Kabatepe Couple Wins the Republic Rally

The Cumhuriyet Rally, the closing round of the 2026 Türkiye Classic Car Championship, was won by the Cengiz Kabatepe – Çiğdem Kabatepe crew, driving an Anadol A1. Held in Istanbul on October 23–24, the two-day contest featured 47 classic cars with model years ranging from 1954 to 1989. It was an Anadol, the car of the homeland, that had the final word in the championship.

Who won the Cumhuriyet Rally?

The top of the overall classification went to the Cengiz Kabatepe – Çiğdem Kabatepe crew. The couple's victory was secured with their result in the 1972 Anadol A1. The second step of the podium also went to an Anadol: Ali Fuad Akömer – Mert Büyük finished second with the 1973 Anadol STC-16. Third place was taken by the Şenol Evren – Gezin Evren crew with the 1969 Mercedes 280 SL Pagoda.

This picture will not come as a surprise to longtime followers of the scene. For years, Anadol models have shared the podium with German and British-built cars on the Turkish classic rally stage; and two Anadols taking the top two spots ahead of a German classic in the closing rally once again demonstrated the weight of domestic car culture in this field.

Two days, two stage areas: From Sarıyer to Çatalca

The event was organized by the Classic Car Club. The first day, Friday, October 23, was run on the stages along Sarıyer's Demirciköy route. On the second day the route shifted to the Çatalca area; the cars restarted from Florentia Village at 11:00 on Saturday morning, October 24. The rally concluded that same evening with a gala held at the Swissotel.

Throughout the race, the cars made their way accompanied by Istanbul's historic fabric and autumn colors. But this event also confirmed one of the well-known truths of classic rallying: battling Istanbul traffic in an old classic can be as exhausting as the stages themselves. Reaching the Çatalca stages on the second day through traffic was a test in its own right, even for experienced crews.

47 cars, a 35-year model span

The number of cars at the start sums up the scale of the rally well: 47 classic cars. The oldest entrant was a 1954 model, the newest a 1989 model; meaning that thirty-five years of automotive history were on the field, with all their technical specifications and characters. Racing in cars from the lower end of this span requires a different discipline than the upper end; meticulous maintenance, along with knowledge of spare parts and the importance of patience.

In the first stage of registration, this number appeared as 40. Final participation reached 47; meaning the field was strengthened one last time toward the season finale. It is not unusual to see such small differences between registration and start numbers in classic rallies; last-minute corrections, missing documents and modification times keep the entry list moving until the very last moment.

What does the closing round of the championship mean?

The Cumhuriyet Rally was the final race of the 2026 Türkiye Classic Car Championship season. The points accumulated in the other rounds of the season always carry an element of balance onto this final; the outcome of the closing rally is read as the result that seals the overall picture of the year. The 2026 calendar also included the Classic Car Club's Çanakkale Spring Rally and the 28th Western Anatolia Rally in Çeşme; this time, the season concluded in Istanbul.

Holding the championship's closing with a rally coinciding with Republic Day, although it seems like a coincidence in the calendar, has taken root as an institutional choice. Since the club's founding in 1990, this format has become one of the fixed stops that brings classic car sport into the holiday week.

What happened last year? Compared to the 2025 rally

the previous season painted a different picture. The 2025 Cumhuriyet Rally, run on October 24-26, 2025 with international status and as a FIVA World Rally, attracted 63 cars from five countries. The start was given from Sultanahmet Square that year; on the first day the Şile Ömerli Dam stages were run, and on the second day slalom and driving tests were held at the TOSFED Istanbul Park Circuit. First place went to the Selim - Handan Bacıoğlu crew, with Ömer Akömer - Berent Ali Mumyakmaz second and Murat - Mert Oktuğ third.

In the past, the news value of such international events mostly came from the number of participating countries; this year's run, however, was held in a simpler, two-day format as a national championship round. The drop in participation from 63 to 47 and keeping the stages within Istanbul's boundaries show that the organization's focus has shifted: this year's goal was not an international showcase, but a clear closing of the championship.

The Anadol's place on the podium

The Anadol A1 that carried the Kabatepe couple to first place is one of the best-known representatives of the generation of Türkiye's first domestically produced passenger cars. A 1972 A1 winning the overall classification in a classic rally is not only a driving achievement, but also the result of maintenance effort. We are not talking about a five-year-old vehicle, but a car that has passed its fiftieth year; durability, easily serviceable mechanics and a well-known parts market are the silent conditions behind such results.

The Anadol STC-16 on the second step of the podium was the sportier face of the Anadol family. A domestic classic and a successful foreign classic sharing the same podium also sums up the breadth of this rally's technical spectrum: running the same stages, under the same rules, with completely different mechanical philosophies, is the essence of classic rallying's unique appeal.

Result: The season ended with the hometown car on top

The Cumhuriyet Rally closed the 2026 classic car season with the Kabatepe couple's victory, two Anadols on the podium, and 47 cars' two-day Istanbul adventure. The route, stretching from the forest roads of Sarıyer to the stages of Çatalca, once again proved in the last days of autumn that vintage cars can still be serious competition machines. Until the new season's calendar and points tables become clear, the classic car community's final word belongs to the winner of the closing event.

Sources

• Kabatepe Couple Won the Classic Season Finale
• The Kabatepe couple won the classic car season finale
• The winner of the Cumhuriyet Rally: Çiğdem-Cengiz Kabatepe
• The Classic Season Ends with the Cumhuriyet Rally
• The classic car season will come to an end in Istanbul with the 40-car Cumhuriyet Rally
• Friendship Was the Winner at the Cumhuriyet Rally (2025)
• 47 cars competed at the Cumhuriyet Rally
• Rallies - Classic Car Club