First Official German Erdoğan Atalay-Fanpage, © Barbara Fuckner 2002-2011
www.erdogan-Atalay-fanpage.de
MMM - Mobile Men Magazine
Issue July/August 2004
Category "People" (page
120)
© Permission for publishing by Erdoğan Atalay & MMM - please
pay attention to notice
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"Germany's
Fastest Autobahn Cop"
When the call “Alarm for Cobra 11” comes, chief superintendent Semir Gerkhan aka Erdogan Atalay dauntlessly steps on the accelerator. In this conversation he discloses whether he is doing the same in real life. |
MMM: What
was the first car you owned ?
ATALAY: A very old Mini Cooper
for 2.000 German Marks. It was purple, had a leather steering wheel and a sun
roof.
MMM: What
is the car of your dreams ?
ATALAY: A Ferrari 246 GT. The
new Bugattis are also wonderful. Great cars, but they are unreasonably
expensive.
MMM: What
kinds of vehicles are in your garage ?
ATALAY: In my garage you will find
again a Mini – an old one with a folding roof. Then an X5, a Spitfire from 1969
that I have bought a long time ago, as well as a Maserati.
MMM: Are
you driving as fast in real life as you do in the series ?
ATALAY: What I like more than
the final velocity – because you have to concentrate so hard when you are
driving very, very fast – is the acceleration.
MMM: Did
you undergo special driving training for your role ?
ATALAY: Yes, we keep practicing
on abandoned airports or military grounds and try out things like skidding in
180 or 360 degree turns.
MMM: Are
you tempted to do your own car stunt in “Cobra 11” ?
ATALAY: We are doing some of
the minor things ourselves. Starting up and then driving onto something, for
example. Other things are too dangerous and we are not allowed to do them for
insurance reasons. But I would really love doing a car roll over.
MMM: What
misconduct of others is upsetting you most in road traffic ?
ATALAY: As a rule, I never get
upset in road traffic because if you get upset you lose your focus. What I
can’t stand, however, are pushers. And I can’t understand the sense in some
speed limits where there is no obvious reason for enforcing the limit at this
location.
MMM: Would
you like to be a real Autobahn Cop sometimes ?
ATALAY: I believe, if I were an
Autobahn Cop I would be without mercy. For example, I would have no tolerance
for trucks that are not state-of-the-art or are defective. I would take those
of the road at once and issue immense fines. They often are unaware of the
potential danger they pose! We do some crash stories every day on “Cobra 11”
and have seen often enough what it looks like when a truck races into something
– it is a massive hazard.
MMM: Be
honest: did you ever have to pay fines yourself ?
ATALAY: Yes. Sometimes it does
happen that I go over the speed limit – quite incomprehensible to me, really
... (laughing)
MMM: Do
the real cops let you get away easy sometimes ?
ATALAY: Once they waved me out
for a check, and then they recognised me and said “Go on”, because I was on my
way to work. But when you they take a photo of you when you are speeding, you
usually don’t get in personal contact with the authorities and everything is
done in writing.
MMM: What
was the most beautiful or action filled experience with a car in your personal
life ?
ATALAY: Getting into my
Maserati in the morning is wonderful to me. I am just happy about this unusual
beautiful car and love driving it. To accelerate with this is an experience !
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This translation is of an exclusive interview with Erdogan Atalay for
”MMM“ Magazine. The publication on this fanpage was authorised by him
personally as well as “MMM”. Thank you ! Usage or publication of this interview and its translation (in full or
excerpts of it) elsewhere is not permitted. |
Web site: http://www.mm-magazine.de/
Many thanks to Ute Lafin for translation !!
Category online 30-11-2004