Bilkent Rally Club is a new club that brings together Bilkenters who share an enthusiasm for rally. Rally combines driving skill and speed in an exciting but safe environment. The founders of the club are licensed drivers who compete as either pilots or co-pilots. "Rally does not mean a pilot steps hard on the accelerator. An excellent pilot knows exactly when to step on the brakes," said Volkan Işık, a professional pilot, during a recent talk at Bilkent. "The essence of rally is team work involving the pilot, co-pilot and mechanics; the co-pilot shoulders more than half the responsibility as he or she watches the road and the time."
The president of the club, Ateş Kantürk, in pointing out the popularity of rally in Europe and the United States, says that the first and foremost consideration at rally meets is safety. He says, "In Europe, rally has a tremendous fan base, and pilots and co-pilots are treated like heroes. In Turkey, however, rally has not been able to keep pace because it is difficult to find sponsors or any kind of support."
Bilkent Rally Club provides an excellent opportunity for those interested in this sport to get involved. They provide new cars for Bilkenters to enable them to gain first-hand experience of the thrill of rally. The club also organizes talks given by professional rally pilots. In addition, they are planning to make the rally meets annual events. On December 26, Volkan Işık and Erkan Bodur will appear in a discussion arranged by Bilkent Rally Club on the "World of Motor Sports" program on STAR TV. For more information, call Ateş Kantürk at (532) 413-2277.
Hande Yedidal (IR/IV)
