Burcu Çetinkaya, the famous Turkish turbo-charged racer car driver is presently touring Pakistan to realize her childhood dreams and to foster the Pakistan-Turkish brotherly ties in her own way. She adored Benazir Bhutto as her hero in her childhood and tales of friendship between the two countries always had a yearning in her to visit Pakistan.
Now grown up, robust and tough, Çetinkaya has made her in name in racing cars, an otherwise men dominated sports. She is the holder of Turkish Ladies Champion for five consecutive years and her zeal is nowhere near for giving in.
Besides her love for Pakistan and idolizing Benazir Bhutto, the floods of 2010 left a great impression on her and since then she wanted to come to Pakistan and feel and share the pain and anguish the Pakistani flood victims have endured, besides her curiosity to visit this much talked about lands from her ancestors.
She is also here to talk to Pakistan women about motorsports and to encourage and inspire women in general. Her sponsor, Red Bull, is organizing the trip. She is already meeting athletes, students and media during her ongoing 10-days visit to Pakistan (25th February-5th March). She is also the chief guest of an exclusive Red Bull Dakar Rally 2011 screening in Karachi and will also be hosting the event. She will also address students at top universities in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad to share her experiences as a female car racer.
Car racing is a developing sports in Pakistan and every year a desert safari cum race is held in the Cholistan desert, besides display of vintage cars on the roads from Karachi to Islamabad. In a tragic car racing incident, recently five people including children were crushed to death when a motorist lost control over his high speed car in a race organized in Bahria Town Rawalpindi. Adam Khan of Pakistan has also been making headlines in A1 car racing recently, though he is not seen anymore.
Lately, female drivers like Sonia Khuhro, Ghazal Beg and Urooj Mumtaz have also made headlines as they too have joined the ranks of daring drivers to participate in Xtreme Autocross Championship since 2009. The recent race of Xtreme Autocross Championship was held in Karachi recently.
Çetinkaya’s presence in Pakistan will definitely inspire youngsters to venture into this costly and challenging sports. Welcome to Pakistan, Çetinkaya and we wish you a pleasant and memorable stay in Pakistan. [JalalHB]
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