Team Türkiye Takes Five Medals at FIA Motorsport Games
Team Türkiye, which represented the country with 15 athletes across 16 different disciplines at the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games in Spain, finished the major event fifth among 82 nations with two gold and three silver medals.
The event, in which 646 athletes competed across 26 different disciplines, began on Wednesday 23 October with a spectacular opening ceremony at the Science Museum in Valencia. Over the five days of competition, the Ali Türkkan – Oytun Albayrak crew left with one gold and two silver medals, making them the team's most successful competitors. Türkkan and Albayrak finished second in both the Rally2 tarmac and Rally2 gravel events, then won the medal stage, open to the top three crews in the combined classification, to crown the weekend with gold. With the Turkish national anthem played in Valencia, our representatives achieved a great success on behalf of the country.
Ayhancan Güven, who represents Türkiye with success on European circuits, won gold in the GT Sprint discipline after starting from the back of the grid and attacking from the very first lap. Climbing rapidly through the order and setting the fastest lap with a 1:31.296, Güven took the lead with a move in the final five minutes of the 40-minute race. Delivering a superb performance to win gold for Türkiye, Güven had the Turkish national anthem played on the podium and secured one of the most important results of his career.
İskender Zülfikari, our karting driver with the most international experience, took on 35 competitors in the Karting Sprint Junior category. Our 13-year-old representative started the final from the front row and finished second, winning silver for Türkiye.
In the Rally4 discipline for two-wheel-drive cars, the Kerem Kazaz – Corentin Silvestre crew retired from the gravel rally with a mechanical failure, and then went off the road on stage 6 of the tarmac rally, losing close to a minute. Although the crew set the fastest time on the final stage, they missed out on the bronze medal by just 0.5 seconds and finished fourth.
On Sunday 27 October, the Touring Car, GT Sprint and Rally disciplines were broadcast live on the TRTSPOR Yıldız and Tabii Spor channels. Another representative of Türkiye in Touring Car was 18-year-old Zekai Özen. After a technical problem in qualifying left the young driver starting from the back, Özen gained four places to finish the race eighth.
Our representative in Karting Sprint Senior, which had 36 entries, Batı Ege Yıldırım, started the final from sixth place with a podium in his sights. Following the engine change required by the competition format, however, the new engine he was allocated proved slower than those of his rivals, and Yıldırım dropped back to 19th in an unlucky weekend.
Our Karting Mini representative Can Özler started the final 16th among 40 competitors, but contact with a rival at the first corner sent him off the track and he dropped to the back. Team Türkiye's youngest athlete at 11 years old finished an unlucky weekend in 20th place.
In drifting, which had 35 competitors, Berfu Tutumlu took to the track for Team Türkiye. Our representative made it into the top 16 in qualifying to progress to the head-to-head battles, but was eliminated in the match-up with a British rival, ending her medal hopes.
Our Cross Car Senior representative, 16-year-old Can Alakoç, was unable to deliver the performance he wanted in the heats on a track made heavy by rain, and finished 18th, missing out on the final.
In Auto Slalom, Akın Can Kiper and Eda Bacaksız finished outside the top 16 in the rankings and did not qualify for the final. In the esports F4 class, Ulaş Özyıldırım started the final from sixth place but had to pit after contact from a Hungarian rival broke his rear wing. Dropping to the back, Özyıldırım could only reach the finish in 15th. In the GT class, our representative Kaan Bekiroğlu lost his place in the final through a penalty in the semi-final.
Following the event, Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) President Eren Üçlertoprağı said: "We are leaving the FIA Motorsport Games, where we competed in a limited number of disciplines on a very restricted budget, in fifth place among 82 nations. Our young athletes did their very best within our means in every discipline they competed in. I sincerely congratulate all of our medal-winning athletes, and in the years ahead we aim to bring even more successful results to our country with a larger squad and greater resources."
