The Turkish duo are no strangers to success on the global stage, having joined forces to win last year’s FIA GT Nations Cup at the Bahrain International Circuit. This event provided the inspiration for the FIA Motorsport Games, a new multi-disciplinary event featuring the following competitions: GT Cup, Touring Car Cup, Formula 4 Cup, Drifting Cup, Karting Slalom Cup and Digital Cup.
Team Turkey will join competitors from across the globe in chasing a spot on the podium, with gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to the top-three finishers in each event. These results will produce an overall medal table, with the top National Sporting Authority (ASN) awarded the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games trophy during the closing ceremony.
Having produced a standout performance to clinch FIA GT Nations Cup glory, Turkey will be the among the teams to beat when racing gets underway at Vallelunga Circuit near Rome. There will be a new behind-the-scenes operation for Yoluç and Güven, who will compete with a new Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 prepared by British outfit TF Sport.
This will ensure that Yoluç remains imbedded in the same team with which he has contested this year's Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. The Turkish ace has enjoyed a successful spell since his FIA GT Nations Cup success, capturing a dominant class victory at this year’s Total 24 Hours of Spa. Güven has also flourished since securing his maiden international title, stepping up to the Porsche Supercup and triumphing in front of a packed British Grand Prix crowd at Silverstone.
The Turkish duo will once again compete against a field of GT crews from around the world, with each driver pairing categorised by the FIA as either all bronze or bronze/silver. Both must hold the same passport nationality, while no restrictions are placed on the teams that run them.
The GT Cup will offer six hours of track time per entry between Friday and Sunday, with two hour-long qualifying races establishing the grid for the deciding contest. This final one-hour dash for glory will culminate with the top three crews being awarded gold, silver and bronze medals on the podium. Later, they will join successful drivers from other competing disciplines at the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games prizegiving ceremony in Rome.
Stephane Ratel, SRO Motorsports Group Founder & CEO: “I am delighted to welcome Team Turkey to this year's FIA Motorsport Games. Having won last year’s FIA GT Nations Cup, they will set the benchmark for the opposition at Vallelunga Circuit. More broadly, I am pleased with the hard work and on-going developments we have seen ahead of this year's FIA Motorsport Games. It promises to be a fantastic showcase of international talent both on and off the circuit, as well as a fitting spectacle to close the 2019 racing season.”
Salih Yoluç, Team Turkey: “Winning last year was a very special feeling for me. I’ve won some big races now, but to do it for Team Turkey was just an amazing feeling, so to return with Ayhancan was an easy decision to take. We’re not sure yet what the competition will be like in terms of quality, but we showed well last year and with TF Sport we expect to be up there and challenging. To win it on successive years is a tough challenge, but we have a good chance with Team Turkey.”
Tom Ferrier, TF Sport Director: "It’s an honour to be competing in the FIA Motorsport Games with Salih and Ayhancan. We’re a British-based team with a very international flavour so it’s great to be competing as Team Turkey. For us, the opportunity to run the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in this event was too good an opportunity to miss. Our drive, as ever, is to give Salih the best package possible so that he can make it back-to-back wins in Turkish colours."
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