Double Final at Istanbul Park: Circuit Championship and Track Fest

Istanbul Park is hosting one of the season's busiest programs on the weekend of October 9–11: the 4th and 5th rounds of the AVIS Türkiye Track Championship are run on Friday and Sunday, while the Saturday in between is entirely dedicated to spectators and those seeking a track experience. Thus, the sporting battle that will shape the championship standings and the Track Fest, open to the public, are brought together under the same roof. These three days at Türkiye's only international race circuit offer a good snapshot of where Turkish motorsport stands, both in terms of competition and spectator appeal.

Weekend Program: Three Days, Three Different Roles

Those who have worked in this business for many years know one thing well: measuring the value of a race weekend solely by Sunday's checkered flag falls short. This program at Istanbul Park is a well-crafted calendar that fills all three days with a different purpose. Round 4 is run on October 9, and round 5 along with the pit walk takes place on October 11. The Saturday in between, October 10, is dedicated to the TOSFED Track Fest.

The championship's 2026 calendar opened at Istanbul Park in May; the second and third rounds in July and August were then run at the same circuit. The fact that the entire season takes place at Istanbul Park shows how single-centered Turkish circuit racing is in terms of infrastructure. For those who remember the days when the circuit calendar stretched from İzmir to Ankara, even to Cyprus, this picture feels a bit narrow; but on the other hand, the routine formed at a single circuit creates a favorable environment for the development of teams and drivers. In the third round, the fact that 22 cars raced in the Maxi and Super groups is also proof that there is a serious turnout on the field.

The battle takes place in two categories with a fairly wide performance gap: the Maxi group covers cars close to the GT4 class, while the Super group includes machines that are slightly more accessible. On the sponsor side, AVIS leads the way; Spor Toto, Tuzla Municipality, Salados and Power App are also among the championship's supporters.

Who Won in Round 4: The Maxi and Super Group Standings

In the fourth round, 23 athletes took to the track in two groups, and the story of the day turned out to be two races with two different winners. In the Maxi group, Seda Kaçan Bakan won the first race with Texaco Team AMS's Audi A3 RS3, while Kamil Çat won the second race with the BMW M4 GT4 from SESA European GT Team. Galip Atar (Ülkü Motorsport, BMW M4 GT4) took third place in both races. In the Super group, Emre Can Ünal and Recep Çelikkanat finished the races as the leaders.

This back-and-forth between Kaçan Bakan and Çat looks set to shape the rest of the season. Winning one race and staying on the podium in the other is championship strategy in its purest form; individual wins matter, but when the round totals are discussed, every point counts. The balance Galip Atar maintains with his third places in both races shows that the three names at the top never let go of each other.

Seda Kaçan Bakan: The Curve of a Season

To read the main story of the fourth round correctly, you need to see Seda Kaçan Bakan's season as a whole. Born in 1993 in Kırklareli, the driver has gone down in history as Türkiye's second female racing driver after Müzeyyen Tahincioğlu; but her performance in the 2026 season positions her not only as a pioneer but also as a title contender.

Setting the fastest laps at Istanbul Park in the season opener, in the rainy second round in July she finished the first race second and the second race first. The third round in August wrote perhaps the most striking chapter of the season: after contact in the first race, Kaçan Bakan started the second race from 20th place and climbed 19 positions to win. For someone who finished the 2023 season as Maxi Group runner-up, this is no coincidence; it is the product of track knowledge and racing intelligence.

When you place her victory in the fourth round within this curve, the picture becomes clear: a driver who managed to stay close to the podium in every condition throughout the season is among those in the strongest position in the championship hunt. Seeing how the gap with Kamil Çat turns into a battle in the final rounds will be the most enjoyable part.

TOSFED Track Fest: Taking to the Track in Your Own Car

On Saturday, October 10, the track plays host not to race cars but to the owners of ordinary cars driven in everyday traffic. The idea behind TOSFED Track Fest, taking place from 09.00 to 18.00, is simple: to head out to Istanbul Park in your own car and experience track driving within the framework of safety rules.

