Turkish Rally Championship heads to Kocaeli: 42 cars on a 111 km route
The 43rd Kocaeli Büyükşehir Rally, the sixth round of the Petrol Ofisi Maxima 2026 Turkish Rally Championship, hosts 42 cars and 84 competitors on Oct. 16-18. Kerem Kazaz leads the championship with 104 points.
Kocaeli is the sixth stop of Turkey's rally season. The 43rd Kocaeli Büyükşehir Rally, organized by the Kocaeli Automobile Sports Club (KOSK), runs Oct. 16-18 as part of the Petrol Ofisi Maxima 2026 Turkish Rally Championship. The event features 42 cars and a total of 84 competitors in driver and co-driver pairings.
Over the three-day event, crews will tackle 9 special stages covering a combined 111 kilometers. The rally's service park has been set up at the TOSFED Körfez Race Track.
Opening in the city center, first stage on the track
The rally gets underway with a start ceremony at Kocaeli's Milli İrade Square at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16. Following the ceremony, crews will head to the TOSFED Körfez Race Track, where from 7:30 p.m. they will race against the clock for the first time on the Otokar spectator special stage. The stage will give rally fans a chance to watch the cars up close.
After competition on Saturday and Sunday, the rally will conclude from 4:20 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, at a finish podium set up once again at Milli İrade Square. The rally will thus both start and finish in the heart of the city, in front of spectators.
The event is staged with the support of the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and Körfez Municipality, as well as Otokar, Remed Assistance, Salados, Fora, Auto Club, Power App, Telsan and Auto Karasu.
At the top of the standings
As the championship enters a critical phase, Team Petrol Ofisi driver Kerem Kazaz arrives in Kocaeli leading the overall standings with 104 points. Kazaz will aim to defend his lead and extend his margin over his rivals at this event.
In the Behiç Yurdaçalışan TOSFED Rally Cup, run alongside the championship, Ömer Güneş tops the table with 77 points. Results on the Kocaeli stages will play a key role in shaping the balance in both standings for the rest of the season.
With a long history and now in its 43rd edition, the Kocaeli Rally is one of the most established events on Turkey's rally calendar.
This article was compiled with the help of AI from information published by Otoaktüel.
