A strong start to the rally meant that after two days of action, Tarrés was second overall and Botturi third, with the duo securing five stage podiums between them. Day three, the second longest of the TransAnatolia in terms of distance, saw the team leave the bivouac in Sivas for a 59.82km liaison to the start of the 145.29km Special Stage 5 in Çayrilan.
They then faced a short 22.04km liaison to the next special stage in Felahiye, which covered 72.91km before another liaison, this time 59.16km, to the bivouac in Göreme, for a total distance of 359.22km.
Tuesday began with Special Stage 5 and, for the first time in the rally, Tarrés did not lead the way and instead started from second, although it did not take long for him to make his way to the front and once again showcase just how good his navigational skills have become. The Andorran pushed hard on his GYTR-kitted Ténéré 700 World Rally and maintained his 100% stage podium record by ending the first special of the day in third with a time of two hours, 30 minutes, and 59 seconds.
The second stage of the day saw Tarrés lead off the special once more, and despite this, he managed to go one better and finish in second to secure his fifth podium of the event after setting a time of 51 minutes and 49 seconds.
This meant that for the first time in his burgeoning rally raid career, the 29-year-old took the overall lead in the general classification with a combined time of nine hours, two minutes, and nine seconds. A fact made even more remarkable when you consider Tarrés is racing a twin-cylinder production-based adventure bike in the competitive B2 class against a number of more experienced riders on 450cc prototype machines in the B1 category.
For Botturi, the TransAnatolia is his first international rally since the 2022 Africa Eco Race, yet the winner of the 2014 edition of the Turkish event has hit the ground running and put in another strong performance on Tuesday. The Italian made a small navigational mistake during the opening stage of the day but recovered superbly to finish the special in fourth with a time of two hours, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds.
Botturi then showed excellent rhythm during Special Stage 6 to claim his third podium of the rally after setting a time of 52 minutes and one second, which saw him secure third. These results moved the 49-year-old up to second overall in the general classification to make it a 1-2 for the team with a combined time of nine hours, nine minutes, and 44 seconds, just seven minutes and 35 seconds behind Tarrés, with an advantage of four minutes and 34 seconds over the rider in third.
Day four of seven at the TransAnatolia is the longest of the rally, and it kicks off with a 61.43km liaison from the bivouac in Göreme to the start of the 28.01km Special Stage 7 in Bellsirma. The duo will then have another 71.68km liaison to the beginning of the eighth stage in Tuz Gölü, which covers 166.52km, before a final 84.17km liaison to the bivouac in Haymana.
