The Spanish Kurdish race car driver Isaac Tutumlu told Kurdistan Chronicle on the sidelines of the TEDxNishtiman event in Erbil on April 25 that he is working on bringing back the Kurdistan Racing Team as soon as possible and finding new sponsors.
لە فۆرمولا وەن و فیفاوە, ئایساك پێمان دەڵێت چۆن بەهرەکانمان بکەینە سەرچاوەی داهات لەسەر سەکۆی تێدئێکس ?
— TEDxNishtiman (@TEDxNishtiman) April 18, 2024
From Formula 1 and FIFA, Isaac will tell us how we can make money out of our Hobbies on the TEDxNishtiman stage ?#ted #tedx #tedxtalks #tedxnishtiman #tedxnishtiman2024 pic.twitter.com/aZMx3PHL7R
Tutumlu was one of the speakers at the yearly TEDxNishtiman event. “I was invited by the TEDxNishtiman management. They contacted me about three months ago and I was very excited to come here for this great event,” he said. “They did an amazing job and are very professional. I’m very happy to be here.”
On March 4, he announced that this year his team will not race due to financial difficulties in the Kurdistan Region and a lack of sponsors.
An announcement that I would never have liked to make.
— Isaac Tutumlu Lopez (@isaactutumlu) March 4, 2024
? ? ? pic.twitter.com/6CneJMDRfN
“That is why I came here – to meet some people, connect with companies, and get the Kurdistan Racing Team back as soon as possible.”
“This year we haven’t been able to find the funding we need to be able to race again in the world championship. But we will never give up, as we said in my presentation. Never let negativity, failures, or rejection let you down; instead, you see it as a boost to work toward the future.”
Read More: Victory at World Championship Finale
Tutumlu and his team had many successes over the years. Tutumlu finished first at the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Pro-Am Cup with the Rinaldi-run Ferrari 296 GT3 on October 2, 2023.
“When I won the last race in Barcelona, which is my hometown, some Kurdish friends came to the race. It was the best feeling ever and I still remember that moment. That is what gives me energy to keep fighting for the team and to achieve the same results – or, even better, win the World Championship.”
“I’m ready any time to come back, and I’m fighting for it,” he said, adding that he does not know when his team will come back. “It’s up to the situation in the Kurdistan Region, because of issues with the oil flow and the budget from Iraq. I hope they will find a solution very soon and we will be able to compete again.”
Read More: Racing with Pride
“I had high expectations for this year because of the results last year when we won the last race in Barcelona. We finished first place in the Barcelona finale and second place in the world champion standings. So I was looking forward to this season. But it’s just a small slow corner we have to make it past to be fast on the straight line. Hopefully very soon we’ll be back racing and winning again for our team.”
Currently, Tutumlu is focusing on his main job as a football agent. “I’m trying to make some big signings in Europe and in Saudi Arabia. I was in three different cities in Saudi Arabia last week. So I am focused on that, but I will never forget the Kurdistan Racing Team and will try to manage to do both, as in the recent years.”
Tutumlu first visited the Kurdistan Region in 2011. “You cannot compare now to that time, it’s completely different. I was here two years ago, and there were a lot of new buildings, and I was surprised by the new developments, like Tulip Towers, Grand Majidi Mall, and the new golf course.”
“I’m impressed that, despite all the problems that Kurdistan has, it still finds a way to grow.”
