Sinop Wind Blows Through Off-Road Championship
Round three of the Turkish Off-road Championship, organised by the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation and hosted by Sinop OffRoad Club, was held on 30-31 May.
The forest stage was completed on the first day of the event, with the spectator stage run on the second day. The start was given by Sinop Governor Dr. Yasemin Özata Çetinkaya, together with the Governor's husband, Lt. Col. Temel Çetinkaya, and Garrison Commander Col. Şefaattin Serten and his wife.
Governor Çetinkaya went to the vehicle of İlayda Hancı, the only female driver in Turkey, who competes for Sinop, and wished the driver success. A fierce battle unfolded among 19 vehicles and 38 competitors. The purpose-built vehicles raced against the clock through obstacles prepared for them. Held in the Bostancılı area of Sinop, the event consisted of three stages and three laps in total. The competitors' attempts to clear the water obstacles and ramps drew big applause from the spectators.
Speaking at the start point, Sinop Governor Dr. Yasemin Özata Çetinkaya said: "I have been in contact with Sinop Offroad Club since I took up my post in Sinop. I had been hearing about these events and waiting for them with curiosity. In my previous postings, we neither hosted nor attended events like this as spectators. I always said that everything suits Sinop, and looking at this scene, I can see that this event suits Sinop very well too. With its sea, forest, history and geography, Sinop is one of our rare cities. It is wonderful to be part of such an event both as host and as a competitor."
At the end of the two-day event, former Sinop Offroad Club president Bülent Cevdet Durdu and Barış Güner took victory in the overall classification, with Onur Alptekin and Tamer Akdağ from Trakya Offroad Club second and Yunus Ayhan and Bilal Karamemiş from Ankara Offroad Club third.
The class winners were Engin Başkurt and Serdar Atabey in Class 1 with a Suzuki Vitara, Onur Alptekin and Tamer Akdağ in Class 2 with a Suzuki Vitara, Cevdet Durdu and Barış Güner in Class 3 with a Mitsubishi Pajero, Mustafa Canca and Mustafa Akcanca in Class 4 with a Jeep Wrangler, and İlyas Sönmez and Dağdan Bereket in Class 5 with a Mitsubishi Pajero.
