Sainz finished 47.9 seconds clear of Britain's Richard Burns
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Citroen's Carlos Sainz claimed a comfortable victory in the first Rally of Turkey after holding on to his overnight lead with an excellent all-round driving display.
Sainz, the two-time world champion, outlasted many of his main rivals on the difficult conditions of the Anatolian mountains to record his first win for the French manufacturers.
The Spaniard beat second-placed Richard Burns by 47.9 seconds to move into third place in the overall standings and help put Citroen at the top of the manufacturer's championship in its first full season of competition.
"I am very happy," said Sainz. "I work very hard all the time so it feels good when you win."
Burns' second place for Peugeot gave him the lead in the overall standings while Ford's Francois Duval took third in his first rally with new co-driver Stephane Prevot.
Sainz's team-mate Colin McRae finished fourth and finds himself just one point behind Burns.
Peugeot's Gilles Panizzi, Ford's Markko Martin, Skoda's Toni Gardemeister and Subaru's Tommi Makinen completed the points-scoring places.
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MMIX
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