What the Championship Contenders Are Thinking – 2
The 'Champion of Champions', which will decide the fastest driver of the year in motorsport, will be held on 18-19 March at the İzmir Ülkü Park Race Track, with competitors from different disciplines taking part.
We continue to publish the views of the competitors who will race in this event...
ORHAN AVCIOĞLU - RALLY
I am ready to fight for the "championship" at the Champion of Champions, which brings together the fastest drivers from every discipline of Turkish motorsport. We will be getting the 2017 season off to an enjoyable start. I invite all my supporters to the İzmir Ülkü Park circuit on 18 and 19 March....
CEM BÖLÜKBAŞI - CIRCUIT RACING
Ten years ago, TOSFED brought together us, the new generation of competitors, and got us to where we are today. I am excited that TOSFED will now bring the entire motorsport community together at this major event. I can't wait to meet many wonderful talents...
AHMET BURKAY - RALLY
In my view, the Champion of Champions is a very special event. Having successful drivers from different disciplines compete on the same platform is both intriguing and fun. It was last held in 2002 and I was among the participants. The atmosphere is very different, which is why I am delighted it is being run again. If it can become a tradition, I believe it will make an important contribution to motorsport in Turkey. As for this year's championship in particular, I can say that there are very fast young names on the circuit who will be hard to pass. My goal is to finish in the top 16 in the first day's elimination rounds, where hundredths of a second will be decisive, and earn the right to compete in the final on the second day. I thank our federation for this fine event.
GALİP ATAR - CIRCUIT RACING
I believe it will be a tremendous event. Racing among star names and major talents is of course very exciting for me. Watching this contest, featuring Turkey's fastest drivers, from the grandstand will be just as full of adrenaline, and I think the Champion of Champions will draw a record number of spectators. As in every race, the aim is to win, but whichever of my colleagues wins, motorsport itself is certain to be the winner. I thank everyone who has contributed, first and foremost our president Serkan Yazıcı. I wish all my fellow competitors races in conditions that allow them to show their true performance, free from bad luck such as mechanical failures.
BURAK BAŞLIK - HILL CLIMB
It's a really great event, and I hope it is held every year. It feels like a reward, a gesture to the competitors. I also think it will be a very productive event for increasing spectator numbers and attracting interest. Because it is held on a circuit, it is very easy to watch, and we invite everyone to this race.
İSMET TOKTAŞ - HILL CLIMB
The Champion of Champions event, which came onto the agenda during the 2016 season, has a format that Turkey has long been without and has missed. In a sport like motorsport, where racing takes place across many different disciplines and success is as much about consistency as speed, it is very difficult to identify the most successful driver because of constantly changing conditions. For that reason, I am very pleased that an event of this kind, run as a sprint, with equal cars for all competitors and under equal conditions, as in examples around the world, is taking place in our country. Taking part as a competitor, being able to race on equal terms with Turkey's leading drivers will be a fantastic experience. Setting the sporting side aside, the event will also be enlivened for spectators with drifting and classic car shows between races. I invite all car enthusiasts to this event and thank TOSFED for bringing Turkey's fastest drivers together. I hope the 'Champion of Champions' becomes one of the eagerly awaited sporting events repeated in Turkey every year.
BUĞRA BANAZ - RALLY
It is a very well thought-out event and I am delighted to be part of it. I hope it passes in a spirit of sportsmanship and brotherhood, and I wish everyone success.
SİNAN KOÇ - INTERCITY CUP
The last time I went to watch the Champion of Champions I was a child, and I used to wonder, "Could I be in an event like this one day?" Now that I have the chance to race alongside legendary names, I am very excited and happy...
EMRE HASBAY - RALLY
I am very excited about the 2016 Champion of Champions. We will be fighting on equal terms to beat drivers who have won in various motorsport disciplines. I hope I can make the last 16 and fight for the championship...
NÜVİT KARAKAŞLI - YUSUF ARAMACI CUP
It will be a really great event. Getting through the elimination on the first day will be one kind of pleasure, and being knocked out and then watching the next day to one's heart's content will be another. It is wonderful that it is being presented as a show rather than a race, and it should stay that way. It is actually an idea that could be expected to become a tradition; I hope it goes as well as its name suggests and becomes a tradition...
