Anadolu Isuzu will race with Isuzu D-Max in TransAnatolia Rally Raid
Turkey's commercial vehicle brand Anadolu Isuzu is participating in TransAnatolia Rally Raid, one of the most formidable races in the rally world with Isuzu D-Max, the representative of the company in the pick-up segment. The Isuzu D-Max Team, Anadolu Isuzu's off-road team, consists of Training Specialist Yener Gülünay and Yunus Kolcu from Safety Driving Training Center (GÜSEM) who will race as the pilot and co-pilot, respectively.
Organized with the support of TOSFED (Turkish Automobile Sports Federation), TransAnatolia Rally Raid will start in Hatay on 20 August 2022 and will be completed in Eskişehir on 27 August 2022. The tracks of the TransAnatolia Rally Raid, passing through the borders of 16 cities with a total length of 2600 km, have been determined to draw attention to Turkey's unique natural, historical and cultural riches. After starting from Hatay, the competing teams will complete the race in Eskişehir, passing through the challenging tracks within the provincial borders of Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Adana, Kayseri, Sivas, Yozgat, Nevşehir, Niğde, Mersin, Karaman, Aksaray, Konya and Ankara, respectively, throughout the week. Technical service needs of the Isuzu D-Max will be met by Isuzu authorized services located in all of the provinces that will be passed during the race.
In the TransAnatolia Rally Raid, during which completion of the routes within the specified time is required as being in “raid” category, Isuzu D-Max Team will compete with the Isuzu D-Max 1.9 V-Cross model that stands out with its strong, durable and high-performance character. The race version of Isuzu D-Max, whose standard models are guaranteed for 5 years or 100 thousand km, is specially prepared and accommodated with additional equipment.
The pilot of the Anadolu Isuzu Off-Road team will be Yener Gülünay, one of the renown names in the automotive industry and Turkey's leading experts in the field of safe driving techniques. Gülünay, who worked as an editor, reporter and manager in the automotive media throughout his career, gave training to rally and track racers in addition to advanced driving techniques. He has been organizing advanced driving trainings and off-road test drives as Anadolu Isuzu's solution partner since 2014 with the GUSEM Safety Driving Training Center, founded by him. Co-pilot Yunus Kolcu has also won numerous awards in the races he participated in the N-2 and N-3 classes throughout his rally career.
In his statement regarding the subject, Anadolu Isuzu Commercial Functions Group Director Hakan Kefoğlu said: “As Anadolu Isuzu, we are very excited and happy to compete in TransAnatolia, one of the most important events in the rally world, with our Isuzu D-Max vehicle, which raises the standards in its class and is always ready for even the most difficult conditions with its high performance engine, durable structure and advanced equipment features. TransAnatolia Rally Raid is an ideal event for us to showcase the power and potential of Isuzu D-Max to rally lovers as well as consumers interested in the pick-up segment. In this adventure, which we motto with the phrase 'D-Max, the stone and soil of Anatolia' and we set out to win, we thank all our team, our authorized services and all participants, especially Isuzu D-Max Team's pilot Yener Gülünay and our co-pilot Yunus Kolcu. We wish you success and hope that the TransAnatolia Rally Raid to be an event that will reflect the excitement of rally sport.”
Castrol and ARP Automotive will be with the Isuzu D-Max Team as sponsors during the race. In TransAnatolia, where performance and durability are at the forefront, Castrol will support the performance of Isuzu D-Max with its expertise in motor sports. Thus, the cooperation between Anadolu Isuzu and Castrol has also been carried over to the motor sports platform in addition to the commercial vehicle group.