The final weekend of August welcomed a new addition to extreme enduro
with the Gökbel Arena race in Turkey. Rocks, mountains and extreme heat
gave everyone plenty to sweat about…
Images: © Denis Günther / Enduro.de
Growing Interest
With neighbouring event Red Bull Sea to Sky reaching out to a global
audience the appetite for enduro – and extreme enduro in particular – is
growing in Turkey. The Gökbel Arena is the latest addition to the
calendar.
Marcel Teucher
Germany’s Marcel Teucher was the only international rider to make the
trip to Alanya. A win in the Saturday’s Prologue put him in prime
position for Sunday’s main event. Unfortunately a couple of problems
early on saw his advantage disappear and he finished second.
Scorching Sun
The baking hot Turkish sun ensured the 30km long main event was hard
on everyone. The 30-plus degree heat definitely increased the
extremeness of the race.
Rocky Riverbed
The race took riders 1600 metres up into the mountains but the sting
in its tail was the two kilometre long dried up rocky riverbed to reach
the finish. Ismael Özgül digs deep to take third.
Last Push
Goggles off and charging – Teucher fights hard to recover the time deficit he suffered in the opening stages.
New Recruits
For many this was their true first taste of enduro and it ended with varying levels of success.
Gimme Shelter
It was hot in Turkey – seriously hot. Pop-up shelters offered some
welcome rest bite from the scorching sun though many would have enjoyed
kicking back on the beaches of nearby Alanya along the Turkish Riviera.
Burak Özdemir
Burak Özdemir took a well-rewarded break from his Red Bull Sea to Sky
track management duties and came away with the race win. Second in the
prologue, he quickly chased down Teucher in Sunday’s race. Sticking to
his wheel tracks throughout, Özdemir crossed the finish line as the
winner.
Towering Taurus
The Taurus mountain range didn’t just offer a stunning backdrop to
the prologue, it was also where the majority of the action took place.
Using a 30km loop, the race really only skirted along the fringes of
what’s actually on offer in Alanya.
The Future
Relatively speaking the inaugural running of the Gökbel Arena proved
itself a success. And with plans already in place for 2015 things look
set to grow.