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SUBARU'S MÄKINEN FINISHES IN THE POINTS IN TURKEY
Carefully negotiating the rocky Turkish terrain, 555 Subaru World Rally Team driver Tommi Mäkinen put in a solid performance at the wheel of his Subaru Impreza WRC2003 to finish in eighth position in the first-ever Rally of Turkey. This performance meant Mäkinen collected one driver's point and two manufacturer's points for Subaru.
Citroen's Carlos Sainz won the race, with Richard Burns second in a Peugeot and Ford's François Duval finishing in third, his best WRC result ever.
"The event was much tougher than we expected," said Mäkinen. "During the race we found that the stages were difficult, but when so many cars go through them they become very, very rough. It's a disappointing result for me, but before our problems we were making some good times. The car feels very good and I'm sure that in New Zealand, we will really see how the new car can perform."
The gravel event took its toll on cars, and Subaru's Petter Solberg was one of the competitors who paid the price. After setting fastest times on the second and third stages, Solberg clipped a rock with his right front wheel and broke the track rod, forcing him to retire.
Round four of the 2003 FIA World Rally Championship starts in just over five weeks when teams travel across the globe for the 33rd Rally New Zealand, the second gravel rally of the year. Comprising a total of 408.35 competitive kilometers and 22 stages based around the city of Auckland, the event starts on Friday, April 11th. 
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