Race report

Isaac Tutumlu is left at the gates of the win in Daytona

The Oreca FLM09 fielded by Starworks Motorsport was 2nd when as a consequence of a mechanical breakdown was forced to retire with two hours to go.

Excellent performance for the Spanish driver of Kurdish roots who led PC class during his stint and whose car, Starworks Motorsport Oreca FLM09, was 2nd when as a consequence of a mechanical breakdown was forced to retire with two hours to go.

#7 Starworks Motorsport ORECA FLM09 Chevrolet: Alex Popow, Isaac Tutumlu, Martin Fuentes, Kyle Marcelli, Pierre Kaffer

Photo by: Trevor Horn

Isaac Tutumlu had a remarkable debut appearance in Daytona, one of the most demanding racing tracks in the international arena. The 24 hours of Daytona was the première of the new Tudor United SportsCar Championship and, therefore, the debut for Tutumlu and Barzani Racing Team in the series.

The Oreca FLM09 fielded by Starworks Motorsport and shared by Tutumlu and his teammates Alex Popow, Martín Fuentes, Pierre Kaffer and Kyle Marcelli, experienced some minor problems with fuel pump and the drivers could not improve their 1:44.126, to be 8th in class on the starting grid.

All of a sudden everything changed for the race. From the very start, they were able to fight for podium and, when Tutumlu started his first stint around dusk, the Spanish driver of Kurdish heritage even led PC class. Unfortunately a puncture forced to pit shortly after. With Starworks Motorsport drivers putting in strong stints and a clever pit strategy, the car sponsored by Barzani Racing Team was battling for the class win as the race approached the early morning hours. But this awesome performance was curtailed when, with two hours to go and Marcelli at the wheel, an engine failure forced them to retire running in second place and just ten seconds behind the leader.

“It was a pity that engine failure with two hours to go, mainly because we were second and our chances to win were there. We closed the gap during the night after the puncture. Prior to the race we knew our podium chances, and everything was going as planned when the mechanical failure happened”, Tutumlu explains, emphasizing that “I´m very satisfied about my debut at Daytona.

There were very famous names and I was battling with them during my stints. It is time to look forward, at Sebring, because I want to equal or even improve my performance there. I want to thank my family, sponsors and Barzani family for their support. I´m therefore very proud and without doubt we will have new opportunities to shine”.