View source for Seda Kaçan

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Short description|Turkish racing driver (born 1993)}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| name              = Seda Kaçan
| image             =
| caption           =
| birth_date        = {{birth year and age|1993}}
| birth_place       = [[Kırklareli]], Turkey
| related to        = <!-- list of notable relatives with line breaks -->
| racing licence    =
| current series    = 2023 Turkish Racetrack Championship
| first year        = 2022
| current team      = Texaco Team AMS
| car number        = 5
| engine            =
| crew chief        =
| spotter           =
| codriver          = <!-- If both are specified, "spotter" will be displayed -->
| former teams      = Bitci Racing Team AMS
| starts            = 4
| championships     =
| wins              = 1
| podiums           = 2
| poles             =
| fastest laps      = <!-- if known -->
| best finish       = 1st
| year              = 2023
| last finish       =
| prev series       =
| prev series years =
| title years       =
| awards            =
| award years       =
| medaltemplates    =
| updated           =
}}
'''Seda Kaçan''' (born 1993) is a Turkish racing driver. She is the country's second female car racing driver after [[Ann Tahincioğlu]], who competed in 1992.<ref name="en1"/> She is also Turkey's first race winning female driver.<ref name="szc1"/> She is also her country's first international race driver.<ref name="r1"/> She secured the championship title in the DSG class of the 2024 TCR European Endurance.<ref name="po1"/>
== Personal life ==
Seda Kaçan was born at [[Kırklareli]], Turkey in 1993.<ref name="en1"/><ref name="aa1"/> Her father is a military officer and her mother is a school teacher. She completed her higher education  at [[Yıldız Technical University]] in [[Istanbul]] as an [[industrial engineering|industrial engineer]].<ref name="en1"/><ref name="rn1"/> She works as a brand manager in the multinational company [[Doritos]] and [[PepsiCo]].<ref name="szc1"/><ref name="rn1"/>
== Sport career ==
At the beginning of her racing career, Kaçan was held back by people around her, as they told her that it is a men's sport. After training, she decided to start her motorsport career <ref name="en1"/> at the age of 27,<ref name="aa1"/><ref name="rn1"/> a relatively late age.<ref name="en1"/>
Kaçan raced first at the [[Turkey Karting Championship]] for one season,<ref name="en1"/><ref name="aa1"/> before she debuted as the second Turkish female driver in 30 years at the 2022 Turkish Racetrack Championship's ({{langx|tr|Türkiye Pist Şampiyonası}}) first leg, organized by the Turkish Motorsports Federation (TOSFED) and held at [[Ülkü Park]] in [[İzmir]] on 18–19 June. The country's first female racing driver was [[Ann Tahincioğlu]], who competed in 1992 at the Turkish Championship.<ref name="en1"/> Competing in an [[Audi TT]] with race number 5 for the Bitci Racing Team AMS,<ref name="tosfed1"/> and sponsored by her employer<ref name="szc1"/,<ref name="tt1"/> Kaçan finished the first round's first leg in sixth place, and reached fifth place in the second leg.<ref name="en1"/<ref name="tosfed1"/> In the second round of the championship at the [[İzmit Körfez Circuit]], she took third place.<ref name="aa1"/>
Kaçan remembers her first race as "it was very exciting to start in the pole position, because the championship applies a 'reverse grid order', at which the slowest driver starts in the front". Furthermore, "she felt like she was chased by monsters behind her. So, she focused more on the learning part of the job rather than the race winning".<ref name="en1"/>
=== 2023 ===
Kaçan stood twice on the podium at the 2023 Turkish Championship. In 2023, she won the championship's first round's first leg at İzmit Körfez Circuit in her new race car [[Audi A3|Audi RS 3 DSG]].<ref name="aw1"/><ref name="tosfed2"/><ref name="z1"/> She became Turkey's first race-winning female driver.<ref name="szc1"/><ref name="aw1"/> The 2023 Championship consists of five rounds each with two legs. A total of twelve cars take part in two categories, in "Super" and "Maxi" groups.<ref name="tosfed2"/>
Kaçan claimed her first victory in the 2023 Turkish Racetrack Championship, and finished the national championship in the second place.<ref name="r1"/>
She then became the first Turkish female driver in international circuit competitions debuting in the final round of [[2023 TCR Italy Touring Car Championship]] in [[Imola Circuit|Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari]], [[Imola]].<ref name="r1"/>
=== 2024 ===
In 2024, the [[TCR European Endurance]] series were established, a four-leg touring car race series in three classes, Overall, [[Direct-shift gearbox|DSG]] and Gen1, consisting of two stages  lasting one hour each with a pit stop inbetween, piloted by two different race drivers in each stage.<ref name="tcr1"/> She joined Texaco Team AMS, and raced in her first full-time international season on an [[Audi A3|Audi RS3 DSG]] with teammate [[İbrahim Okyay]].<ref name="r1"/><ref name="tcree1"/><ref name="po1"/> Sponsored by [[Doritos]], [[Pepsi]] and [[Sixt]], she was the only female race driver in the championship.<ref name="po1"/>
