Classic Cars Drive Into Town to Celebrate the Republic

The Cumhuriyet Rally, organised without interruption for 20 years by the Classic Car Club, ran between Istanbul and Eskişehir on 14-15 October this year.

The competitors met and started in Sapanca on Friday 14 October, then tackled demanding roads and stages through forests, streams and valleys on the way to Eskişehir. On the second day of the rally, the competitors started from Eskişehir and drove on roads with beautiful natural scenery and mountain views around the city, before reaching the finish at KentPark.

In the overall classification, Murat Şakar-Elif Şakar won in a 1964 Mercedes 230 SL, with Zeki Baştürk-Batuhan Bozyak second in a 1980 BMW 316 and Serkan Sorguç-Aylin Gökşin Sorguç third in a 1973 BMW 2002. The prize-giving ceremony for the final rally of the year was held in Eskişehir on the night of Saturday 15 October.

Speaking about the event, Classic Car Club President Aydın Harezi said: "We are organising our Cumhuriyet Rally, which we hold every year, for the 20th time. Coming to Eskişehir, one of the most developed cities in our country, made both us and our members very happy. It was a great event in lovely weather. We had an enjoyable time with the close interest of the people of Eskişehir. 35 classic cars took part in our event. The final leg of our 600-kilometre route was held in Eskişehir. Here we completed a route of around 300 kilometres."