Drifting Prepares for New Season
Drifting will be run as a national championship in 2016. The Apex Masters Turkish Drift Series, which has been run on a regional basis for years, will now be contested in a national format as the Turkish Drift Championship. What is more, this year we will see more cars and drivers in the championship than in previous years. We spoke about this with Özer Mollamehmetoğlu, a board member of the Drift Motorsport Club. A long-time drifting driver himself, Mollamehmetoğlu also gave us the chance to cover a wide range of topics, from the revised calendar to the advantages of the events going national.
Interview: Ahmet Said ÖZEN
Türk Motorspor: How many years have you been running regional events, and what advantages will the drift championship going national offer this year?
Özer Mollamehmetoğlu: The Apex Masters Turkish Drift Series, organised by the Drift Motorsport Club, is as you know Turkey's first and only drifting race series. After four successful seasons organised on a regional basis, and with the contribution and requests of TOSFED, the Turkish Motorsport Federation, the series will now be run in the 2016 season as the Apex Masters Turkish Drift Championship. As a result, our events, our drivers and our teams will all have reached the top tier. I think the prestige of our series, which has already been in the spotlight in recent years, will grow, and by moving further to the forefront it will also help in finding sponsors.
T.M.: There was a change to the calendar that was first announced. What will the new calendar look like?
Ö.M.: Yes, there were minor changes to the dates first announced by the federation. The final version of our calendar is as follows:
16-17 April - İzmir Ülkü Race Track / İzmir
28-29 May - Atatürk Olympic Stadium / Istanbul
13-14 August - Körfez Race Track / İzmit
21-22 October - Intercity Istanbul Park / Istanbul
T.M.: Have practice sessions begun, and how can drifting drivers who want to practise get in touch with you?
Ö.M.: We are making a fast start to the 2016 season and continuing our practice sessions intensively. I can guarantee that an even more exciting season awaits our valued spectators this year. Those who want to become drifting drivers must first complete training with the Drift Academy, after which they earn the right to join our practice sessions. They can reach us through the contact details at www.driftkulubu.org.
T.M.: Roughly how many competitors will take part in the drift championship this year?
Ö.M.: So far we have 29 drivers who have pre-registered. Our target is to be running all of our events as a top 32 format within three seasons at the latest.
T.M.: Who are your sponsors this year?
Ö.M.: This season the official sponsor of the Apexmasters Turkish Drift Series is "PWR BALATA". I would like to take this opportunity to thank them again for their support. In addition, the drivers and teams have their own sponsors, and the number grows every day. We have now become a very good advertising platform for companies.
T.M.: TOSFED is giving drifting more importance this year. Do you think this is driven more by drifting's large spectator numbers or by the lower cost of the cars?
Ö.M.: The spectators, of course. Today drifting is the second most-watched branch of motorsport in the world after Formula 1. In Turkey it ranks first. Although motorsport is an expensive discipline, drifting, as you point out, is perhaps the one with the lowest costs among them.
T.M.: What do you take as your basis when preparing a drift car?
Ö.M.: First of all, the conditions in the country are the most important factor. Unfortunately we are at a big disadvantage compared with other countries abroad, and our cars can end up costing far more. For these reasons we prefer cars that are better suited to this and easier to build. Those are Nissan S13 and S14 chassis cars from the Japanese manufacturers, which are among the best-suited cars in the world for this, and BMWs, which are also suitable and have no problem with parts supply.
As for the essentials of a drift car: a manual, rear-wheel-drive car, a locked or welded differential, a coilover suspension system, an engine with sufficient power and torque, and a suitable angle kit for sufficient steering angle…
T.M.: Can you give us information about the scoring and the judges?
Ö.M.: Unlike all other motorsports, drifting is the only motorsport that is not based on time. So how is the loser or winner decided? In drifting events there are three referees, whom we call judges. We always bring one of our judges in from abroad. Scoring is based on proximity to the apex points, drift angle, speed and impressing and exciting the spectators (smoke and so on).
To say a little about the format of our event: on the first day of the event, drivers take part in practice and make the final adjustments to their cars. Later in the day the judges take their places. The scoring, in other words qualifying runs, begins. Each driver has the right to go out on track three times. The driver receives a score out of 100 on each run. Once a driver has completed all three runs, the highest run score is recorded as the qualifying score. When all of the drivers' qualifying runs are finished, the qualifying table for the event emerges. According to this table the TOP 16 drivers are selected and the others are eliminated. Now it is time for the head-to-head battles.
The second day of the event begins with practice again. Then comes the eagerly awaited head-to-head phase. In the head-to-head runs the TOP 16 drivers are paired in the bracket. The pairings are determined by the drivers' qualifying positions. The driver in 1st place in qualifying faces the driver in 16th, 2nd faces 15th, 3rd faces 14th, and so on.
After the first eliminations the TOP 8 drivers are determined and the others are eliminated. After the TOP 8, the semi-final and final runs are held and the winner of the day is decided. In the head-to-head runs drivers start once in front and once behind. The driver with the higher qualifying score starts the battle in front. On the next run, that driver moves to the back.
In the head-to-head runs the aim is to put pressure on the car in front by following as closely as possible and at the highest angle. Overtaking the car in front is forbidden. The car in front, just as in the qualifying runs, must drift at the best line, with the highest angle and speed. Drifting is a contest built on controlling the car and not making mistakes. Drivers cannot afford to make errors.
T.M.: How do you see the chances of the newcomers this year?
Ö.M.: Drifting events are always open to surprises and everyone has a chance. Of course, experience should not be overlooked, and whoever manages to stay cool-headed always has the better chance. I remember my first race start, my knees were literally shaking.
T.M.: How many teams will compete in the 2016 season, and can you give us some information about the teams?
Ö.M.: The teams we know to have received an official licence at the moment are Teamart Dream Drift Team, Alias Racing Team, Mtg Motorsports and JDM Works D'team… We expect two or three more teams to be added in the coming days.
T.M.: Safety is the matter you pay most attention to at events. What measures do you take in this regard?
Ö.M.: As you say, the safety of spectators and drivers is our first priority. To protect our drivers, our cars must have a roll bar or roll cage, a homologated seat, four-point seat belts and a fire extinguisher. In addition, our drivers are required to wear fire-resistant overalls and a homologated helmet to protect against any impacts that may occur. To protect spectators, our circuits must have concrete, steel or rope barriers.
T.M.: How can spectators watch your events?
Ö.M.: Our spectators can buy tickets to watch our events at the ticket sales points at the circuit entrance. Ticket prices are even cheaper than a cinema ticket.
T.M.: How can our readers reach the Apex Masters Turkish Drift Series on social media?
Ö.M.: They can reach Apexmasters at www.facebook.com/apexmastersdrift and the Drift Academy at www.facebook.com/driftakademi, and for any questions and information they can also reach me at www.facebook.com/ozerdriftfans and www.instagram.com/ozer.official.
T.M.: Thank you very much, and good luck in the new season...
