World RX heads to Istanbul Park

Only three rounds remain of the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship, and the 21 Supercar entry racing on Cooper tires at Istanbul Park (02-04 October) will be sure to put on a show for the fans as the season starts to draw to a close.
 
Designed, built and put to good use as a Formula 1 race track between 2005 and 2011, Istanbul Park has also played host over the years to the FIA WTCC, DTM and Le Mans Series.
 
Last year, in the inaugural season of World RX, Istanbul Park featured on the calendar with the ‘joker lap’ located at turn three. The same ‘joker lap’ returns for this weekend’s race.
 
Ford Olsbergs MSE driver Andreas Bakkerud won at Istanbul in 2014 and if he shows he is truly the master of the Turkish circuit, winning here again this season, it could give the popular Norwegian driver an opportunity to jump back up the championship standings table and into the top three.
 
Paul Coates, General Manager – Motorsport, Cooper Tire Europe, said, “Described by many as ‘one of the best race tracks in the world’ the World Rallycross Championship returns to Istanbul Park. This track really shows the drivers’ skills. As we saw last year the gravel sections can be very slippery and a mistake here could cost valuable time so drivers with ice driving experience certainly have an advantage. The Cooper rallycross tire’s construction and compounding technology help ensure that the drivers can cope with a wide range of surfaces.”
 
Despite reigning World RX champion Petter Solberg dominating the drivers’ title chase, Swedish racer Timmy Hansen now sits just 35 points behind the Norwegian in the championship standings. Johan Kristoffersson is third, with a gap of 26 points from Hansen.
 
For the Cooper Tire supplied RX Lites series, Istanbul is the penultimate round of the season meaning Turkey could ultimately be the championship decider for these young drivers.