Isaac Tutumlu fought for another podium finish in the Silverstone International GT Open Race 1, sharing the Chevrolet Corvette C6/ZR1 with Archie Hamilton. Qualifying was held in rainy conditions and the American car is not as brilliant as in dry asphalt. Hamilton classified fifth in Super GT class and 11th overall.

Unlike the qualifying, race 1 took place on a dry track, and Hamilton did the first stint. After only fifteen minutes the British driver was running in 6th place. When the pit window opened, Selleslagh Racing Team by Barzani pitted the car and Tutumlu took over the car from his teammate.

Within a short period of time Tutumlu was third and and his sights set on Francesco Pastorelli, second, when the safety car was deployed. With just seven minutes to go, at the restart, several drivers were very aggressive and Tutumlu decided to conserve the car. Finally he finished fourth in Super GT and fifth overall, collecting valuable points for the championship.

“Our grid position was not particularly good because the Chevrolet is not that easy to drive in wet conditions. Archie made a good start and his race pace was fairly competitive. When I started to drive, I was on new tires and catching Pastorelli. I had even decided where to overtake him when the safety car was deployed”, Tutumlu explains. But “the restart was particularly problematic. Francesco pumped the brakes to slow the car down and whether I would have overtaken him, I would have been given a drive-through penalty. My only option was to screech to a halt and Beretta and Pastorelli passed me. Shortly after that Roda hit me and both Leo and Nicky Pastorelli also overtook me. At least I could finish fifth. The result isn´t bad because Soulet, 3rd, isn´t very far away. Anyway some drivers should get punished because they are too aggressive. And the Aston Martin was to quick, more than a second per lap than everyone else, and the BoP should be different. Let´s see how tomorrow goes, with less handicap and 5th in my class”.