Smoke-Filled Battles at Körfez

Held with PWR brake pads as title sponsor and the support of RedBull.com and Motul, Round 1 of the Apex Masters 2017 Turkish Drifting Championship took place at the TOSFED Körfez Circuit.

The breathless battles were followed with great interest by around 3,000 ticket-holding spectators. While the tight, sharp corners of the Körfez circuit tested the drivers, their performances in the head-to-head battles gave the crowd an adrenaline-filled visual spectacle.

In qualifying on Saturday 29 April, Furkan Karan topped the day with 85 points, followed by DM D’Team driver Mert Bilaloğlu in second and, from the same team, Kemal Özhaseki in third.

On Sunday 30 April, after the practice runs, the driver meet-and-greet and paddock visit drew huge interest, and the spectators then followed the door-to-door, smoke-filled battles almost holding their breath with excitement… In the final, Furkan Karan, one of last season’s surprise names, faced Mert Bilaloğlu, the experienced driver of DM D’Team, the best team of the 2016 season. It was Furkan Karan who lifted the winner’s trophy. Third place, in a season-opening round in which Bilaloğlu took second, went to Kemal Soylu. With lucky spectators sharing the thrill from the passenger seats of the drift cars, the event ended with the top finishers receiving their awards from TOSFED Sporting Director Murat Kaya and Drift Motorsports Club President Burak Ünal.

The second round of the Apex Masters Turkish Drifting Championship will take place on 30 July at the Istanbul Atatürk Olympic Stadium, organised by the Drift Motorsports Club.