The Spaniard of Kurdish ancestry will head to Belgium to take part at the iconic Spa 24 hours event at the wheel of the all-new ST Racing with Rinaldi-run Ferrari 296 GT3, which will carry the colors of Kurdistan Racing Team. Tutumlu will share the Ferrari with Samantha Tan, Jon Miller and Leonard Weiss, an extremely competitive driver line-up in the Pro-Am Cup class.
Isaac Tutumlu is ready for the third round of the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season, which is none other than the famous 24 hours of Spa, the most prestigious GT3 race all around the world. Tutumlu will contest the “Marathon of the Ardennes” for a second consecutive season as he made his first outing at the event last year. The Spaniard of Kurdish heritage added another milestone to his racing pedigree as he had also made the start at other famous 24-hour races such as Daytona, Dubai or Barcelona.
Tutumlu will make his debut at the wheel of the all-new Ferrari 296 GT3 entered by ST Racing with Rinaldi, which will race under Kurdistan Racing Team colors. The native of Barcelona will share the driving duties with his full-season teammates Canadian Samantha Tan and American Jon Miller alongside German Leonard Weiss. Weiss is a Silver-rated driver and already showed excellent competitive level during recent tests. After two rounds, Tutumlu and his team sit fourth in the standings of the Pro-Am Cup class on 24 points, but with a mere 9-point deficit to the leaders. The 24 hours of Spa are the most important event on the calendar as it awards points after six hours, after twelve hours and at the finish.
“I’m delighted to contest the Spa 24 hours defending the colors of the Kurdistan Racing Team. I really loved the atmosphere of the event last year and it is a real challenge for any driver. The new Ferrari 296 GT3 is a pleasure to drive, and I enjoyed the experience during the official tests a few weeks ago. In terms of performance, the 296 is massive step forward in comparison with the 488 GT3 Evo that we entered until Paul Ricard”, explains Tutumlu. The Spaniard underlines than “we have good prospects ahead of the race but with 72 cars on the grid, the biggest number ever, it will be a very demanding race. Our driver line-up with the addition of Leonard is pretty competitive. But in endurance racing, survival is the name of the game. Avoiding mistakes or problems will be key but we feel confident to finish up the front.”
Tutumlu will hit the track on Tuesday afternoon during the test for Bronze-rated drivers. On Thursday, the single free practice session will take place at 11.20 with prequalifying scheduled at 18.10. Qualifying session is due to take place at 21.20 with a mandatory night practice at 23.00. The 24-hour will get underway at 16.30 on Saturday. All track action will be streamed live on GT World YouTube channel. All times are CET.