Two weeks after the last round in Greece, the FIA World Rally Championship stays hot and rough for the last in a trio of Mediterranean rallies - the Rally of Turkey - which runs between the 12th and 15th of June.
And with just one point deciding both the drivers' and manufacturers' title battles as the series reaches round eight, the competition is bound to be fierce this week as teams and drivers jostle to take the lead into the six week summer break.
Rally Turkey made its debut in the World Rally Championship in 2003 and returns to this year's calendar after missing a year in 2007. The event is a rough and rocky gravel rally, although it is not generally as hard on the drivers and cars as the last round in Greece.
The rally also counts as round four of the 2008 Production Car World Rally Championship (P-WRC), and 23 competitors will be back in action after the last round in Greece.
Citroens have the best winning record in Turkey. Carlos Sainz got the ball rolling for the French team with a win in 2003, while Sebastien Loeb took victory in 2004 and 2005. Ford pair Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen took a memorable one - two in 2006, but it was impossible to know what Loeb might have done because he was at home nursing a broken shoulder after falling from a mountain bike.
Like on the previous two rounds, road position will count for a lot in Turkey - especially if the conditions remain dry and dusty. This too should favour Hirvonen, who will benefit from a racing line swept slightly cleaner by stage opener, Loeb. Whether this will be enough for Hirvonen, or whether it will provide another performance springboard for Jari-Matti Latvala and Dani Sordo, both of whom are further back, remains to be seen.
The Subaru team remains another unknown quantity. Second place on the Greek debut of the new Impreza was a remarkable start, and Atkinson's stage win on the final day while 'trying a few new things' hints that the team's return to its rally winning days could be closer than we think.
And with just one point deciding both the drivers' and manufacturers' title battles as the series reaches round eight, the competition is bound to be fierce this week as teams and drivers jostle to take the lead into the six week summer break.
Rally Turkey made its debut in the World Rally Championship in 2003 and returns to this year's calendar after missing a year in 2007. The event is a rough and rocky gravel rally, although it is not generally as hard on the drivers and cars as the last round in Greece.
The rally also counts as round four of the 2008 Production Car World Rally Championship (P-WRC), and 23 competitors will be back in action after the last round in Greece.
Citroens have the best winning record in Turkey. Carlos Sainz got the ball rolling for the French team with a win in 2003, while Sebastien Loeb took victory in 2004 and 2005. Ford pair Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen took a memorable one - two in 2006, but it was impossible to know what Loeb might have done because he was at home nursing a broken shoulder after falling from a mountain bike.
Like on the previous two rounds, road position will count for a lot in Turkey - especially if the conditions remain dry and dusty. This too should favour Hirvonen, who will benefit from a racing line swept slightly cleaner by stage opener, Loeb. Whether this will be enough for Hirvonen, or whether it will provide another performance springboard for Jari-Matti Latvala and Dani Sordo, both of whom are further back, remains to be seen.
The Subaru team remains another unknown quantity. Second place on the Greek debut of the new Impreza was a remarkable start, and Atkinson's stage win on the final day while 'trying a few new things' hints that the team's return to its rally winning days could be closer than we think.