At 16, Kübra Denizci Keskin suffered a life-changing spinal injury after a fall that fractured her neck and left her using a wheelchair. Nearly two decades later, she is a clinical psychologist, a rally driver and the first and only woman with a disability to compete in rallying at the international level.
Keskin has built a life around challenging limits. She has earned degrees from two universities, completed a master’s degree in business administration and later studied psychology before becoming a clinical psychologist.
She has also spent four years competing in rallying, winning races in the FIA European Rally Championship and earning podium finishes in Türkiye and Europe.
In 2026, Keskin has taken another major step forward. She won the Rally5 class at both Rally di Roma Capitale and Barum Czech Rally Zlin, giving her two victories in two European championship starts this season.
The result extended a remarkable run at the Czech rally, where she has reached the podium three consecutive years.
She finished first among female drivers and third in her category in 2024, won the Rally5 class and finished second among female drivers in 2025, and returned in 2026 to win Rally5 again while placing third in the women’s standings.
But for Keskin, the trophies tell only part of the story.
Second beginning
“I started life again at 16,” Keskin said. “I never gave up my fight. I tried to adapt myself both mentally and physically to my new life.”
At the time, she was a high school student. She completed high school through open education before preparing for the university entrance exam, eventually earning a place in the international relations program at Uludağ University.
At 19, she also began working for Mudanya Municipality. She has since spent 16 years serving on the Osmangazi Municipality council.
Her education did not stop there. She later earned an MBA from Istanbul Bilgi University before returning to university a decade later to study psychology. She completed a master’s degree in clinical psychology at Üsküdar University and became a clinical psychologist.
Her professional journey has given her another way to help people facing challenges similar to those she experienced herself.
Rallying path
Rallying might seem an unlikely choice for someone who cannot use her legs, but Keskin had always been drawn to speed and adrenaline.
“I was a child who loved adrenaline,” she said. “My mother used to say I could never sit still.”
That changed dramatically after her injury.
“Once you start using a wheelchair, you experience a huge difference in your life. So, in terms of adrenaline, rallying was always something that interested me.”
She grew up watching races and attended events with her father. A family connection to rallying also gave her an early inspiration. Ahmet Burkay, a former rally driver and someone Keskin regarded as an idol, helped fuel her interest in the sport.
She began researching how she could compete and contacted the Turkish federation before reaching out to the FIA, the governing body for international motorsport.
That was when she discovered that a specially adapted car could allow her to race.
The path, however, was anything but easy.
“From 2018 to 2022, I made an incredible effort for four years, but the doors did not open easily,” she said.
Eventually, they did.
Racing on equal terms
Keskin’s story is particularly remarkable because she does not compete in a separate disability category.
“There is no disability category in motorsports,” she said. “People sometimes think this is a Paralympic sport and that I race against other people with disabilities. But I don’t race against people with disabilities. Men and women all compete under the same conditions.”
Her car has been specially adapted to allow her to control it with her hands.
“I drive the car using my hands,” she said. “There is an accelerator on my steering wheel. Next to it is a joystick-operated clutch and brake system. I try to do with two limbs what people normally do with four.”
That adaptation has allowed her to compete directly against able-bodied drivers and establish herself on the international rally stage.
Keskin is also the only woman with a disability competing in rallying at the international level. Another woman, Nathalie McGloin, competes in circuit racing, and both serve on the FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission.
For Keskin, that role carries significance beyond motorsport.
“Being on that commission is very important to me because it creates awareness about people with disabilities around the world,” she said. “I’m very happy to be there.”
Two European wins in 2026
Keskin’s European campaign has produced some of the biggest results of her career.
She chose the FIA European Rally Championship, one of the world’s most prestigious rally series, for her first major European program.
The Barum Czech Rally Zlin quickly became a special event for her.
In 2024, she finished first among female drivers and third in her category. A year later, she won the Rally5 class and finished second among female drivers.
Then came 2026.
At Rally di Roma Capitale, Keskin won the Rally5 class and finished third in the women’s standings.
She followed that with another Rally5 victory at Barum Czech Rally Zlin, again finishing third among female drivers.
That made it two class victories from two European starts in 2026 and gave her three consecutive podium finishes at Barum.
“I have a very special connection with Barum,” she said.
The results have also strengthened her position as one of the most distinctive figures in international rallying.
Belief matters before the trophies arrive
Keskin says support was most valuable before she had results to prove what she could do.
“At the very beginning of this journey, when I had no achievements yet, the support of people who believed in my story was incredibly valuable to me,” she said.
“It is easier to find support after you achieve success. What really matters is for someone to believe in your potential when you are still at the beginning.”
She has now been racing for four years and says that support has been crucial to keeping the project alive.
