After being shut down since March, the World Rally Championship returned to action last week in Estonia. It was a great weekend for the host nation, as it was Estonian native Ott Tanak who took the win. It was also a very good weekend for Hyundai, as the top 2 in the race were driving the i20 Coupe. The drivers don’t really have any time to dwell on the events of last weekend, though, as it’s now on to the gravel roads of Turkey and a very challenging race. With Italy and Belgium still to come after this one and a tight race going at the top of the driver standings, it’s all to race for this weekend. Let’s take a look at a few of the favorites for the 2020 WRC Rally Turkey so you can wager on their WRC odds.
2020 WRC Rally Turkey Betting Analysis
Sebastien Ogier
The first 4 races of the season have been very good to the Frenchman, as he has yet to finish worse than 4th. His lone win of the season came in Mexico, right before the shutdown, but the layoff did not seem to have an impact, as he was back on the podium with a 3rd place finish in Estonia last weekend. That gives him 3 podiums out of 4 races this season. This is a driver who has won the championship in 6 of the last 7 years, so he is going to be very tough to catch. He won Rally Turkey last season, so he needs to be considered a favorite to repeat.
Ott Tanak
While Ogier is certainly deserving of his lead in the driver standings, he is also perhaps a little fortunate to be there. Tanak, who is the defending champion, was forced to retire in Monte Carlo in the first race of the season, otherwise he might well be on top. In the 3 races since then, he has been second twice before nabbing his first win of the season in Estonia last weekend. He has a poor showing in Turkey last season, but he won there the year before.
Kalle Rovanpera
This will be the first time that the Finnish driver races a full season in the WRC, and you have to think that he must be happy after his first 4 races, as he is currently 4th in the WRC driver standings. He has consistently been just off the podium in most races, although he did manage a 3rd place finish in Sweden. He has only had one previous run in Turkey at the WRC level and did not perform very well, but given his form this season, he has to be considered to be among the favorites.
Elfyn Evans
With 70 points through the opening 4 races of the season, Evans is just 9 points off the pace being set at the top of the driver standings by Sebastian Ogier. He is struggling to keep up with his fast start to the season, which saw him pick up a first and a second, as he has not been able to podium since then. That said, finishing 4th in the last two races has helped keep him close to the top. He was forced to withdraw from the Turkey Rally last season, so tough to know how he will do here.
