Colourful Season Opener for Turkish Off-road

The season-opening round of the 2016 Turkish Off-road Championship was organised by Karabük Offroad Kulübü in Safranbolu, Karabük, on 19-20 March 2016.
The event was flagged off on Saturday 19 March 2016 by AK Party Deputy Chairman Mehmet Ali Şahin, who sent the first vehicle on its way, and TOSFED President Serkan Yazıcı was also present. After an average of around 20 crews took part last year, the championship's first round of this season drew attention with an entry of 33 vehicles and 66 competitors.

On the first day the crews tackled a 33 km forest stage behind Karabük University, before settling matters on Sunday on a 3 km stage made up of natural obstacles, with two vehicles starting at the same time. After a tough event made even harder by wet weather, brothers Hüsnü Taylan-Hasan Taylan from Sapanca took the win in a Jeep Cherokee, while Selami Türkvatan-Yiğithan Tarhan from Ankara finished second in a Mitsubishi L200, and the father-and-son crew of Mustafa Özgiray-Ekrem Özgiray, also from Ankara, completed the podium in a Mitsubishi Pajero.

In the classes, which are divided by engine capacity, İlayda Hancı, the only female driver in the event, took the Class 1 win with co-driver Batuhan Korkut in a Suzuki Vitara. The young driver also set the fastest time among the 33 crews on the event's third stage, earning great admiration for the performance. In Class 2 the İrfan Özdemir-Engin Başkurt crew won in a Suzuki Grand Vitara, Selami Türkvatan-Yiğithan Tarhan took Class 3, and in Class 4 the overall winners, brothers Hüsnü Taylan-Hasan Taylan, took the class win.

At the ceremony held after the event, the trophies were presented to the top finishers by Safranbolu Mayor Dr. Necdet Aksoy, Karabük Police Chief Serhat Tezsever, KARDOFF President Ahmet Demir and other members of the protocol.
The second round of the 2016 Turkish Off-road Championship will be run by Düzce Offroad Kulübü (DOSOD) in Kaynaşlı, Düzce, on 9-10 April.