The 13th Traditional Red Bull Formulaz Wooden Car Festival was held Sunday in the Ardeşen district of northern Turkey’s Rize.
The festival, organized by the Formulaz Association and Red Bull, held races in men’s and women’s categories.
While six participants joined the women’s race and 54 men, in group’s of five, competed in the events, held on a 1,600-meter track.
The race started with a traditional Xaşattule, which is known to make a popping sound when it’s thick rope in the form of a whip hits the ground.
Formulaz Association head Murat Gül said interest in the event is going up every year. Many participants this year came from different parts of the country, he said.
The Formulaz, whose name is a nod to the region's ethnic Laz population, uses a particular type of wooden car for a 1.6-kilometer downhill race in Tunca. It is one of the biggest wooden car races in the world.
The wooden cars were first produced in the early 1900s and eventually became a part of the region's identity due to their huge popularity.
As per the rules of the competition, the handmade, wooden vehicles must not exceed 170 centimeters in length and 70 centimeters in width. The wheel diameters were set at a maximum of 25 centimeters.
The wooden cars usually reach speeds of up to 60-70 kph during the race.
The Red Bull Formulaz enacts a mandatory dress code of woolen socks and black rubber shoes to keep the Black Sea tradition alive.
