Turkan crowned JWRC champion in Chile after Swedish rival's crash

Turkish driver Ali Turkan of the Castrol Ford Team Türkiye squad has claimed the World Rally Championship's junior category (JWRC) title, capping a three-year campaign after finishing third overall in each of the previous two seasons. He becomes the first Turkish driver in history to win the title.

Going into the season-closing round in Chile, Turkan trailed championship leader Kalle Karlberg of Sweden by three points. The situation changed dramatically on stage 11, when Karlberg's crew suffered a serious crash and had to be taken to hospital afterward. Reports indicate their injuries are not life-threatening.

Turkan seized the opportunity, delivering a steady drive to finish second on the stage — enough to secure the title. As his prize, he will receive four fully funded WRC2-class rounds next season in an M-Sport-prepared Ford Fiesta Rally2.

Speaking after the finish, Turkan said the achievement had taken three years marked by sacrifice and hardship, but that the team never considered giving up. He thanked sponsors Castrol and Ford, as well as his family, for their support.

The Chile rally itself was won on Sunday by Finnish driver Lauri Lasila, who made a decisive move to take the lead and crossed the finish line one minute and 20 seconds ahead of Turkan. The result lifted Lasila to second place in the overall season standings. Craig Rahill completed the stage podium in third.

Meanwhile, Gil Membrado, who began his career in Latvia, showed strong pace on Sunday despite a crash the previous day, finishing fourth in the rally, which secured him third place in the final season standings. Karlberg, following his crash, dropped to fourth in the overall championship.