6,000 Spectators Pack Out Season Opener
The Apex Masters Turkish Drift Championship, which began running with national status for the first time in the 2016 season, held its opening round at Izmir's Ülkü Circuit on 16-17 April. Organised by Drift Kulübü and sponsored by PRW Balata, the event drew 23 drivers and five official drift teams, while 6,000 ticket-holding spectators watched on with bated breath on Sunday…
Saturday 16 April began with practice, shows on the Aegean Rally spectator stage and qualifying. Mert Bilaloğlu of JDM Works D'Team topped qualifying, and the excitement built steadily once the tandem battles got under way… In contests far closer and more hard-fought than in previous years, victory went to Kemal Soylu of Alias Racing, one of the Izmir crowd's favourite drivers. After a tightly fought final, Soylu's team-mate Ali İnal took second, while the third step of the podium went to Kemal Özhaseki of JDM Works D'Team.
The spectators, who spent Sunday under a haze of tyre smoke, never let their energy dip for a moment. Their interaction with the drivers was lively throughout. Season preview booklets prepared by the organisers were handed out free to all spectators, and a few lucky fans got to experience the passenger seat in the drift cars.
The next drift round of the season will be held at Istanbul Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 29 May.
