2003 Cross Country Rallies

The final result of the Rallye d’Orient Cappadoce, the sixth round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, has now been confirmed by the FIA following an International Court of Appeal meeting in Paris yesterday (8 October). Mitsubishi L200 Strakar driver Carlos Sousa has been awarded victory and maximum points, following the exclusion of Jean-Louis Schlesser.

The result of the event, which finished in Ürgüp in central Turkey on August 16, remained provisional due to an appeal by Mitsubishi Portugal after Schlesser was deemed to have crossed one particular section without using the route assigned in the road book.

Having heard the explanations of the parties and examined the various documents and other evidence, the Court annulled the decision of the Stewards and excluded Car N° 201 (J.-L. Schlesser/J.-M. Lurquin) from the event.

Carlos Sousa therefore leads the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies with one round remaining. The Portuguese Mitsubishi L200 Strakar driver holds a commanding 41 point advantage over Schlesser and with a maximum 45 points to be claimed in the UAE Desert Challenge later this month, Sousa is perfectly poised to claim his first-ever world title.