Salih Yoluç
Salih Yoluç (born 22 August 1985, Istanbul) is a Turkish racing driver. He is the first and only Turkish driver who has ever won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.[1]
| Salih Yoluç | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Turkish |
| Born | 22 August 1985 Istanbul (Turkey) |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2017 |
| Current team | TF Sport |
| Car number | 90 |
| Starts | 16 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 9 |
| Poles | 3 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 2nd in 2019/20 |
| Previous series | |
| 2019 2019 2017 2016 2016 | Asian Le Mans Series Blancpain Endurance Cup European Le Mans Series Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup International GT Open |
| Championship titles | |
| 2020 2019 2019 2018 2016 | 24 hours of Le Mans Blancpain Endurance Cup Pro/Am Total 24 hours of SPA FIA Nations Cup GT3 Le Mans Cup (Teams) |
Biography
Salih started his racing career in 2015 with Optimum Motorsport and he won Dubai 24 hours on his first ever year of competing.[2]
At the end of 2015, he made a move to his current team TF Sport and competed in Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup where he won the teams championship and also finished second in the drivers standings with 2 wins and 5 podiums in 6 races.[3] He also competed in International GT Open championship the same year and got 2 wins and 3 podiums in 12 races.[4]
2017 was a turn around year at Salih's career as he became the first ever Turkish driver to compete in 24 hours of Le Mans.[5] He finished 7th in class.
Same year, he also competed in European Le Mans Series and finished second in the standings with 1 win and 5 podiums out of 6 races.
In 2018, he started racing in FIA World Endurance Championship and finished 3rd in the standings at the end of the season with 4 podiums and 1 pole position out of 8 races. He had a DNF and a P11 on 2018 and 2019 editions of 24 hours of Le Mans.
The long 2019-2020 season was the biggest turning point in Salih Yoluc's career. On 20th of September 2020, he became the first and only Turkish driver ever won in 24 hours of Le Mans. Same season, he finished 2nd and became the vice champions in the FIA World Endurance Championship standings with 4 wins, 5 podiums and 2 pole positions out of 8 races.
In 2021, he is set to race for the European Le Mans Series LMP2 debut of TF Sport, Racing Team Turkey, with teammates Charlie Eastwood and Harry Tincknell.[6]
Racing record
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | International GT Open | TF Sport | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 112 | 2nd |
| 2019-20 | FIA World Endurance Championship | TF Sport | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 154 | 2nd |
| 2019 | FIA Motorsport Games | Team Turkey by TF Sport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12th |
| 2019 | Total 24 hours of SPA | TF Sport | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1st |
| 2019 | Blancpain Endurance Cup | TF Sport | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 122 | 1st [7] |
| 2019 | Asian Le Mans Series | United Autosports | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 8th |
| 2018-19 | FIA World Endurance Championship | TF Sport | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 99 | 3rd |
| 2018 | FIA Nations Cup | Team Turkey by RAM Racing | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1st |
| 2018 | Total 24 hours of SPA | TF Sport | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8th |
| 2018 | Blancpain Endurance Cup | RAM Racing | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 11th |
| 2017 | Gulf 12 hours | United Autosports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3rd |
| 2017 | European Le Mans Series | TF Sport | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 102 | 2nd |
| 2017 | Total 24 hours of SPA | TF Sport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2nd |
| 2017 | Blancpain Endurance Cup | TF Sport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 72 | 3rd |
| 2017 | Porsche GT3 Cup Middle East | Lechner Racing | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 13th |
| 2016 | Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup | TF Sport | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 107 | 2nd [8] |
| 2016 | International GT Open | TF Sport | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 6th |
| 2016 | Porsche Cup GB | In2 Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2016 | Blancpain Endurance Cup | Black Falcon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2015 | Gulf 12 hours | Brookspeed Porsche | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2nd |
| 2015 | European Le Mans Series | TF Sport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2015 | International GT Open | TF Sport | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2015 | Blancpain Endurance Cup | TF Sport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2015 | British GT | Von Ryan Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | NC |
| 2015 | Dubai 24 hours | Optimum Motorsport | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1st [8] |
24 Hours of Le Mans Results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |  TF Sport |
Euan Hankey Rob Bell |
Aston Martin Vantage GTE | GTE Am |
329 | 35th | 7th |
| 2018 | TF Sport |
Euan Hankey Charlie Eastwood |
Aston Martin Vantage GTE | GTE Am |
304 | DNF | DNF |
| 2019 | TF Sport |
Euan Hankey Charlie Eastwood |
Aston Martin Vantage GTE | GTE Am |
327 | 42nd | 11th |
| 2020 | TF Sport |
Jonathan Adam Charlie Eastwood |
Aston Martin Vantage AMR | GTE Am |
339 | 24th | 1st |
Complete FIA WEC Championship Results
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Race 5 | Race 6 | Race 7 | Race 8 | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | TF Sport |
LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | SIL | FUJ | SHA | BHR | COA | SPA | LMS | BHR | 154 | 2nd |
| 2018-19 | TF Sport |
LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | SPA | LMS | SIL | FUJ | SHA | SEB | SPA | LMS | 99 | 3rd |
Career Highlights
2015
Gulf 12 hours : 2nd Place(Cup)
2016
Michelin Le Mans Cup : Champion
2017
European Le Mans Series GTE : 2nd Place
Blancpain Endurance Cup PRO/AM : 3rd Place
SPA 24 hours PRO/AM : 2nd Place
Gulf 12 hours : 3rd Place (LMP3)
2018
FIA GT Nations Cup : Winner
2019
Total 24hrs of Spa : Winner
Blancpain Endurance Cup PRO/AM : Champion
FIA World Endurance Championship : 3rd Place
2020
24 hours of Le Mans : Winner
International GT Open : 2nd Place
FIA World Endurance Championship : 2nd Place
References
- "WEC - Tom Ferrier on Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
- "Optimum Motorsport Dominates Dubai 24H". the checkered flag. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
- "Tom Ferrier: From the Michelin Le Mans Cup to the 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMC". www.lemanscup.com. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
- "Driver Presentation: Salih Yoluc". www.gt3me.com. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
- "Salih Yoluc (Aston Martin) : un pilote turc à la découverte des 24 Heures du Mans..." 24h-lemans.com. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
- "TF Sport to make prototype debut with LMP2 programme in ELMS".
- "Salih Yoluç'tan çifte şampiyonlık" [Double championship from Salih Yoluç]. TRT Haber (in Turkish). 30 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- "Salih Yoluc". TF Sport. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salih Yoluç. |
- Official Website
- Salih Yoluc at TF Sport
- Salih Yoluc at gt3me.com
- Salih Yoluc at fiawec.com
- Salih Yoluc at total24hours.com
- Salih Yoluc career statistics at Driver Database
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lewis Williamson Nick Leventis Chris Buncombe |
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Pro-Am Champion 2019 With: Charlie Eastwood & Ahmad Al Harthy |
Succeeded by Chris Goodwin Alexander West (GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup) |