Kurdistan Racing Team in financial trouble

"The Kurdistan Racing Team is not getting the support we need to be able to continue racing in 2024."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/12/10 01:00

Isaac Tutumlu, a race car driver of Spanish-Kurdish descent, has actively taken part in numerous international races. (Photo: Isaac Tutumlu)

Kurdistan Kurdistan Isaac Tutumlu GT World championship Racing Ferrari Kurdistan Racing Team

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Spanish-Kurdish race car driver Isaac Tutumlu told Kurdistan 24 that his team is in need of dire financial support in order to continue racing .

“We are in a difficult situation with the Kurdistan Racing Team. We're not getting the support we need to be able to continue racing in 2024. And after the good results we had in 2023, it's pretty surprising.”

Tutumlu last month collected a trophy for the team after finishing in third position in the GT World Championship at the 2023 SRO Awards in London.

“I know the situation economically is not so good nowadays in Kurdistan, but I think our team is, even though in this situation, they should give the support we need because we are the first and only car racing team to represent Kurdistan.”

“I'm calling to all the decision makers and officials from the [Kurdish] government to know about our situation and to get the support from them to be able to represent Kurdistan officially and to be able to claim the image of Kurdistan internationally and to attract the international community for recognition, for support for any investors and tourists.”

“If we don't promote our country, our region, they will never get this [sic] to attract this kind of international investors and tourists. So it's much needed to be able to do that. And I'm calling to not only the private companies, but mostly the government to start supporting and investing in this team which is, as I said, the first and only one to represent Kurdistan.”

He said that the team now has the opportunity to race at the Dubai 24 Hours “which is the most important endurance race in Middle East and Asia, and we competed in the past with the Barzani Racing Team winning two times, but we need to bring money and we have nothing.”

From 2011 to 2014, Tutumlu and his team competed under the name Barzani Racing Team, since they were not permitted to use the name “Kurdistan Racing Team'' during that period due to political sensitivities.

Since 2019, upon obtaining permission to use the name, the Kurdistan Racing Team has actively participated in numerous international race circuits.