It’s known as State Road D.915 and it’s a north-south route in northeastern Turkey, from Of, Trabazon to Askale, Erzurum. It’s 111 miles long and it crosses over some rugged, mountainous terrain that would be best suited to mountain bikers or dirt bikers, not anything with four wheels. Asphalt? Nope. A nice, wide track? Not really. Smooth and graded? Yeah…no. There are less intimidating logging roads in Alaska, more friendly tundra swamp trails in Russia, and the only road that comes even remotely close to the intimidation factor is Yungas Road, Bolivia’s infamous Carretera de La Muerte highway. What are you looking forward to? A dirt track built by Russian forces in 1916 that has one section that climbs Mt. Soganli via a series of radical switchbacks known as the Derebasi Turns, thirteen hairpins that climb just over a thousand feet with grades up to 10%. Got vertigo? You will just by looking at pictures.
Red Bull has no problem dancing with fear. They’ve been responsible for everything from motorcycle stunts to a man hopping out of a tin can at the edge of space. So why would they shy away from tackling the challenge? Enter two iconic off-road vehicles: a Ford Fiesta R5 World Rally Car and a Kamaz Dakar race truck, ten tons of fun that can tolerate a severe ass-kicking. Solid choices, but that isn’t exactly settling. The Kamaz can tolerate the punishing road surfaces and bumps, but driving a high-powered heavy-duty truck on a road from 1916 is concerning before you start looking at the Alpine-like climb factor, the lack of guardrails, and the long drop down to the bottom. The Fiesta is more nimble, sure, but that road surface that the Kamaz would laugh at is a serious issue for the rally car. And don’t ask about the camera crew or their vehicles.
I would love to race up Pikes Peak or any other Rocky Mountain hillclimb at some point in my life, dirt or asphalt. This? I’d hike it, and that’s about it.
