Extreme Cup Kicks Off This Weekend in Kandıra

Round 3 of the 2026 Extreme Cup round of the 2026 Extreme Cup will be held this weekend in the Kandıra district of Kocaeli. Originally planned for October 17-18, the event was postponed to October 24-25; the start ceremony will take place on Saturday at 11:30 in front of the Kandıra Municipality. The races will run on both days on the course prepared at the Pink Cliffs area. With the awards ceremony on Sunday at 17:30, the third chapter of the championship will come to a close.

When and where will the Kandıra round of the Extreme Cup be held?

The answer is now clear: On October 24-25, 2026, in the Kandıra district of Kocaeli. The event is being organized in cooperation with the Kandıra Municipality by the 4x4 Osmanlı Offroad Sports Club. The race was actually scheduled for a week earlier, on October 17-18; with a federation announcement, the program was pushed back by one week.

Long-time followers of this sport know; last-minute changes on the offroad calendar are nothing unfamiliar. In an outdoor discipline that depends on terrain, it is hardly surprising that weather conditions strain the schedule. While changes used to spread by word of mouth for months, now they can reach everyone within minutes through the federation's official accounts. The follower's job, at least, has been made easier.

Weekend program

The official program announced by the federation is as follows:

The program reflects the typical rhythm of offroad races: a ceremonial opening on Saturday morning, followed by the first stages in the afternoon; and on Sunday afternoon, the remaining races and the closing ceremony. The busiest period to watch will be between Saturday 15:30 and Sunday 17:30.

The course: Two days of battle at the Pink Cliffs

The heart of the races is the Pink Cliffs area, located on Kandıra's coastline. The course is prepared for 4x4 vehicles and is full of obstacles, gates, and challenging passages. For those unfamiliar with the format, to explain briefly: drivers try to overcome the obstacles in sequence by passing through gates placed at specific points without errors. The technical passages and terrain conditions test the limits of both the vehicle and the teams.

This format clearly separates seasoned teams from newcomers. Speed alone is not enough; the precision at door crossings and reading the course correctly is as decisive as the throttle input. The unique terrain character of the Pink Cliffs also makes the job harder; the crews will have to adapt to the course's local features for two days.

TR1 and TR2: two different classes, two different philosophies

The vehicles compete in two categories, and the difference between them is important for those new to offroad:

• TR1: Conventional vehicles with unmodified factory chassis. This class is the measure of what can be done with a car that can be bought from a dealership.
• TR2: Vehicles with specially prepared chassis. These are fully race-focused machines whose design is built directly around the course's obstacles.

While the TR2 side may look more assertive on the course, TR1 holds a special place in the eyes of spectators: a chassis you could see on the street overcoming these obstacles always offers a more relatable show. Looking at it through thirty years of automotive experience, the two classes running side by side deliver both the technical and the human side of the cup in a single day.

Championship situation: The picture ahead of Kandıra

3. leg have not yet been shared with the public; so we need to be cautious when talking about the favorites. What we have are the clues from the previous legs of the championship. Leg 2 of the season leg, held as the Düzce Extreme Race on September 19-20 by the Düzce Automobile and Offroad Motorsports Club, with intense competition on the courses featuring mud, water and steep obstacles.

In Düzce, the fastest time in the TR1 category was set by the duo Ahmet Kurt – İbrahim Ateş. In the previous race, Uğur Kabal – Mesut Karaaslan took first place in TR1, with Can Özkurt – Seyfullah Tahir finishing second. there is no single dominant team in TR1; different names play for the top in every leg. This is what makes Kandıra open from a championship standpoint and keeps things interesting for those watching. This is a feature that keeps Kandıra open from a championship standpoint and makes things interesting for those watching.

promotion and sports tourism The race has a payoff not only on the course but also on the district's own account.

Kandıra Mayor Erol Ölmez emphasized that the organization will contribute to the district's promotion and sports tourism; he stated that as the municipality they value bringing different sports branches together in Kandıra, and invited district residents as well as visitors coming from surrounding cities to watch the races. Ölmez thanked the club and stakeholders who contributed and wished the competitors success. Small districts hosting major races is not a new story in Turkish motorsport, but it proves the same thing every time:

off-track disciplines draw the crowds right up to the terrain itself. off-road disciplines draw the crowds right up to the terrain itself. When a distinctive venue like Kandıra's coastline and the Pink Cliffs is combined, serious potential emerges on the spectator side from neighboring provinces. The postponement does not upset this calculation; on the contrary, the new calendar date falling on the weekend may actually be more convenient for spectators.

Why was the race postponed?

The federation's official announcement clearly shows that the event has been postponed to October 24-25. Weather conditions are publicly cited as the reason for the postponement; however, this reason is not specifically stated in the announcement texts themselves. Since terrain and weather conditions are the most common cause of such calendar shifts in the motorsport community, the outcome of the calendar moving forward by a week appears to be a solution that pleases everyone.

The point to note practically is the old announcements still circulating on the internet. Many local news outlets are still announcing the race for October 17-18. Those planning to go to Kandıra should follow the official calendar, set their dates for October 24-25, and arrange the field schedule according to the program above. I know from experience: the number of spectators who set off for the wrong weekend in this discipline is not small.

Conclusion: Let's meet in Kandıra at 11:30 on Saturday

The Kandıra leg of the Extreme Cup, as the third stop of the championship, now has a clear schedule for this weekend: the start in front of the Kandıra Municipality building at midday on Saturday, followed by the first stages at the Pink Cliffs in the afternoon; and on Sunday, the remaining races and the awards ceremony at 17:30. Setting aside the uncertainty in the points table, the multi-player battle in TR1 and TR2's course-specific machines make this two-day program worth watching. It would be reasonable for those around Kandıra to set off on Saturday morning, while the rest should reassess once the points table becomes clear.

Sources

• 2026 Extreme Cup leg 3 announcement and schedule
• The Extreme Cup Continues in Kandıra
• Postponement announcement (October 24-25)
• Offroad excitement in Kandıra! A two-day race at the Pink Cliffs
• The Extreme Cup Will Race in Kandıra
• 2026 Extreme Cup Leg 2 Düzce results