Castrol Ford Team Türkiye made Türkiye proud by completing the Croatia Rally, one of the most challenging stops of the World Junior Rally Championship (Junior WRC), in first place. With this result, the duo of Ali Türkkan and Oytun Albayrak made history as the first team in the history of Turkish motor sports to win first place in a WRC category for the second time.
Castrol Ford Team Türkiye achieved an important performance in the Croatia Rally (9-12 April) with the aim of world championship. Ali Türkkan and Oytun Albayrak completed this challenging race, based in Rijeka and known for its variable asphalt stages, muddy slippery surfaces and unpredictable weather conditions, in first place and carried the Turkish flag to the top.
STABILITY AND STRATEGY BROUGHT VICTORY
The team, which continued the rally with great composure and stability from start to finish, won the “Power Stage” stage, where every second was a scene of great excitement and extra points were awarded, and declared victory in the Junior WRC and WRC3 categories. The high morale and correct vehicle settings they achieved with the first place in the Marmaris Aegean Rally the previous week bore fruit on the difficult tracks of Croatia.
A FIRST IN THE HISTORY OF TURKISH MOTOR SPORTS
Ali Türkkan and Oytun Albayrak, who brought our country third place in the world in the 2024 and 2025 seasons and became the first young Turkish team to win a WRC category at the Acropolis Rally last year, took this success one step further. With this result, it was stated that the Türkkan and Albayrak duo became the first Turkish team to win the title twice in the WRC arena and closed the point gap with the championship leader Calle Carlberg.
ON THE TRAIL OF CHAMPIONS
This historic victory was also a source of pride for Murat Bostancı, who won the Croatia Rally in 2015 and became the European Rally Cup Champion and coached the 13 Nisan team. Castrol Ford Team Türkiye’s engineering and strategy power, blended with Bostancı’s experience, brought the team one step closer to its goal of world championship.
Rijeka-based organization; It stands out as one of the most challenging rallies of the season with its variable weather conditions, snow residue in the higher elevations, muddy slippery stages and ever-changing asphalt character.