In the first leg of the championship in [[Balaton Park Circuit]], Hungary, she was twice on the podium, coming first in the DSG category and second in the Overall. She repeated her first place vicyory in the second leg in [[Vallelunga Circuit|Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi]]. With her success in the third leg in [[Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli]], also in Italy, she secured the championship title in the TCR European Endurance with her teammate in the DSG category with one race left before the end of the 2024 season.<ref name="ms1"/>
== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="en1">{{cite news |url=https://tr.euronews.com/2022/06/30/seda-kacan-turkiye-pist-sampiyonasinda-30-yil-sonra-yarisan-ilk-kadin-pilot-oldu |newspaper=[[Euronews]] |title=Seda Kaçan, Türkiye Pist Şampiyonası'nda 30 yıl sonra yarışan ilk kadın pilot oldu  |author=Congar, Kerem |date=30 June 2022 |language=tr |accessdate=22 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="szc1">{{cite news |url=https://www.sozcu.com.tr/spor/diger-sporlar/seda-kacan-30-yil-sonra-sampiyon-olan-ilk-kadin-pilot-oldu-7708206/ |newspaper=[[Sözcü]] |title=Seda Kaçan yarış kazanan ilk kadın pilot oldu |date=6 June 2023 |language=tr |accessdate=22 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="tt1">{{cite news |url=https://www.teknotalk.com/bitci-racing-2022-turkiye-pist-sampiyonasini-audi-yaris-otomobilleriyle-domine-etti-127747/ |newspaper=tekno talk |title=Bitci Racing 2022 Türkiye Pist Şampiyonası'nı Audi Yarış Otomobilleriyle Domine Etti! |date=29 November 2022 |language=tr |accessdate=23 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="aw1">{{cite news |url=https://www.autowritetr.com/seda-kacan-turkiye-pist-sampiyonasinda-genel-klasman-birinciligi-kazanan-ilk-kadin-pilot-oldu/ |newspaper=AutoWrite |title=Seda Kaçan Türkiye Pist Şampiyonası'nda genel klasman birinciliği kazanan ilk kadın pilot oldu! |date= |language=tr |accessdate=23 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="aa1">{{cite news |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/spor/kadin-pilot-seda-kacandan-genclere-engel-yok-mesaji/2673342 |newspaper=[[Anadolu News Agency]] |title= Kadın pilot Seda Kaçan'dan gençlere 'engel yok' mesajı |author=Samur, Musa |date=31 August 2022 |language=tr |accessdate=26 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="tosfed1">{{cite web |url=http://www.tosfed.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2022-Avis-Turkiye-Pist-Sampiyonasi-1.-Ayak-Yarisma-Sonuclari-Umk-rev-1.pdf |publisher=TOSFED |title=AVIS Türkiye Pist ŞampiyonasıYarışma Sonucu 1. Ayak – ÜLKÜ |language=tr |accessdate=26 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="tosfed2">{{cite web |url=http://www.tosfed.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2023-Avis-Turkiye-Pist-Sampiyonasi-Puan-Durumu-v2.pdf |publisher=TOSFED |title=aVIS 2023 Türkiye Pist Çampiyonası Puan Durumu |language=tr |accessdate=26 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="z1">{{cite news |url=https://www.gazetezebra.com.tr/seda-kacanin-ilk-gururu |newspaper=Zebra |title=Seda Kaçan'ın 'ilk' gururu |date=10 June 2023 |language=tr |accessdate=26 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="rn1">{{cite news |url=https://www.raillynews.com/2022/06/Seda-Ka%C3%A7an%2C-the-first-and-only-female-pilot-of-the-Turkish-Runway-Championship/ |newspaper=Rally News |title=The First and Only Female Pilot of the Turkish Track Championship 'Seda Kaçan' |date=23 June 2022 |accessdate=26 June 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="tcr1">{{cite web |url=https://www.tcr-series.com/news/item/a-new-tcr-european-endurance-series-to-start-in-2024 |publisher=TCR |title=TCR Europ ean Endurance Touring Car Series |date=13 December 2023 |accessdate=29 June 2024 }}</REF>
<ref name="tcree1">{{cite web |url=https://europeanendurance.tcr-series.com/misano-qualifying-first-pole-position-for-pelatti-girolami-audi-rs3/ |publisher=TCR European Endurance |title=Misano, Qualifying: first pole position for Pelatti/Girolami (Audi RS3) |date=22 June 2024 |accessdate=29 June 2024 }}</ref>
<ref name="r1">{{cite news |url=https://www.racers-behindthehelmet.com/post/seda-ka%C3%A7an-signs-up-for-tcr-european-endurance |newspaper=Racers, The Girls Behind the Helmet |title=Seda Kaçan signs up for TCR European Endurance |date=5 April 2024 |accessdate=29 June 2024 }}</ref>
<ref name="po1">{{cite web |url=https://www.petrolofisi.com.tr/en/news-announcements/texaco-team-ams-maintains-its-leadership-in-the-tcr-european-endurance-series-championship |publisher=[[Petrol Ofisi]] |title=TEXACO® Team AMS maintains its leadership in the TCR European Endurance Series championship |accessdate=29 June 2024 }}</ref>
<ref name="ms1">{{cite web |url=https://tr.motorsport.com/turkish-sports/news/avrupa-sampiyonu-ilk-kadin-pilot-seda-kacan-oldu/10627662/ |publisher=Motor Sport |title=Avrupa Şampiyonu ilk kadın pilot Seda Kaçan oldu! |date=26 June 2024 |language=tr |accessdate=29 June 2024 }}</ref>
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kacan, Seda}}
[[Category:1993 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Yıldız Technical University alumni]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Kırklareli]]
[[Category:21st-century Turkish sportswomen]]
[[Category:Turkish female racing drivers]]
[[Category:Turkish racing drivers]]
[[Category:TCR Italian Touring Car Championship drivers]]