drivers Volkan Isik and Nejat Avci who finished first and second in the Super 1600 Category. Isik also came home sixth overall while Avci was three places further back in ninth.

The Rally Bulgaria, previously known as the Albena Rally, also counted for points in the European Rally Championship being a prestigious twenty co-efficient, and was held over 13 special stages. The whole rally, which saw fifty three entrants, was held on asphalt roads. The combined length of the special stages was 289 km's.

The FIAT-Abarth Motorsports drivers, Volkan Isik and Erkan Guleren, were inside the top five throughout the event, but lost time due a tyre problem on the first day. On the second day the team attacked again and despite most of their competitors using 2-litre four wheel drive WRC's they succeeded in finishing in 6th place and amazingly set fastest time on stage twelve. Winning the special stage saw them timed nine seconds faster than Jassen Popov in his Skoda Octavia WRC and twelve seconds ahead the winner of the recent Tofas Rally, Bruno Thiry.

The Fiat Palio Super 1600 duo Nejat Avic and Ozden Yilmaz came followed Volkan Isik home in the Super 1600 category. The pair, who also had tyre problems which cost them significant time succeeded in coming home inside the top ten overall.

additional reporting by Tolga Yilmaz