The Plümer track was the scene of the third race of the “Baştaşlar Off Road Race” series, on 23rd September 2018.
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North Cyprus 2018 Rally in action
By Chris Elliott…….
Our CyprusScene’s sports correspondent, Richard Beale is enjoying a good rest whist the football league takes a summer holiday but as they say “you cannot keep a good man down” and Richard has been out taking some photos of the 2018 North Cyprus Rally which started on 1st June.
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No Parking Sense in the TRNC
By Chris Elliott……..
Reading the cyprusscene article by Ahmet Abdulaziz “Traffic And Sense” click here I thought about the bad drivers habits in North Cyprus of driving with headlights on when not necessary, talking on mobile phones and parking vehicles without due regard to other road users and pedestrians.
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Solar Car Challenge 2017 – Nicosia
By Steven Roberts……
The Cyprus 2017 Solar Car Challenge took place on Sunday 25th June from 10.00am to 13.00pm in south Nicosia. This has become an annual event and it is now in its eighth year. The event was sponsored by the Cyprus Institute in cooperation with (south) Nicosia Municipality
The solar cars with panels that absorb only sunlight powering their engines with energy, crossed the streets of Stasikratous Str., Spyrou Kyprianou Ave., Georgiou Griva Digeni Ave., Dimostheni Severi Ave., and Vasilissis Freiderikis Str. This unique race opens new horizons for the future scientists and enhances their interest in science, technology, development and utilization of alternative energy sources.
I arrived just after the start, and got a good vantage point in Starbucks where I could see the cars and take photographs as they raced past. The cars came in all shapes and sizes, some looked like they were just 2-3 solar panels over a set of wheels, others looked like real cars, a few like racing cars, and one even resembled the Batmobile! All followed the course at quite a pace and the absence of engine noise surprised a couple of pedestrians who ignored police advice not to cross the road!
The organisers said they aspired to offer a spectacular experience passing the message that the environmentally friendly technology is our future for a green planet. I think they achieved that, and provided an entertaining spectacle as well. Whether solar powered cars can have a commercial future remains to be seen. However if this technology can be harnessed commercially, then Cyprus which boasts 330+ days of sunshine every year will be an obvious place for it to become established. This annual event shows what can be done, and if you didn’t see it this year, keep a look out for next year’s solar car challenge, it is a free event and well worth seeing.
Pit Stop, Çatalköy, Girne
By Margaret Sheard ….
Thank goodness for Pit Stop in Çatalköy. There are many companies in North Cyprus which give excellent service and this is certainly one of them.
I experienced the annoyance of having 2 flat tyres on 2 consecutive weeks recently. The first time I was visiting Pizzanini in Çatalköy and as I was leaving Nidai (the owner) pointed out 
that one of my rear tyres was flat, he telephoned Pit Stop for me and within a short time they appeared to put some air in the tyre so I could drive down to their premises which was nearby. The mechanic at Pit Stop showed me the problem was the valve, which had disintegrated. This was changed and he checked all my tyres before I left.
The following week, again on a Friday, I was about to set off for my Turkish class and could not believe that the other rear tyre was flat. Chris took me to Çatalköy for my class and after the lesson, Karen, one of my fellow students kindly took me home, dropping in at Pit Stop on the way where I explained the problem and said it wasn’t urgent so later in the day or the following day would be fine as the car was at my home.
On Saturday morning at 9am I received a telephone call from Pit Stop to say the mechanic was outside my house (we have a large dog). It was the same mechanic as the week before and he set about sorting out my flat tyre and again it was the valve, which he changed and sorted out the problem on the spot. He also checked the oil, water and radiator while he was there.
I cannot praise Pit Stop enough for their excellent service.
TRNC, get off that mobile phone while driving!
By Chris Elliott…..
Not a day goes by here in the TRNC, when you do not see a car passing by with the driver talking on their mobile phone which they are holding to their ear.
Now are they in full control of the vehicle and considering the safety of other road users or pedestrians.
The answer is Nooooooooo and it’s about time these selfish people are reported or stopped by the police and punished for the crime they are committing. Can you imagine being stopped in the TRNC for using your mobile phone whilst driving and being fined around 940TL or worse still, having your phone confiscated for a defined period. Then perhaps the idiot brigade will start to act responsibly when driving their vehicles.
Just look what’s going on in the UK.
Birmingham Updates click here for the Facebook page
Yesterday 23.01.17 at 11:33
“From March 1st 2017 If you’re caught using a mobile phone behind the wheel, you will receive a £200 fine and 6 points on your licence.”