Racing Team Turkey by TF secured its maiden FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) victory after mastering an eventful LMGT3 contest at the 2026 Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo.
Salih Yoluç, Peter Dempsey and Charlie Eastwood guided the No. 34 Corvette Z06 GT3.R to a convincing win at Interlagos, finishing 8.108 seconds ahead of the No. 69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO. The result also gave a Turkish-entered team its first FIA WEC victory. Moreover, it completed consecutive LMGT3 wins for TF Sport after the British organisation triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans one month earlier.
However, a slow puncture threatened to derail the Corvette’s challenge during the closing stages. Eastwood managed the problem, protected the lead and completed a carefully executed race for the No. 34 crew.
Eastwood reveals late puncture concern
Racing Team Turkey entered the final phase with a useful advantage after Yoluç and Dempsey delivered strong opening and middle stints. Eastwood then passed the No. 69 BMW and the No. 92 The Bend Manthey Porsche before extending his lead.
TF Sport initially planned to short-fuel the Corvette and manage its energy to the chequered flag. However, the team discovered a slow puncture and brought Eastwood into the pits earlier than planned. The damaged valve prevented the tyre from fully deflating, but the issue erased much of the crew’s strategic comfort. Consequently, Eastwood had to rebuild and then control his advantage over the pursuing BMW.
“We had a 20-minute window with the guys to short-fuel and then try and manage it to the end,” reflected Eastwood to FIAWEC.com. “Luckily, the valve basically bent inward and we didn’t completely deflate the tyre, but that meant we had to stop on the hour and we actually had to pit before the BMW.
“So all of a sudden, we went from thinking we were very comfortable to having to push on, but once we got into the last part of the stint, I was able to just try and manage the gap to the BMW behind. Both of these guys (Dempsey and Yoluç) were the best they have been this year by far, and yeah, with a green race like that, if you just tick every single box, and there’s not a mistake throughout, you end up getting the result. So, yeah, I’m super happy for everybody at Corvette and TF Sport.”
Eastwood’s controlled final stint completed an impressive team performance. Although the puncture briefly exposed the Corvette to renewed pressure, the Northern Irishman maintained enough pace to secure victory.
Alternative strategy places Corvette in contention
Racing Team Turkey adopted a different driver strategy from many of its LMGT3 rivals. Silver-rated Yoluç started the race before handing the Corvette to Bronze-rated Dempsey. The decision allowed Yoluç to use his experience during the opening stages and positioned Dempsey to attack during the middle phase. Both drivers executed their assignments without major errors and kept the Corvette within reach of the leaders.
Yoluç completed two consistent stints before Dempsey delivered the decisive pace that moved the No. 34 entry towards the front of the 18-car field.
Dempsey’s victory also carried national significance. He became the first driver from the Republic of Ireland to claim an FIA WEC win since Matt Griffin achieved the feat nine years earlier.
Therefore, TF Sport’s strategic approach gave Eastwood both the track position and the tyre performance he needed when he entered the car at the beginning of the fifth hour.
LMGT3 lead changes hands during opening phase
The race initially produced several different leaders as teams pursued contrasting driver rotations and pit strategies.
Johannes Zelger launched the No. 79 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG ahead of slow-starting polesitter Gray Newell in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage. Petru Umbrărescu then moved the No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F into the lead.
However, Proton Competition soon applied pressure with its two Ford Mustangs. Stefano Gattuso took the No. 88 car to the front before Eric Powell placed the sister No. 77 entry in control.
The two Proton crews then divided their strategies. Gattuso handed the No. 88 Ford to Giammarco Levorato as soon as he completed his minimum driving time, while Powell extended his stint in the No. 77.
Meanwhile, the No. 34 Corvette continued to gain ground. Dempsey’s pace during the middle hours created a crucial advantage and allowed Racing Team Turkey to seize control as the strategies converged.
Team WRT BMW secures second place
Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper emerged as the Corvette’s closest challengers in the No. 69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
The BMW crew remained within striking distance during the final phase, particularly after the slow puncture forced Eastwood to alter his planned pit sequence.
Nevertheless, Eastwood increased his pace after the stop and then managed the gap during the closing laps. The Team WRT trio therefore settled for second, 8.108 seconds behind the winning Corvette.
The result still delivered an important podium for the No. 69 crew after a highly competitive race that featured almost uninterrupted green-flag running.
With few caution periods available to reset the field, each team had to rely on consistent lap times, accurate strategy and clean pit work. Racing Team Turkey ultimately combined those elements more effectively than its rivals.
Manthey recovers to complete the podium
The Bend Manthey recovered from a difficult qualifying session to claim third with Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz in the No. 92 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The podium marked the crew’s third top-three finish of the season and provided a strong response to its challenging 24 Hours of Le Mans.
However, Lietz faced sustained pressure during the closing stages. Logan Sargeant attacked the Austrian in the No. 88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang and repeatedly searched for a route onto the podium.
Lietz used his experience to defend third, while Sargeant soon faced pressure from Ayhancan Güven in the sister No. 91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche.
Güven launched a late move and claimed fourth during the closing minutes, pushing Sargeant back to fifth. As a result, Manthey placed both Porsches directly behind the leading Corvette and BMW.
Proton strategies unravel late in the race
Proton Competition showed strong pace during the opening stages and led with both Ford Mustangs. However, neither crew converted that early promise into a podium.
The No. 88 remained in contention until the final laps, but Sargeant lost fourth to Güven after his unsuccessful pursuit of Lietz.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Priaulx attempted to complete one fewer pit stop than the opposition in the No. 77 Mustang. Used tyres subsequently limited his pace, while a drive-through penalty for track-limit violations compounded the crew’s difficulties.
The No. 77 eventually dropped to 10th despite leading earlier in the race.
Nevertheless, fans recognised Ben Tuck’s contribution by voting him the winner of the Goodyear Wingfoot Award for his performance in the No. 77 Ford.
TF Sport builds on Le Mans success
Racing Team Turkey’s victory continued an exceptional period for TF Sport. The team followed its LMGT3 success at Le Mans with another victory at Interlagos, despite using a different driver line-up and entry.
Furthermore, the result demonstrated the strength of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R across two markedly different circuits and race formats.
In the championship, No. 33 TF Sport Corvette driver Jonny Edgar moved into the sole lead. Ben Keating missed the Imola and Spa-Francorchamps rounds, while Nicky Catsburg completed IMSA duties during the São Paulo weekend.
However, the day belonged to Yoluç, Dempsey and Eastwood. The trio combined an alternative strategy, consistent driving and faultless execution to secure Racing Team Turkey’s first FIA WEC win.
Even a late puncture could not prevent the No. 34 crew from converting its advantage into a landmark victory for Turkey, Corvette and TF Sport.
