Rain Tests Drivers at Kartepe Hill Climb

Round 3 of the 2017 Turkish Hill Climb Championship was organised by Kocaeli Otomobil Sporları Kulübü in Kartepe on Sunday 18 June, with the support of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and Kartepe Municipality.Over a 6km course climbing to Kartepe from opposite the Derbent Gendarmerie Station, 33 competitors from Bursa, Ankara, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Istanbul, Antalya and Izmir battled across four categories in an event run over two runs. Heavy rain and fog on Sunday morning disrupted the practice runs, and the event, which had been announced as a three-run competition, was run over two runs.
In Category 1, last year's Turkish champion Burak Başlık from Bursa took the win in a Citroen Saxo VTS, with fellow Bursa driver Engin Apaydın second in a similar car. Kaan Kara from Izmir completed the Category 1 podium in third in an Opel Corsa GSI.In Category 2, Ferhat Tanrıbilir from Kocaeli, competing for Neo Motorspor in a Peugeot 208 R2, took the class win, while Burak Akın from Bursa, entered by BC Vision Motorsport in an Opel Astra GSI, finished the category second. Third in Category 2 went to Çağlar Ünüvar from Ankara, also in an Opel Astra GSI.In Category 3, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX driver Okan Tanrıverdi from Antalya, competing for GP Garage My Team, left the Kartepe course with the win. Refik Bozkurt from Ankara took second in a Renault Clio II Sport, while Neo Motorspor's Osman Uğur from Bursa was third in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX.
Starting a hill climb for the first time, for testing purposes, Hakkı Ağaoğlu set the fastest run of the day with a time of 03:54.03 in a Peugeot 207 S2000, also winning Category 4. Yavuzhan Cabbaroğlu from Ankara was second in a Subaru Impreza WRX, and Emin Cem Yalın from Istanbul completed the Category 4 podium in a Mazda RX-8.
GP Garage My Team was awarded the teams' win at the event, where Apexmasters Turkish Drift Championship drivers Kemal Özhaseki, Mert Bilaloğlu and Koray Atalık started in sequence as a demonstration and delighted the spectators.
After the first three rounds of the Turkish Hill Climb Championship, Engin Apaydın leads Category 1, Ferhat Tanrıbilir Category 2, Okan Tanrıverdi Category 3 and Efe Albağlar Category 4. The hill climb season continues on 8-9 July at Şile Ovacık, organised by İstanbul Otomobil Sporları Kulübü.