And they’re off … Benoît Rousselot sets of at a fine pace and takes the lead in T2, over terrain ideally suited to rally drivers. Isabelle Patissier set a more cautious pace during this first special stage, taking care of her Pathfinder and setting the 8th fastest time. Team Nissan France Dessoude has made a good start to the Rally of the Orient.

Taking place in a small mountain range to the north-west of Ankara, this first special stage of the Rally of the Orient was universally enjoyed by the competitors, as it alternated between very fast tracks and some tricky parts. The scenery was magnificent, and the sun was shining.

Isabelle Patissier started off at a cautious pace. Without holding back or pushing too hard, she set the eighth fastest time. «The special stage was fun and the scenery superb. I opted to set a careful pace. The rally is long and full of potential traps. There is no point taking too many risks on the first day and possibly spoiling the result.»

As far as the T2 cars were concerned, Benoît Rousselot was on much more familiar territory than the wide open spaces. This special stage suited the rally drivers, and allowed him to set the sixth time overall, leading the T2 category by just over 3 minutes from Pascal Thomasse.

«It was a good day. I felt very privileged to be there and to be able to drive such a stage. It was my first timed sector with Fabian and I must say he did well. He showed a lot of maturity considering the little experience he has. This is only his third rally raid… We set a good pace and tried to remain consistent as far as the times went. This first day allowed us to get to grips with the situation, and to place ourselves in comparison with our direct rivals. I really liked this ‘rally’-style route… »

André Dessoude also appeared satisfied with this first day. «Benoît and Isabelle drove well today, but tomorrow they will have to be careful, as the day’s navigation looks difficult. René Metge has planned another of those routes of which he holds the secret..» The fine performance of the French driver Serge Jordan should be noted. With Jean Marie Lurquin as a navigator, their Nissan Pathfinder, set the third fastest time of the day.

Tomorrow the competitors head for Ürgup in the heart of Cappadocia. The day’s schedule includes a 499 km leg, including 249 km as special stage. Plenty of navigation, and a number of traps which will need to be avoided to get to the end of this route. Another fine day in perspective…