TF Sport Eyeing Renewed Daytona Attempt in LMP2

TF Sport is considering a renewed attempt at the Rolex 24 at Daytona next year after it missed out on an entry for last January’s oversubscribed edition.

Team principal Tom Ferrier told Sportscar365 that the Racing Team Turkey program, centered around Bronze-rated driver Salih Yoluc, is set to remain part of the team’s efforts for the foreseeable future and would be the intended target for a Daytona effort.

The British squad recently scored a breakthrough overall win in the European Le Mans Series, with the Pro-Am Racing Team Turkey entry beating Duqueine Team to victory in the Barcelona season opener.

That result came in the third year of LMP2 involvement for a team that is traditionally known for campaigning Aston Martins, including a GTE-Am program in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Speaking at last weekend’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Ferrier pointed towards Daytona as an avenue of exploration for his organization in LMP2.

TF Sport took part in the Florida endurance classic in 2021, fielding an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the GTD class for Richard Westbrook, Charlie Eastwood, Maxwell Root and Ben Keating.

It then announced plans to return to the race for 2023, this time with an LMP2-class Oreca 07 Gibson for Eastwood, Yoluc, Phil Hanson and Juan Manuel Correa but did not receive the LMP2 entry and instead concentrated on running Team TGM’s Aston in the event instead.

“We looked at it with Salih at the start of this year,” said Ferrier.

“We put an entry in when Daytona opened, and it was obviously over-subscribed and all the entries went to the full-time people.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get that. It’s definitely on the bucket list for sure to get there. I imagine we’ll be trying again next year.

“But we have evaluated IMSA in terms of a full program as well. Watch this space on that.”

Much like the Pro-Am category that it the team won in last year’s ELMS campaign, WeatherTech Championship LMP2 teams are required to run a Bronze-rated driver as part of their lineup.

“I think the main focus is Daytona, but also there is a focus on possibly doing the whole LMP2 series as well,” Ferrier noted.

“I think that would probably end up needing to be a two-year program if we did it.

“So, a lot of investment and a lot of learning, and drivers need to learn tracks and stuff. But it’s not impossible.

“It’s a bit different doing it over there. So it’s finding a base, a home, and obviously a lot of different equipment and stuff.’

“But yes, it’s something I’d like to do if the opportunity arose.”

Ferrier previously spoke about an expansion to a second LMP2 car in the summer of 2021 but admitted that concrete plans for that never came to be.

However, he retains hope that TF can pull together a second LMP2 program before the platform is refreshed with new regulations in 2026.

“I think Salih is very, very happy in his LMP2 cars at the moment,” Ferrier said.

“Really enjoying it. I’d like to add another car to the fray somewhere, if that’s ELMS or IMSA or whatever, wherever you can race it, really.

“So yes, definitely we’d like to expand, for sure.

“I think the [current-generation Oreca] has got two years left, so it’s not an impossible investment if you can run it for two years.

“We’re really enjoying it. It’s nice to race in a championship that doesn’t have Balance of Performance. It’s just about making your car as fast as you can and driving as fast as you can.

“Obviously [Barcelona] was a dream come true. It’s definitely something we’d like to do more of.”