Heading into the fifth day of the rally, Tarrés (9h29m41s) was leading the way in the overall general classification, with Botturi in second (9h35m50s), and had a nine-minute and 57-second advantage over the rider in third. The Yamaha 1-2 in Turkey is even more impressive because the duo are competing on their twin-cylinder adventure bikes in the B2 category against a host of 450cc prototype machines in the B1 class.
Thursday was the only day at the TransAnatolia that featured three special stages, with the rally returning to the Turkish mountain ranges after the previous day's riverbeds and salt lakes. Heading out from the bivouac in Haymana, the team had a 57.57km liaison to the start of the 124.66km Special Stage 9 in Sakarya before a 63.41km liaison to Frigya and the beginning of the tenth stage, which covered 66.6km. They then took on another 40.29km liaison to the famous town of Afyonkarshir before a short 2.5km third special of the day that was more of a motocross-style course on the grounds of Afyon Castle.
After a tricky day four that saw Tarrés mentally and physically drained due to leading out most of the stages so far and still recovering from a leg injury sustained before the rally, the Andorran bounced back superbly on Thursday. Right from the word go, he went into full-on attack mode on his GYTR-kitted Ténéré 700 World Rally, finishing the first stage in third place with a time of one hour, 29 minutes, and 41 seconds.
More importantly, the 29-year-old ensured he once again extended the gap to the rider third in the general classification. Not content to rest on his laurels, Tarrés increased this advantage even more during Special Stage 10 by finishing in third to secure another podium after setting a time of one hour, two minutes, and 47 seconds, just 47 seconds behind the winner.
The best was yet to come, though, as Tarrés made the most of the short eleventh stage and showcased his enduro skills to take his first stage victory of the rally by a margin of seven seconds, maintaining his 100% podium record in Turkey, and extending his lead in the general classification over his teammate in second to 11 minutes and 23 seconds.
It was a more challenging day for Botturi, with the 49-year-old forced to show all of his usual trademark experience and determination to bounce back after a crash during the first stage. Escaping serious injury, the Italian rider had some bruising to his shoulder but dusted himself off and carried on despite his navigation tower being damaged.
He managed to finish the stage in fifth, with a time of one hour, 34 minutes, and seven seconds, limiting the time lost to the winner of the special to just six minutes and 53 seconds. The team were able to carry out repairs at the assistance point, and Botturi fought back on the tenth stage. He gritted his teeth to bring it home in fourth after setting a time of one hour, three minutes, and 21s. He then completed stage 11 in three minutes and five seconds to secure sixth, which saw him hold onto second place in the general classification, with a 20-second gap to the rider in third.
Day sixth of the TransAnatolia sees Tarrés and Botturi leave the bivouac in Afyonkarshir and begin the day with a 33km liaison to the start of the 64.67km Special Stage 12. They then have another 26.42km liaison to Dumlupinar for the beginning of the 102.21km stage 13 before a 43.03km liaison to the bivouac in Simav, with a total distance of 269.33km, making it the shortest day of the rally.
