The absence of the usual rain in the Antalya mountains meant tactics became all important over the rocky, dusty roads. With each day's winner first out of the block the following day, leading became a handicap, as Sebastien Loeb discovered. Once his time on the last stage on Friday became known, Ford was able to slow its three leading drivers – Hirvonen, Latvala and Gigi Galli in the Stobart car – to finish behind the Frenchman.

He then had the unwelcome task of sweeping the roads clear on the Saturday, slowing his performance and eventually handing the win to Hirvonen. Speaking afterwards, Ford boss Malcolm Wilson said he'd have liked to have called off Latvala for the final run to ensure Hirvonen the win and maximum points, but Loeb was just too close. In the event the Citroen C4 driver finished 25 seconds behind Hirvonen, who finished the final nail-biting stage with a puncture, and ahead of teammate Dani Sordo.

The stage win spoils were shared between Citroen and Ford, but it was Estonian Citroen privateer Urmo Aava who came closest to Loeb, not Sordo, taking three to Loeb's four. However his challenge for the lead ended abruptly on stage three with broken suspension, forcing him to re-enter under the penalty heavy SupeRally rules. Galli matched him and Hirvonen on three stage wins, but such was the intense heat that the Italian retired under doctors' orders with heat exhaustion and dehydration.

After the new Subaru Impreza's dramatic podium debut in Greece, Turkey was more subdued. However Petter Solberg finished to take sixth, with Chris Atkinson back in 13th, something the hapless Suzuki couldn't manage: both cars retired again.

Hirvonen's win now puts him three points clear of Sebastien Loeb on 59 v 56, with Latvala a distant third on 34. An excellent seventh place for Matthew Wilson protects the Brit's ninth place on the table, while Aussie Atkinson's fourth is now threatened by Sordo.

Speaking of Brits, Scotsman Barry Clark finished his second WRC drive of the year in a terrific tenth.
In the P-WRC, Austrian Andreas Aigner took first again to lead with more than double the points from his nearest rival, Finn Jari Ketomaa. Swede Patrik Sandell took second place in his Peugeot 207 S2000 car, moving him to third in the standings.