Competition Peaks at the Challenge
The second round of the İSOFF Challenge series, organised in memory of our İSOFF member Kenan Çarpışantürk, who passed away this year, was held on Sunday 5 September at the Çiftalan track. Living up to its name, the event was full of new challenges and head-to-head battles, with the veterans putting in superb performances while up-and-coming competitors emerged from among the old hands to reach the podium.
The top three places in qualifying went to crews driving Can-Am X3s. Ali Çetin-Ayşe Çetin with 4:01, Abdullah Turgut-Armağan Altun with 4:05 and Derin Doğaner-Ali Doğaner with 4:12 were the fastest in qualifying. 
18 crews lined up on the start line for the first heats. The 4.7-kilometre stage began with a steep ramp after the start straight, then took in consecutive bumps, steep, long downhill ramps, tight corners and long straights that allowed both high speeds and overtaking. The first heats were run over 10 laps, with the 16 crews setting the best times earning a place on the start line for the second heats.
The rocky, uneven surface caused tyre problems for many crews. Some crews punctured twice during the stage. Aziz Görkan-Göksel Günaydın, Cihangir Aydın-Tolga Ak and Abdullah Turgut-Armağan Altun picked up punctures and were forced to pit during the race. Abdullah Turgut's service crew changed the tyre with extraordinary speed, and despite the time lost the crew quickly rejoined the race and finished the stage in second place. At the end of the first heat, Derin Doğaner-Ali Doğaner set the fastest time, followed by Abdullah Turgut-Armağan Altun and Kubilay Tüfekçi-Nihat Keskin. After the first run, the Abdullah Turgut-Armağan Altun crew found their tyres were not suitable. Yağız Birinci, who had retired in qualifying, gave the tyres from his own car to the rival crew, a fine example of off-road solidarity. 
13 crews started the second heats. Over the eight-lap stage the excitement steadily built. The most spectacular sight in this heat was the 1300cc Suzuki of Berk İşeri-Hayrı Tonoğlu passing the Mitsubishi 2.5 of Mehmet Tüfekçioğlu-Uğur Tepe on the straight. At the end of the second heats, 10 crews took the chequered flag. The best times, separated by one second each, were set by Derin Doğaner-Ali Doğaner, Abdullah Turgut-Armağan Altun and Burak Ayvaz-Semih Noyan.
After the breathtaking battles of the heats, eight crews started the final. The race was a thrilling spectacle of head-to-head duels. Occasional light contact added to the excitement, and Abdullah Turgut-Armağan Altun were the first to see the chequered flag. The Burak Ayvaz-Semih Noyan crew took second with a DeToro 5700, while Derin Doğaner-Ali Doğaner secured third in a Can-Am X3. The Devrim Öztürk-İsmail Koçali crew passed Tarık Gökbay-Selçuk Dayangaç 100 metres from the finish and took the chequered flag in fourth. The prize-giving ceremony was held with high attendance despite the increasing storm and wind, and the trophies were presented to the placed crews by race and Federation officials.