In 2026, she competes under the Team Binance Türkiye banner with Binance Türkiye as her main sponsor. Her European campaign has produced two Rally5 victories, while she continues to compete in the Turkish Rally Championship.
“We are having a successful season,” she said.
A proud moment in Rome
Her appearance at Rally di Roma Capitale carried a significance beyond the result.
When Keskin took the start, the FIA highlighted her participation as a landmark moment for women with disabilities in rallying.
“For the first time, a woman with a disability competed in an official FIA rally,” Keskin said.
“It was a huge source of pride for me. Everyone who saw it also saw what a person with a disability can achieve.”
She backed up the moment with results, winning Rally5 and taking third place in the Women’s Cup.
Turning experience into a profession
Keskin’s work as a clinical psychologist is closely connected to her own journey.
After living through a life-changing injury and rebuilding her life, she wanted to help others facing similar experiences.
“After everything I went through, I thought I could support people who were going through similar processes,” she said.
Ten years after her first university experience, she returned to the university entrance exam and was accepted into Üsküdar University’s psychology program. She later completed a master’s degree in clinical psychology at the same university.
Today, she works as a clinical psychologist while continuing her motorsport career.
“I think everything I have experienced has also given me a responsibility,” she said.
Her message extends beyond individual resilience. Keskin believes society must focus on removing barriers rather than treating disability as an inherent limitation.
“If you remove the obstacles that people with disabilities face in their lives, they don’t need help,” she said. “When you make the conditions equal, people with disabilities can do everything.”
“People need to see us and recognize the things that create obstacles for us, then remove them.”
Finding love without limits
Keskin’s determination has also shaped her personal life.
She met her husband, fellow driver Ahmet Keskin, through motorsport. He first encountered her at Körfez Racing Circuit, where he helped her while she was testing a car.
Ahmet said he initially did not realize she could drive.
“It was a rainy day, but she got into the car and tried to do something,” he said. “I saw the excitement on her face. That was when I got to know her.”
Their relationship changed Keskin’s outlook on marriage and emotional barriers.
“I was somewhat closed off to these things,” she said. “Because of my disability, I didn’t really think I would get married.”
But that changed after meeting Ahmet.
“I removed the emotional barriers in my mind,” she said. “Everyone has different obstacles in their lives. Some are physical, some are financial and some are related to other things. What matters is that two people love each other and have the motivation to accomplish things in life.”
The couple eventually began racing together, supporting each other’s ambitions.
“We believed that we could achieve things together,” Keskin said.
Ahmet went on to become a Turkish hill-climb champion and compete in rallying, while the pair celebrated their achievements side by side.
“We lifted our trophies together,” she said.
Standing at her wedding
One of Keskin’s most emotional achievements came away from the racetrack.
She had always dreamed of standing during her wedding ceremony.
“Every woman dreams of being the way she wants in her wedding dress,” she said.
To make that possible, the couple had a standing and walking device specially made for her. They spent months training with it.
On the day of the ceremony, Keskin stood during the civil ceremony and said “yes” on her feet.
“For me, that was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life,” she said.
“Don’t ask how. Look at Kübra.”
Ahmet said he thought carefully before deciding to marry Keskin, discussing the decision with his family and friends.
“You are entering someone’s life, and once you enter that life, you have to be committed,” he said. “I thought about it a lot. I discussed it with my family and friends.”
Eventually, the answer became clear.
“We said, ‘We can achieve everything with Kübra,’ and decided to get married.”
He also wanted his proposal to be something they would never forget.
He waited until the right opportunity came during the Bursa Rally, where their families and friends could be present.
“We were starting the rally together,” he said. “I think it turned out to be the best possible thing. It was an unforgettable moment for us.”
DAILYSABAH
هلدینگ کاسپین استانبول | خرید ملک در ترکیه | صرافی معتبر ایرانی در ترکیه | خرید و فروش طلا در ترکیه | مهاجرت به ترکیه | واردات و صادرات در ترکیه | نیازمندیهای ترکیه | اخبار ترکیه | اخبار جهانی | توریست ایران | خدمات توریستی در ایران | تورهای گردشگری ایران | هلدینگ اول | خدمات کاریابی و فریلنسری و شغل | مرجع اطلاعات ایران (همه چیز در ایران) | کیف پول و خدمات مالی و پرداخت یار | اخبار ایران | تابلو زنده قیمت ارز در ترکیه و استانبول | صرافی آنلاین ترکیه | قیمت طلا و نقره در ترکیه | سرمایه گذاری در ترکیه | جواهرات در ترکیه | نرخ لحظه ای ارزها در استانبول | قیمت دلار امروز در ترکیه | قیمت دلار استانبول امروز | قیمت لحظه ای دلار | اخبار روز ترکیه استانبول | اپلیکیشن ISTEX | اپلیکیشن قیمت لحظه ای دلار و یورو و لیر و ارزها در ترکیه
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