Meaningful Climb Up Kocatepe
Round two of the 2017 Turkish Hill Climb Championship was held on 27-28 May on the Kocatepe road in Afyon, organised by Eskişehir Automobile Sports Club (ESOK) with local support.
The Kocatepe Hill Climb, run over three runs on a 6-kilometre course and much admired by competitors for the character and quality of the stage, ended with Engin Apaydın from Bursa winning Category 1 in a Citroen Saxo VTS. Burakcan Sohtorik from Istanbul took second in a Fiat Palio, with Ramazan Ekiz from Ankara third, also in a Fiat Palio.
In Category 2, Ferhat Tanrıbilir, competing for Neo Motorspor in a Peugeot 208 R2, set the fastest time of the day. Murat Soyçopur, a GP Garage My Team driver from Izmir in a Renault Clio R3, finished second, followed in third by Önder Akcengiz from Ankara in a Ford Fiesta ST.
Adil Küçüksarı, competing for Neo Motorspor in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX with the support of TurkMotorspor.com, not only won Category 3 but also set the fastest time of the day with a 02:43.73 on the first run. Second in the category was GP Garage My Team driver Okan Tanrıverdi from Antalya, also in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX, followed by Erkan Yanıkoğlu from Izmir, third in a Renault Clio II Sport.
In Category 4, Cem Yudulmaz, who led after two runs, was unable to complete the event after a mechanical problem on the third run, handing the win to Efe Albağlar from Izmir in a Honda Civic Type-R EP3. Ankara's Yavuzhan Cabbaroğlu finished second in a Subaru Impreza WRX, with Emin Cem Yalın from Istanbul third in a Mazda RX-8. ApexMasters driver Doğukan Manço, starting a hill climb for the first time in a Nissan 200 SX, also lost time with a mechanical issue on the final run and took the chequered flag in fifth.
The prize-giving ceremony, at which NEO MOTORSPOR, represented by Adil Küçüksarı and Ferhat Tanrıbilir, was announced as the winning team, took place in front of the Kocatepe monument with Afyonkarahisar Mayor Burhanettin Çoban, Police Chief Fahrettin Şen and Provincial Director of Youth Services and Sports Yunus Tortop in attendance.
