TF Sport closing in on WEC GTE Am program

Turkish driver Salih Yoluc, who is in the midst of a GTE campaign in the European Le Mans Series racing with TF Sport, has told RACER that he and the team are on the verge of announcing a FIA WEC GTE Am program for the "Super Season."

This year has been Salih Yoluc's first in the ELMS, racing an Aston Martin Vantage GTE with the team, alongside Euan Hankey and Aston Martin Racing factory driver Nicki Thiim (pictured, ledft to right, below). The allure of becoming a world champion, and the inclusion of a second Le Mans in the upcoming season has attracted himself and TF Sport to making the step up next year.

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"It is a bit of a weird calendar, I must say. I'm disappointed with the drop of COTA and Mexico, but we have two Le Mans in the same season with the same budget. So I think that's where we're going to go next year," he revealed. "I would be sticking with TF Sport – we're 90 percent there I would say.

"The main reason for the move is going step by step. My goal is to be European champion this season, and then the world champion. That's the motivation that I think we all follow."

A key decision to be made as part of the move, is which car the team will race. At the time of writing, the WEC has yet to confirm whether or not the 2018 Aston Martin Vantage GTE is going to be eligible for GTE Am competition next season.

By regulation, GTE Am teams must wait a single year before using new-spec GTE cars, though the 18-month "Super Season" has left those in the Aston Martin customer camp wondering whether Am runners should have to wait until the 2019/20 season to race the new Vantage.

If that was the case, at the beginning of that season, the current Aston Martin Vantage GTE would be three years old. Meanwhile, the 2017 Porsche 911 RSR and Ford GT (should any customer cars be made available) would be eligible, joining the Ferrari 488 GTE which is already racing in customer hands in the ELMS, IMSA and WEC.

If the decision was made to allow the new Aston Martin Vantage in, Yoluc says he and TF would likely make the upgrade for next season.

"I don't know anything about it, really," he said when asked about the potential for the new Aston Martin to run in GTE Am in 2018. "It makes sense to be able to run the new car, so you can make an easy transition into 2019. We will basically drive for a season and a half rather than one season with the old car if they don't make a change.

"If they're making a change (to the series structure), they should be open to rule tweaks like allowing new GTE cars in Am as well.

"I would always look to drive the new car. It will be more competitive, and less BoP dependent. This current car is quite old, and already the competition can have the new Porsche and Ferrari next year, so we would have to have good BoP to fight with them."