Hill Climb Season Opener Held in Bursa
The first hill climb of the 2017 season was organised by the Bursa Automobile Sports Club, known as BOSSEK, with the support of Orhangazi Municipality on the Orhangazi Hamzalı road on Sunday 7 May. A total of 30 competitors took part across four categories, eight of them in the local category. Three runs were held on the 5.25-kilometre tarmac course.
The Hamzalı course, host of the opening round of the Turkish Hill Climb Championship, drew great interest from motorsport fans. The event began with practice runs on Sunday morning and concluded with the prize-giving ceremony in the service area.
In Category 1, which attracted the largest entry, Engin Apaydın from Bursa took the win in a Citroen Saxo VTS after returning to the wheel following a short break. Kaan Kara from Izmir was second in an Opel Corsa GSI and Ramazan Ekiz from Ankara was third in a Fiat Palio.
In Category 2, Hakan Ertarman from Bursa, competing for BC Vision Motorsport in a Renault Clio Ragnotti, claimed victory. He was followed by Murat Soyçopur from Izmir in second, driving a Renault Clio R3 for GP Garage My Team, and by Kemal Gamgam from Istanbul in third, in an Opel Astra GSI, also for BC Vision Motorsport.
In Category 3, Okan Tanrıverdi, who travelled from Antalya to compete in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX for GP Garage My Team, took the win. Erdal Etyemez from Istanbul was second in a Fiat Palio and Yasin Güleç from Sakarya third in a Peugeot 206 RC.
Category 4 saw Izmir competitors dominate the podium. Efe Albağlar won in a Honda Civic Type-R EP3, Cem Yudulmaz was second in a prototype Opel Corsa GSI and Erkan Yanıkoğlu third in a Renault Clio Sport. Yudulmaz set the fastest run of the day with a time of 02.56.32, but went off the road on his final run, losing time and handing the class win to Albağlar.
In the local classification, the winners were İlker Tecimoğlu in a Fiat Palio in Category 1, Salih Uzunorman in a Fiat Palio in Category 2, Burak Akın in an Opel Astra GSI in Category 3 and Seçkin Sert in an Opel Astra G in Category 4.
The 2017 Turkish Hill Climb Championship continues with the Kocatepe Hill Climb, to be organised by the Eskişehir Automobile Sports Club (ESOK) in Afyon on 27-28 May.
