The Rally of the Orient has returned to Urgüp in Cappadocia, an area of which it is particularly fond, the two previous editions having stayed there a number of days, due to a clover-leaf shaped route designed by organiser, René Metge. And tomorrow, back to the start, in Ankara, the end of this fourth round of the World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

The penultimate leg of the Rally of the Orient, Cappadocia, was a success for both Nissan France Dessoude crews, Benoît Rousselot - Fabian Lurquin and Isabelle Patissier - Thierry Delli Zotti. A tricky stage due to the variety of the tracks used, this was a day which could see everything change. After yesterday’s misadventure (a roll, but with no serious consequences), Benoît Rousselot was calm again, and set off at his usual pace.

«This was certainly the most pleasant of the stages we have run since the start of the week. Fabian made a few little navigational mistakes, just like I made a mistake yesterday. We’re even… » Seventh in the special stage, having started twelfth, the rookie was delighted to have a Nissan that responded perfectly to his expectations. «We kept an eye on the pressure gauges all the time, and there are no problems with the chassis after yesterday’s mishap ! » With new rear tyres, the car tended to understeer. At the finish, Benoît needed to drink, his water pipe having come unhooked (100 km from the finish line).

Isabelle Patissier enjoyed the special stage, which she described as ‘very beautiful!’ «Ireally enjoyed myself, in the mountains, the planes and in the woods. It was by far the most interesting stage of the rally, due to the variety and technical nature….». The Pathfinder also lived up to her needs: «We overheated a bit, the temperature of the water and oil went up due to the fact that the technical team drained the gearbox at the Sivas bivouac , ».
Sixth in the special stage, Isabelle and Thierry (7th)gained a place in the overall classification, moving ahead of the Russian team, Andrey Ivanov and Vladimir Demianenko (Nissan Tecnosport), who were delayed with an electrical problem.

Tomorrow, the seventh and final stage, between Urgüp and Ankara (381 km), which will be particularly important to Benoît Rousselot. «Iam doing everything I can to finish this week the way we started it, » the Nissan France Dessoude said, having a solid lead in the Production category.