Hill Climb Action at Orhangazi

The second round of the 2016 Turkish Hill Climb Championship, the Powerpan Hill Climb, was held on Sunday 24 April by the Bursa Automobile Sports Club (BOSSEK) with the support of Orhangazi Municipality.

The event began on Sunday morning with administrative and technical checks, followed by practice runs. Held over three runs on a 5.25-kilometre course starting from the Orhangazi Nadır Picnic Area, the event attracted 13 competitors from Bursa, Izmir, Ankara and Istanbul.

In Class 1, Burak Sohtorik, a former hill climb champion returning to the competition courses after many years, took the win with a Fiat Palio. Last year's Turkish Hill Climb Class 1 champion, Bursa's Burak Başlık, was unable to finish after suffering a major engine failure on the first run in his Citroën Saxo VTS, which he had rolled during practice.

In Class 2, Bursa's Hakan Ertarman took victory with a Renault Clio Ragnotti. Nuray Işık of Bursa, making her first start in her career in an Opel Corsa S1600, finished second, while Ankara's Mustafa Göçer secured third with a Fiat Punto Kit Car.

In Class 3, last year's champion, Ankara's Refik Bozkurt, finished the day in first place with a Renault Sport Clio, while Bursa's İsmet Toktaş went off the road on the second run in his Honda Civic Type-R EP3 and joined the list of non-finishers.

Last year's Turkish Hill Climb Champion Ümit Ülkü not only won his class with a Porsche 997 GT3 but also set the fastest time of the day with a 03:02.90 on the second run. Izmir's Ayhan Germirli finished second in the Renault Sport Clio belonging to fellow Izmir competitor Erkan Yanıkoğlu, as his Renault Clio R3, which he crashed on the Aegean Rally, was not ready in time, while Selim Bacıoğlu failed to finish due to a mechanical problem.

The 2016 Turkish Hill Climb Championship continues with the Kaynaşlı Hill Climb in Düzce on 28-29 May.