June 12^th - Day 10

Veliko to Istanbul (Turkey)
More Regularities in the mountains before dropping down onto the plains and crossing the border into Turkey and a 200 km blast down the motorway into the exciting and romantic ancient city of Istanbul.

To avoid the terrifying, stressful city traffic we've chosen a super hotel an easy loop off the motorway and on the sea beside a marina just a 20 minute cab ride from the city centre. 

McANDREW AND BELLM TRADING PLACES

'The exotic city of Istanbul welcomed the Midnight Sun to Red Sea competitors in today after 12 days and 4,800 kilometres of gruelling competition. With the mosques and minarets making their distinctive outline in the overcast skies, the cars pulled into the day’s final time control with the promise of a well needed day of rest and repairs tomorrow.

But there was no time for complacency in the highland hamlets of Bulgaria this morning, as competitors battled it out over 2 stages and 29 kilometres of closed roads. In the first slippery and narrow hillclimb, Ray Bellm pipped Smokin’ Joe McAndrew for stage honours by 6 seconds.

“It was extremely greasy on the road - we were sliding around like a puck on an ice rink” said Bellm of the hillclimb.

However McAndrew and co-driver Murray Cole exacted their revenge on the flatter second stage, beating the Bellm / Lanzante Porsche by just 3 seconds.' top

Day's total 625 kms

June 13^th - Day 11

Istanbul - Rest day
You've earned it. A cab ride will take you into the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque and all other sights that this marvellous city is famous for.

Or you can enjoy lunch in the dozens of busy restaurants around the marina. It's a posh hotel, you'll like it. top

June 14^th - Day 12

Istanbul to Kusadasi (Turkey)
Our good friend Iskender Aruoba who looked after us so well on the London-Sydney Marathon, has done it again. Two new days of superb route.

We start the day with an 8 km drive alongside the 3,000 year walls of the original Byzantine city and onto a 55 minute jet ferry ride which very smartly saves us 170 kms by road and takes us onto the Asian side of this fascinating country.

We're into that wonderfully remote and forgotten part of Turkey the tourist never sees with distant views to mountains and tiny villages untouched for 300 years.

Regularities in the mountains on gravel before dropping down through the biblical town of Ephesus and to our resort hotel on the sea front.

STREET PARTIES - AND THE GpNs CHARGING HARD

'After a well earned rest day Rally leader Joe McAndrew lead a convoy of cars through the early morning light onto a ferry which would take them for a one hour ride across the Sea of Marmara into Asia Minor and Eastern Turkey.

As one of the worlds’ most famous skylines – minarets and the huge dome of the famous Blue mosque - faded into the background competitors sipped strong black Turkish coffee and braced themselves for two demanding gravel stages and a day of mountainous driving before dropping down to the spectacular Mediterranean coast.

Predictably Smokin’ Joe was fastest over the first stage, a rugged 15 kms of non too smooth gravel, and he was followed by Graham Lorimer in his 1600 cc Toyota and Steve Blunt in his Peugeot 306. Three GpNs ahead of the powerful V8 of Martin-Hurst and Ingleby.

A broken drive shaft on the first stage had Nick Starkey on his back and under the car but there was no instant fix. So he and Jim Hurman limped it back to the friendly Opel dealer in Bursa who pulled one off the shelf and fitted it and had them back on the road in quick smart time.

“One of the advantages of GpN is off the shelf parts, but we’re getting a bit bored with proving that point,” said Hurman.' more...

Day's total 599 kms