İzmir in a Cloud of Smoke

Kemal Soylu won the opening round of the Apex Masters Turkish Drift Championship at Izmir Ülkü Race Track, beating team-mate Ali İnal in the final. The first round of the Apex Masters Turkish Drift Championship drew a big crowd of Izmir motorsport fans and produced colourful, closely fought moments.

On the first day of the event, held on 16-17 April with 23 competitors, the Top 16 was selected. Two drivers were unable to take part in qualifying because of mechanical problems, and on Sunday 17 April they ran qualifying laps before the competition to complete the Top 16.

There were plenty of strong contenders among the drivers who made the Top 16. Mert Bilaloğlu, Kemal Soylu, Timur Pomak, Volkan Arısoy, Kemal Özhaseki, Özer Mollaahmetoğlu, Ali İnal, Abbas Çimen, Oktay Kabataş and Doğukan Manço, who has taken a four-year break from drifting, were all in the Top 16. Once the pairings were set, the knockout rounds began, and Mert Bilaloğlu and Kemal Soylu moved comfortably into the last eight. Timur Pomak and Ali İnal advanced with styles that thrilled the spectators. In the Doğukan Manço and Volkan Arısoy pairing, Arısoy progressed in his BMW. In the Oktay Kabataş and Abbas Çimen battle, Çimen went through with a flawless run, while Kemal Özhaseki and Özer Mollaahmetoğlu also reached the last eight.

The quarter-finals were closely contested. Kemal Soylu eliminated Mert Bilaloğlu, one of the favourites for the event, while Timur Pomak beat Volkan Arısoy to reach the semi-finals. In the Özer Mollaahmetoğlu and Kemal Özhaseki pairing, it was Özhaseki who came out on top. The final pairing was won by Ali İnal, who knocked out Abbas Çimen. Timur Pomak, matched against Kemal Soylu, looked like a driver showing how ready he is for the season. In the first run the judges' votes produced a tie. When the pair went out again they ran side by side, but Pomak made a mistake, went off the track and was eliminated. In the pairing between Ali İnal and Kemal Özhaseki, İnal came out on top.

Kemal Soylu, nicknamed Süperkemal, and Ali İnal are team-mates at Aias Racing Team. Having a final between the two proved that the team is a serious contender this season. Kemal Soylu, driving his BMW styled as a Nissan Skyline R34, beat team-mate Ali İnal. As a result, Kemal Soylu won the opening round of the Apex Masters Turkish Drift Championship, with Ali İnal second and Kemal Özhaseki third.

Text and Photos: Ahmet Said ÖZEN