Events of this kind are now a routine component of track championship weekends. A similar program was run during the third round weekend as well; that day, organized with multiple 20-minute sessions and 120-minute "Open Pit" blocks, is the best proof of how the model works. In the past, track experience was only possible through a team, a club, or a very expensive track day organization; now, buying a ticket and doing laps in your own car, at your own level, has become a perfectly normal weekend activity. This change is not small: every step that breaks down the wall between the race spectator and the track user is an investment in the championship's next decade.

Pit Walk and Autograph Sessions: A Strategy for Getting Closer to the Audience

On Sunday, October 11, alongside the fifth round races, a pit walk will be held from 13:00 to 14:00. During this time, spectators will be able to enter the team garages to examine the race cars up close, get autographs from the drivers, and take photos with them. In the third round, the same session ran from 11:45 to 12:45; while the times vary from round to round, the logic is the same.

This approach deserves to be taken seriously. In Türkiye, the oldest problem of track championships was the distance between the grandstand and the pits; the spectator saw the flag but never saw the driver. Now garage doors are opening, children are holding out their caps, and drivers are posing for phone cameras. Add to this the season opening being "the first national race weekend at İstanbul Park in nine years": TOSFED's strategy is to grow the audience by going beyond the classic race spectator and offering a participatory, star experience. Track Fest, the pit walk, and the autograph sessions are complementary parts of this plan.

Tickets, Times, and Practical Information

For those considering going to the weekend, here is the practical rundown: tickets are on sale via tosfedbilet.com, gates open at 09:00 on event days, and the program runs until 18:30. In previous rounds, adult tickets were 150 TL, with discounted tickets for students and the 13-21 age range; it is reasonable to assume prices were set the same way for this round, but it would be wise to confirm the current figure on the ticket page.

• Date and venue: October 9-11, 2026, TOSFED İstanbul Park (Tuzla, İstanbul).
• Track Fest: Saturday, October 10, 09:00-18:00; participation with your own car, subject to compliance with safety rules.
• Pit walk and autographs: Sunday, October 11, 13:00-14:00.
• Categories: Maxi and Super group cars.

It is worth noting one thing: the full-day program of the fourth round shows minor variations in sources, between October 9 and October 11. The gate opening and closing times are fixed; for the distribution of race days, checking the official program daily is useful to avoid surprises at the gate.

Closing: Toward the Final Round of the Season

This double header at Istanbul Park will largely determine the sporting fate of the 2026 season. The Maxi Group duel between the runaway Bakan and Çat, the surge of Ünal and Çelikkanat in the Super group, and tires spinning at Tuzla in the autumn of October... On the other hand, the way the circuit opens up into a ring leaves a separate impression: a track's future is built not only with the drivers at the top, but with the people who lap in their own cars on Saturday. Those who stir up this business's old notebooks know; circuits with packed grandstands always run faster.

Sources

• TOSFED - Double Excitement on the Track at Istanbul Park
• TOSFED - Thrilling Battle for the Top at the 4th Round of TPŞ
• AVIS 2026 Türkiye Circuit Championship Round 4.5 Races
• Track Fest 2026 event page
• 23 athletes in the 4th round of the AVIS 2026 Türkiye Circuit Championship
• The Battle for the Top in the 4th Round of TPŞ Saw Fierce Competition
• The battle for the top at the AVIS 2026 Circuit Championship at Istanbul Park
• Seda Kaçan
• The fastest laps on the F1 track came from Seda Kaçan
• An incredible comeback from Seda Kaçan in the Türkiye Circuit Championship
• Seda Kaçan turned the rain into victory at Istanbul Park
• TOSFED - Announcement of the 4th and 5th rounds
• TOSFED - Round 3 program and Track Fest