If you thought turkey is only famous for the Turkish delight, Ottoman history and its mouth-watering cuisine, and has nothing for sports lovers, and then you have probably mistaken it.Apart from the above mentioned things, Turkey also has a lot to offer in terms of sports and for a person in love with racing, turkey is a perfect destination.
Turkey gives you one of the best racing tracks in the world. The Istanbul Park racing track is a lavish stage for the portrayal of racing skills by the world’s best drivers. Here is what you would want to know about this track.
Location
This track, earlier known as the Istanbul Otodrom is located near the northern region of the Kurtkoy junction in the Asian part of Istanbul at the junction of pendik and Tuzla.
It is situated very close to the newly constructed Sabiha Gokcen International Airport.
The coliseum is beautifully bordered by forest and fields.
Features
It was opened in 2005 for international racing.
This track which has been featuring the Turkish Grand Prix was designed by the famous race track architect, Hermann Tilke.
It is spread over 2.215 square metres with length of 5.338 km.It has width ranging from 14 to 21.5 metres.
The highest inclination is 8.145% in length for tracks with uneven surface.
The track has in all 14 corners with the sharpest being of a sleek radius of just 15 m.Now that’s a driver’s Nightmare.
The main grandstand offers a seating capacity of 25,000 spectators. The natural ground stands and the temporary stands add another 1, 20,000 to the capacity along with the VIP stand giving in seating space for 5,000.
Sports Events Held Here
Formula 1-This race track has been the proud host of Turkish Grand Prix right from 2005 till the year 2011.
GP2- the GP2 event for 2006 took place here and had given a nail biting race to the spectators with the track doing so much in it.
MotoGP-The Turkish Motorcycle Grand Prix took place here in the year 2005 and 2006.
A few others like World Touring Car Championship Race, World Series by Renault, etc. Have been held here.
What makes it One of the Best Tracks in the World?
With all the roaring features it has, it is also among the very few circuits in the horizon running anti-clockwise.
The track features some deadly turns in the compass.
Turn 8, also called Diabolica’ sometimes, is a speedy and extensive turn with four apexes. You just can’t stop babbling over it after seeing the riders going through this one.
Another such turn is Turn 1.It is a steep sloping turn immediately after strait front. It is actually like what it is humorously called, the Turkish Corkscrew’.
These thrilling modes in the track, good seating capacity and ambiance and an ability to take the drivers by surprise have made it the best arena racing track in turkey.
The British business magnet, Bernie Ecclestone has described it as the best arena racetrack in the world’. It is definitely an I-candy for all the motorsport fans. So do visit turkey sometime to experience a worth watching race here.For information and queries on turkey visas, visit their official site.
Author’s BIO:Alice is a writer who writes articles on different topics. As of now she is focusing on Bahrain evisas which will enables to Visa Assistance service.