Locals race downhill with handmade wooden cars

RİZE

Formulaz, a traditional wooden car race co-organized by Red Bull and the Formulaz Association, has been held in the Black Sea province of Rize.

Wooden cars, which were first produced in the early 1900s and later increased in popularity, competed to be the fastest for the 12th time in the city’s Ardeşen district on Aug. 22

Competitors from all over Turkey have attempted to complete the 1.6-kilometer track with wooden cars of their own design as fast as possible, some reaching speeds of 60-70 kilometers per hour.

A total of 57 wooden cars built exclusively by the participants raced downhill in the course.

The racers whose wheels were broken were disqualified while some people were slightly injured when their cars overturned or hit the hay bales.

In the race, while the medical teams were waiting to intervene to those injured in possible accidents, the gendarmerie teams took safety precautions along the way.

Ayşe Begüm Subaşı, a Turkish gymnast who won gold in the individual women’s final at the Aerobic Gymnastics World Championships this year, was among the racers.

“We continue to do these races in order to carry the wooden car culture inherited from our grandfathers to the new generations and to teach it to everyone. Interest in our races continues to increase every year,” Formulaz Association Chairman Murat Gül said.

The cars participating in the race were completely wooden and handmade and the dimensions of the cars were limited to a maximum of 170x70 centimeters.

Another feature of race that perpetuates the Black Sea culture was the socks made from animal hair and black rubber shoes that all contestants are required to wear.