Seda Kaçan Reached the Top in the Bakan Maxi Group

Seda Kaçan Bakan climbed to the top by winning the first race of the Maxi group with Texaco Team AMS in the fourth round of the AVIS Türkiye Circuit Championship held at Istanbul Park. Her victory over the weekend, where 23 athletes competed in two groups, was the most tangible proof of Kaçan Bakan's consistent rise this season; in the fifth round held a day later, she took two more second places, solidifying her position at the top among women.

What Happened at Istanbul Park in Round 4: Results in Maxi and Super Groups

The fourth round, held at TOSFED Istanbul Park on Friday, October 9, 2026, took place with a total of 23 athletes competing in two groups: Maxi and Super. With AVIS as the title sponsor and support from Spor Toto, Tuzla Municipality, and Salados, the winner of the first race in the Maxi group was Seda Kaçan Bakan in Texaco Team AMS colors; the second race was completed in the lead by Kamil Çat from SESA European GT.

In the Super group, the finishing touches were shared between Emre Can Ünal and Recep Çelikkanat of Ülkü Motorsport: Ünal won the first race and Çelikkanat the second. This picture shows that the championship has multiple winners in both groups and that an extremely balanced season is being watched, with no single name dominating.

For Kaçan Bakan, this victory represents the peak of a picture that has been built since the beginning of the season. She took pole position and made the podium in the opening round, and as of the third round on August 30, she held the lead in the Maxi group drivers' championship. Her first place in the fourth round wrote its answer on the track that that lead was no coincidence.

Round 5: Two Second Places and a Double Summit in the Women Drivers' Classification

The championship returned to the same track for a second time on Sunday, October 11; this time 11,000 spectators were in the stands and 20 athletes raced in the Maxi and Super groups. Kaçan Bakan's weekend took a different shape here: she climbed to the second step of the podium in both races, but let the two first places slip to other names.

In the women drivers' classification, the standings were the same in both races: Seda Kaçan Bakan first, Sevde Zehra Yıldırım second, Selen Aktaşgil third. In the teams' classification, Ülkü Motorsport won the first race and SESA European GT Team the second. In the Super group, Orçun İnce was the name who continued his winning streak in round 5, finishing both races in first place.

This table needs to be read correctly: the story of Kaçan Bakan's "peak" changes depending on the round. October 9 brought a victory, while October 11 brought two second places. What people talk about in the paddock is usually victories, but maintaining a consistent pace across two races on track is what determines the championship over a long season. The second places, rather than being a disappointment for the team, were valuable investments in terms of points.

How the Season Unfolded: The Road from May to October

The 2026 Türkiye Circuit Championship began with its opening round on May 10-11. Kaçan Bakan took pole position in qualifying that weekend; Berk Kalpaklıoğlu and Umut Göktaş from Texaco Team AMS also took to the track alongside her. In the 12-lap Maxi opening race, Galip Atar finished first, Kaçan Bakan second, and Kalpaklıoğlu third.

One of the most talked-about moments of the season came in the third round on August 30: the intense on-track contact between Galip Atar and Kaçan Bakan received widespread coverage on social media. That weekend coincided with Victory Day, and Texaco Team AMS reported a "double" result. As of the third round, Kaçan Bakan was holding the lead in the Maxi group drivers' championship.

Results by Round

• Round 1 (May 10-11): Kaçan Bakan on pole; 2nd place in the first race behind Galip Atar.
• Round 2 (July 4): As the championship continued, the team maintained its race pace.
• Round 3 (August 30): Intense on-track contact with Atar; Kaçan Bakan maintained the Maxi lead, and it was reported that she carried the second race from the back rows to victory.
• Round 4 (October 9): Victory in the first Maxi race; Kamil Çat won the second race.
• Round 5 (October 11): 2nd place in both races; a double first in the women drivers' classification.

