Syd Stelvio Peking to Paris 25 - Day 28 – Sivas to Ankara – 505km
A hectic day was in store for the competitors on day 28 of this year’s P2P, with no less than three regularities to compete in, and a lot of ground to cover as well, as the rally steamed towards Ankara, Türkiye’s capital city.
The sky overhead was as clear as a bell, but after all the chaos of yesterday, no doubt a few of the crews were looking up to see if they had their own black cloud following them around, especially with this being Friday the 13th – though it’s almost impossible for any of us on the rally to keep track of days or dates, our timeline exists purely in kilometres and day numbers.
It would be a day of extremely pleasant driving, on pleasant roads in pleasant surroundings – save for a couple of hundred clicks on highway. The run out to the first pair of regs was through delightful rolling hills and farmland, and just for a second I was transported back to the Downs of home. The roadside was flanked with purple Thistles, bright yellow Spurge and clumps of Dog Rose, and sweet-smelling Salvias. This would remain a constant for most of the day.
Reg one passed into reg two, which started with a tricky climb up a set of gravel switchbacks, climbing high above the village of Gazi, with the dome and minarets of its Mosque reflecting the early morning sunshine. The second of the hairpin bends on this section were particularly torn up, and bounced and tossed the cars with abandon, though some, such as James Hall-Smith and Ed Talbot, managed to pick a smooth line around the bend. Speaking of which, the boys say the diminutive Fulvia is going great guns since their little bumper-thumper a few days ago, and our resident crash test dummies are convinced it is running even better than before.
The reg passed with nothing too nefarious taking place and the road continued along a pleasant run to the morning time control, as we passed from hillside to village and back again, as well as driving through a stunning canyon and alongside a river that was teeming with the chatter of Bullfrogs. For a second, we could all have forgotten that we were on a rally, ignorant to the need to be anywhere or do anything. But if ignorance is bliss, then wipe the smile from my face, as this rally isn’t done just yet. Inevitably we joined the highway for a bit, before the time control, where a typical roadside café served a delightful Turkish Coffee, for those whose tastebuds are broken.
The middle part of the day was monotonous, a long drive on the highway keeping a close eye out for Police, though some of us did enjoy the honour of being waved through red lights to maintain our progress, or perhaps the cops just wanted rid of us? The Turkish Police really do get everywhere, and we would find them tucked away behind trees and hidden at junctions throughout the day – even when out in the sticks!
After turning off the highway towards the village of ‘Alan’ it was time for the final regularity of the day, and it was a tough one. A long climb, mostly on gravel, with three timing points to pick up those penalties between. As well as the difficulty of maintaining speed on the ascents, there were also opportunities to wrong slot, and this caught out more than a few participants. The biggest casualty of the reg though were the leaders of the Classic Category, car 75, who dropped a minute on the final timing point.
From here it was a run to base, on some fabulous roads. It really was time for the drivers to get into their groove, on a mixture of tarmac and gravel. The bends were great fun, the climbs were also tremendous, but to top it all there were a series of increasingly spectacular descents, so many in fact it was quite unbelievable just how high we had climbed. These dropped through recently ploughed fields and then rock gorges. The final climb though, led us to what has to be one of the finest views in the country, levelling out to a panoramic feast, with the road descending away to the valley floor, far below. We could see for miles, and in the distance were several spectacular electrical storms, that converged and collided as the cars descended to the plains below.
It had certainly been a breathtaking day outside of the window, and despite it being that most ominous of dates there hadn’t been too many problems on the road either. Except for car 27, of course, who suffered their daily breakdown as the Ford overheated and spat fluid everywhere. Regardless of that though, its occupants, Mike and Christian, are always smiling.
Aside from the issues for our Classic leaders, everyone dealt with the three regs very well, and after yesterday’s seismic shift in the competition, not much has changed in the leader board this evening, with the majority of the competitors holding station, particularly in the prize-winning positions. Tomorrow, we head to Istanbul, on a 483km route that includes three regularities and a test and with that much competition on the cards, we might see some movement in the leaderboard again, as the rally crosses into Europe.
Syd
