Egea Youth Cup Kicks Off at Aegean Rally
Fiat is continuing its significant support for motorsport, with the aim of bringing the sport to wider audiences and instilling a love of motorsport in young people. Having played an important role in the development of motorsport in Turkey since its foundations were laid in 1972, Fiat Motor Sporları continues to back the sport in a major way.
Having reached many young competitors and motorsport enthusiasts last year with its Egea Calls You to the Track and TOSFED Seeks Its Star projects, Fiat has unveiled the Fiat Egea Hatchback rally car it will campaign in the 2018 Turkish Rally Championship, along with its team drivers. At the launch, hosted by Fiat Business Unit Director Altan Aytaç and Fiat Motor Sporları Team Director Koray Kafkas, the Fiat Egea Youth Cup was also announced for the first time. It will be organised by Fiat Motor Sporları for talented young driver prospects and rally enthusiasts.
Fiat Business Unit Director Altan Aytaç, said: "When the Egea project emerged in 2015, we stressed that a good car should also be accessible. We want to apply that same emphasis to the accessibility of motorsport. Since 2015, we have in fact been organising a variety of events and projects to take motorsport out of the hands of a select few and spread it to the grassroots. In the new period, our priority goals are to spread safe driving habits in society with the Egeas developed at Tofaş R&D, and to spread the love and passion for motorsport, particularly by inviting young people to the track."
Altan Aytaç also noted that, together with the Fiat Motor Sporları team, they give training at many universities and are successfully continuing two important projects, Egea Calls You to the Track and TOSFED Seeks Its Star. Aytaç said: "We first organised the Egea Calls You to the Track project last July, with the aim of underlining the importance of correct and safe driving for both our brand and all road users. In 2017, with the support of 16 of our dealers, we held activities in eight provinces and reached 1,200 people. This year, our target is to reach 2,500 people by organising our event at 18 different locations."
In his speech, Aytaç also gave details of TOSFED Seeks Its Star, the first talent-discovery project in the history of Turkish motorsport, aimed at young drivers aged 18-25. He said: "Following the selection rounds at Körfez Circuit, 40 male and 5 female drivers will qualify for the finals. The 10 male and 2 female drivers determined at the end of the training and final selection rounds will then have the chance to race free of charge in Fiat Egea race cars prepared specially for the circuit."
Fiat Motor Sporları Team Director Koray Kafkas explained that the front-wheel-drive Egea Hatchback rally cars, developed by Tofaş R&D and the Fiat Motor Sporları Turkey Team and built at the Tofaş factory in Bursa, are powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 160 HP and 250 Nm of torque. Koray Kafkas said: "Our team, made up of Yiğit Timur-Kaan Özşenler and Fatih Kara-Bilge Ayan, will compete in the Turkish Rally Championship. We will first compete in Rally Phrygia on 5-6 May. Our goal is not only to highlight the sporting side of our brand, but to open the way for young people and make motorsport accessible."
The Fiat Egea Youth Cup, which will run within the Turkish Rally Championship and the Turkish Circuit Racing Championship, will start at the Aegean Rally on 14-15 July, Fiat Motor Sporları Team Director Koray Kafkas said. He added: "As a team that has left its mark on the history of Turkish motorsport many times, we attach great importance to preparing talented young people for the future within a professional structure. To that end, we are including motorsport-minded young people aged 18-28 in the Fiat Egea Youth Cup for the most affordable entry fee of 48,000 TL. In this way, our young people will be able to experience the thrill of rallying professionally on challenging stages. All the relevant details and the event calendar are available on the website https://egeagenclerkupasi.fiat.com.tr."
