At Monday’s TOSFED awards ceremony, held to recognize the champions of the various automobile sports tournaments held in Turkey, Tahincioğlu stated in remarks to attendees that the economic crisis had affected the auto racing sector, adding that even with these effects, his organization was taking the necessary measures to continue the league. “This year we allocated all of the licensing fees collected to the clubs, and with our support none of the organizations involved experienced a drop in standards or quality. … The coming year we will increase the number of events and make further investments in the infrastructure of the league.”
Speaking to Today’s Zaman before the ceremony, Tahincioğlu noted that navigating the economic crisis was not easy as sponsors took money-saving measures and reduced financial support to various teams. “This crisis, however, affected not only automobile sports, but all sports as everyone is dependent on sponsors,” he stated. TOSFED board member Erdal Tokcan, speaking to Today’s Zaman, added that individuals sponsoring teams and smaller sponsors had difficulty financing teams’ expenses and were the first to pull out after the onset of the economic crisis. Sponsors that have been involved in the sport for a long period, however, did not withdraw their sponsorship, though they did take money-saving measures.
“I think the crisis will last until the end of the first half of 2010. … We were able to finish this season without many problems, and 2010 will not be as difficult as 2009 was. We need to be cautious, but we’re used to it. … Precautions were taken, measures to tighten finances were taken, but we were still able to continue with our sport,” Tahincioğlu stated.
On alternative fuels that may make their way into the auto sports sector, Tahincioğlu told Today’s Zaman that the Formula 1 racetrack is where automobile technology is tried and tested -- technology which eventually makes it to consumer automobiles. “It is a reality that tomorrow there will be alternatives to petroleum, and maybe there will be alternative fuels that are friendlier to the environment.” Tahincioğlu added that although alternative fuel technology will soon be available, it will not be used in automobile sports until using petroleum is unviable due to low stocks of fuel. “The sector is currently built upon using petroleum and will continue to do so until the stocks of petroleum essentially run out, and this is why we aren’t seeing alternative fuels being used in the sports sector today,” Tahincioğlu stressed.
Tahincioğlu noted that battery-powered vehicles are showing promise, and there will be great technological advances in the use of batteries to power race cars. Tokcan added that there are already shifts in the fuels used by teams today, such as biofuels and diesel, and stated the sector will continue at the same speed as it is going now. Asked whether green technologies will slow down and take away some of the excitement of the sport, Tokcan said that even if these technologies slow the sport down, the excitement would still exist, as “the excitement is based on the milliseconds of difference between racers. This will still be there whether you are racing at 300 kilometers per hour, 200 kilometers, or 100.”
