Fahri and Tan start season with victory
KKTOK kicks-off first rally of 2021 with ‘Super Special Stage’
THE first rally of the 2021 Basel Holding North Cyprus Rally Championship was held last Friday and Saturday.
The winner of the “general classification” category of the race was Deniz Fahri and co-driver Serhan Tan of the Flat Out Rally Team with a total time of 53 minutes and 43 seconds.
Second spot was also claimed by the Flat Out Rally Team with the pairing of Mustafa Bulutoğulları and Mustafa Yücener finishing in 54m 22s.
Third place went to Fikri Macila and co-driver Doğa Koyuncu, competing for the Macila Rally Team, who finished in 54m 33.3s.
The seven-stage rally, organised by the North Cyprus Touring and Automobile Institution (KKTOK), began with a “Super Special Stage” last Friday at the ZET Karting facilities near Alayköy.
Former rally champions symbolically opened the championship by racing go-karts, after which 17 championship teams and four drift vehicles competed.
Rauf Denktaş — the grandson of the late TRNC President — and co-driver Mehmet Mişon were the fastest on day one with a time of 3m 8.7s in their Hyundai i20 New Generation, winning them the “Zekâ Özteknik Best Time” cup.
On the second day, only nine of 15 teams who started were able to cross the finish line after two stages in Kozan and four in Aktepe.
Chase Group was the main sponsor of the rally. Other sponsors included Alayköy Municipality, Near East Bank, Çağkan Yapı İskele Sistemleri, Capital Radio, Chagla Car Care, Aveon Insurance, Tekan Mobile and Limasol Online.
An awards ceremony was held after the race where Chase Group directors Mehmet Yücel and Caner Tosuncuk, as well as Gürsu Çakaloz of Basel Holding and KKTOK President Tigin Kişmir, presented the awards.
Cahit Yetkili and Harun Çakır
Oktay and Hüseyin Çocuk
Murat Aşık and Nebil Öneral