Gebze Karting ve Drift Karting

In Gebze, in the province of Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, this open-air circuit plays an unusual card: it presents itself as Turkey's first drift karting track. On the menu, classic karting but also karts built to slide and drift under control, a striking discipline to master that breaks from the usual clean lines. The track can hold up to thirty karts and has professional timing to compare lap times.

Karting stays open to all, with no licence or experience: you take the safety briefing, put on the gear, and choose between classic racing and a drift introduction. The format appeals to families as much as to groups of friends after something a little different. Bookings and information are taken directly from the track, and it is best to check opening times by season, as the activity takes place outdoors. People come back to master the slide and improve their time.

Gebze is a busy industrial town on the doorstep of Istanbul, on the Gulf of İzmit. The region keeps a few curiosities, such as the memorial to Hannibal, the famous Carthaginian general said to have ended his days nearby in antiquity. The great Osmangazi bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, spans the gulf and links the southern shore in minutes. Istanbul and its monuments, along with Lake Sapanca and the Yalova spa, are within easy reach by road, which makes Gebze a handy stop between the metropolis and Anatolia.