A Double Round with Track Fest: The October 9-11 Program

In this year's calendar, the fourth and fifth rounds were combined with a formula that has not yet become widespread: alongside the circuit races, a participant event called Track Fest. On Saturday, October 10, Track Fest ran from 09.00 to 18.00, where participants could drive their own cars on track at Istanbul Park. The way such events carry the spectator from the grandstand onto the track's asphalt found its reflection in the crowd of 11,000 on October 11.

As someone who has spent many years around circuits, it must be said: reducing race weekends to professional races alone was weakening the bond between the spectator and the track. A person who experiences the corners of an F1 circuit in their own car comes back for the next race as well. In this respect, Track Fest is a well-aimed step for the future of Turkish circuit racing.

Who Is Seda Kaçan Bakan and What Does This Victory Mean?

Born in 1993 in Kırklareli, Seda Kaçan Bakan took an unusual path into motorsport, deciding to start at the age of 27, in the middle of her career. She went down in the records as the country's second female driver to compete in automobile racing after Ann Tahincioğlu (1992). Kaçan Bakan, who worked as a brand manager at an automotive brand, clinched her championship in the 2024 TCR Europe Endurance Championship in the DSG category with Texaco Team AMS before the season even ended, becoming the first Turkish female driver to become a European champion in motorsport.

This championship also found its reflection on the local track: Kaçan Bakan made history as the first female driver to win a race in the Türkiye Circuit Championship. In 2022, she had made headlines as the only female driver to race in the TOSC after 30 years; within a few years she charted a line from qualifying to race victory. Her two wins in the 5th round in the women drivers' classification are the current continuation of that line.

The Rise of Female Drivers: A Visible Change on the Track

Kaçan Bakan is not an exception on her own; the presence of women in circuit sports is measurably increasing. At a training event held at Kocaeli Körfez Circuit in April 2025, 30 female co-drivers received co-pilot certificates. That same year, at the Misano round of the TCR Italy Championship, Kaçan Bakan and her teammate Zekai Özen achieved successful results. In the 2026 TCR Europe Misano race, she took 11th place in the overall classification, 1st in the Rookie Cup, and 2nd in the Women's Cup.

Kaçan Bakan, who says she became interested in cars at the age of 10 and wants to inspire women in motorsport, has seen this goal turn into a picture where Sevde Zehra Yıldırım and Selen Aktaşgil share the podium steps among women. In the past, journalism had to write only one name; now the women drivers' classification can hold its own standings. In terms of the value of this work, that is no small detail.

What's Next? Season Finale Date

The only remaining stop of the championship is the sixth round races, to be run together with the GT Grand Final at İstanbul Park on November 7-8, 2026. Combining Kaçan Bakan's Maxi class lead, which she held as of August 30, with the points earned from a win and two second places in October, the final weekend will likely be at the center of championship calculations. As for the current overall standings, no official statement has yet been published; the finale itself will resolve this uncertainty.

Experiencing a fluctuation of two wins in a single season is part of the nature of circuit racing. The real matter is not falling off the podium even on bad days. Kaçan Bakan protecting her points with two second places in the 5th round once again shows that the real deciding skill in the championship race is not speed but consistency. On November 7-8, İstanbul Park will tell whose name this season will be written under.

Sources

• The 4th round of the AVIS 2026 Türkiye Circuit Championship was held at İstanbul Park with 23 athletes
• Double Excitement on the Track at İstanbul Park - TOSFED
• An Exciting Weekend for TOSFED at İstanbul Park
• 2026 AVIS Türkiye Circuit Championship – TOSFED Race Results
• Türkiye Circuit Championship is preparing for a double race at Istanbul Park
• 2026 Türkiye Circuit Championship Round 1 Races Completed
• Track Faest 2026
• Seda Kaçan – Wikipedia
• Seda Kaçan became the first female European Champion driver!
• The first female driver to win a race in Turkish Circuit Championship history
• Seda Kaçan became the first female champion driver in 30 years
• Fast Start to Italy TCR from Texaco Team AMS – TOSFED
• Champion Drivers Prepared 30 Female Co-Drivers for the Track