2008 season preview

The 2008 IRC season gets underway with the Istanbul Rally this weekend, based in Turkey"s historic capital where Europe meets Asia. The all-gravel event formed the second round of the IRC last year, but this time it opens the series.

The stages consist of some classic gravel roads, which are extremely varied in terms of speed and character. The surfaces are made up of fast but smooth gravel, which remains reasonably consistent even during the second run through the stages. Amongst the particular features of the rally are some watersplashes, which form a spectacular highlight of the route.

In total there are 15 stages, split over two days of action, which total 255 competitive kilometres. The rally gets underway with a ceremonial start on Friday night in the centre of Istanbul, but the proper action starts on Saturday morning with the first of the special stages at 09:18.

The opening leg will see the competitors tackle nine special stages, with three service halts in total during the day. Competitors return to parc ferme at 19:07, having completed the first 153 competitive kilometres of this challenging event.

The action resumes at 08:50 the following morning, when the crews tackle a morning loop of three stages that is repeated in the afternoon, with central service at Pendik in between. The winner is scheduled to cross the finish ramp at 15:42, outside the Rally Headquarters near the service park.

Weather conditions at this time of year are expected to be warm and dry, so tyre wear will be average to high. However, as is often the case in rallying, anything can happen. Last year's event produced a tight and unpredictable battle to the finish, with the Abarth Grande Punto of Anton Alen losing his lead on the final afternoon due to brake problems in the tough conditions.