Kurdish Racing Team finishes 1st at 2023 GT World Challenge

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World’s largest GT race
Wladimir van Wilgenburg

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Spanish-Kurdish race car driver Isaac Tutumlu couldn’t make it to the finish line at the 24 Hours of Spa last weekend—the third round of the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Season. It was Tutumlu’s second appearance at the iconic Belgian marathon event

The Spanish driver of Kurdish ancestry fought up to the front of the Pro-Am Cup class during the opening hours at the wheel of a Ferrari 296 GT3 of ST Racing with Rinaldi, which ran in the Kurdistan Racing Team’s colors.

Tutumlu made a strong start to the weekend during the test for Bronze-rated drivers on Tuesday, when he set the fastest time in the Pro-Am Cup class with a time of 2m18.180s. Tutumlu took part in Q3, just when the rain got heavier, and the Barcelona native still clocked a lap time of 2m40.474s in very tricky conditions and poor visibility.

At the end, Tutumlu and his teammates Samantha Tan, Jon Miller and Leonard Weiss posted an average qualifying lap of 2m33.098s to start 40th out of 72 cars on the starting grid and fourth in class.

On Saturday, Tutumlu completed an opening double stint and handed over the car to his Canadian teammate Tan in fourth place in the Pro-Am Cup class two hours into the race.

“At 2 a.m. in the morning, we had to retire due to a very unlucky incident where my teammate Jon Miller was involved back in the pit—even though the crew did an amazing job. The car had too much internal damage to be repaired on place,” he told Kurdistan 24.

His teammate got involved in a three-car incident and it caused extensive suspension, gearbox and clutch damage, which required emergency repairs during the race. These repairs in turn rendered the car inoperable to continue the race.

However Tutumlu, added that “We still proved our competitive pace with the Ferrari and we feel confident for the 3 Hours of Nürburgring later this month.”

“Spa 24 you’ve been cruel the last two years but we will keep trying it!”

In three weeks,Tutumlu’s team will join the GT World Challenge Europe from 29-30 July 2023 in Nürburgring, Germany.

Tutumlu has dedicated his life to the thrilling world of motorsport racing, and he has done so under the Kurdish flag

Tutumlu’s passion for speed and competition ignited at a young age. He is known for his unique background, hailing from both Catalan and Kurdish heritage.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/31 ... st-GT-race

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Racing Team ready for new challenge
By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Spanish racer of Kurdish heritage Isaac Tutumlu will contest the fourth round of the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season, which takes place in the famous “Green Hell” this weekend

Tutumlu, defending the colors of Kurdistan Racing Team, is back at the wheel of the ST Racing with Rinaldi-run Ferrari 296 GT3 sharing the driving duties with Samantha Tan and Jon Miller.

“This weekend we have the fourth round of the GT World Challenge. It will be a three hours race and it's a track where we had the first podium for the coalition and racing team in 2019,” he told Kurdistan 24.

Tutumlu and his teammates achieved their first podium of the season at Paul Ricard 1000km in France, where they brought a second-place in Pro-Am Cup home with the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, and their sights are set on adding more rostrums to their tally in the class.

“So we are very happy to be back here and we're looking forward to repeating the podium we had in France, one half month ago. It's very important for us here in Germany because there's a lot of Kurds living in Germany. So, we expect a lot of fans coming here and we're looking forward to good results.”

The German circuit Nürburgring was built in the 1920s and it still remains as one of the most famous motorsport venues all around the world.

The 3 hours of Nürburgring will be held on the “GP-Strecke” or F1 layout consisting of 4.569 km with changeable weather as one of its characteristic features.

Tutumlu will drive the ST Racing with Rinaldi-entered Ferrari 296 GT3 teaming up with Canadian Samantha Tan and American Jon Miller.

The new Ferrari-built GT3 machinery proved to be extremely competitive during the past Spa 24 hours, despite the team being forced to retire at midnight after being caught in a chain-reaction incident.

Tutumlu will hit the track on Friday morning during the Bronze test. Saturday’s single free practice session will take place at 08:30 with prequalifying scheduled at 12:25.

On Sunday morning, a qualifying session is due to take place at 08:45 with all three drivers in each car taking qualifying duties. The 3-hour race is set to start at 14:45. All track action will be streamed live on GT World YouTube channel.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/32 ... Crburgring

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Kurdish Team finishes 1st
By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Spaniard of Kurdish heritage Isaac Tutumlu finished first in the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale in the Pro-Am Class in Barcelona alongside teammates Samantha Tan and Lorcan Hanafin in the ST Racing with a Rinaldi-run Ferrari 296 GT3

Managed by Ferrari, the ST Racing and Rinaldi crews consist of mechanics and engineers specializing in Ferrari’s Formula One division, including the 296 GT3 model used by Tutumlu’s team.

“It was a great race. We started on pole position in first position, and we stayed all the race in first position. It was really nice when we [won] the GT World Challenge finale in Barcelona, the prom class. That's a great success for the Kurdistan Racing Team and Kurdistan,” he told Kurdistan 24.

“We are really happy and we're looking forward to next year's program. We hope that it will be well-received by our community in Kurdistan and that we also get more support.”

He also expressed hope more business entities will give support to the Kurdistan Racing Team in the future. “Because in the end, we're doing a great job. We're fighting against the best teams from different countries around the world, and we are bringing our (Kurdish) flag on top of everything.”

By the same token, Tutumlu finished third in the Pro-Am Cup standings thanks to the season finale victory. “The driver of Kurdistan Racing Team delivered a faultless performance teaming up with Canadian female driver Samantha Tan and British native Lorcan Hanafin at the wheel of the ST Racing with a Rinaldi-entered Ferrari 296 GT3,” Tutumlu’s press office said.

“What an amazing home round! It was a perfect race dominating our Pro-Am Cup class with a lights-to-flag win,” he added in the press release.

“We always kept our strong pace as we perfectly managed our tire wear and degradation. As a result of warm temperatures, other teams cooked their tires but it wasn’t our case during the 3-hour race. It’s an incredible feeling to achieve the first win of Kurdistan Racing Team in such a competitive world-class series in front of my family and friends.”

Ferrari’s new 296 GT3 made its racing debut at 24 Hours of Daytona in Jan. 2023. The car sports a unique plug-in hybrid powertrain accompanied by the car manufacturer's first stock V6 engine.

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