Erkut Kızılırmak


Erkut Kızılırmak is an auto racing driver from Turkey. He started racing in rallying in 1992 and switched to touring cars in 2002, at the age of 32. In 2005 he won the Turkish Touring Car Championship, in a Vauxhall Astra Coupé formerly raced by Yvan Muller in the BTCC. He also made an appearance in the Turkish round of the World Touring Car Championship in 2005 driving an ex works SEAT Toledo for the GR Asia team alongside Tom Coronel.
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His connections with the series and the Triple 8 Race Engineering company, increased in 2006, with Erkut becoming the first Turkish driver to compete in the BTCC when he raced at Croft in a BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch, converted from one of the team's show cars. He also competed at Snetterton, where he achieved his best result - 13th.
On 9 February 2007 Erkut announced that he would be competing in the full BTCC championship in 2007, in an ex VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch. His Arkas Team unites with Tech-Speed Motorsport to run the car.
Two tenth-places in the high-attrition round 8 at Brands Hatch gave him his only 2 overall points of the season, while he finished 9th in the Independents' Cup, showing some speed and gusto in a 2006-spec car.
Erkut also won the first two races of the 2007 Turkish Touring Car Championship.
In 2008 he returned for another season in the BTCC. This time as part of a two car team alongside Martyn Bell with the renamed Team Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk. His best result of the year was a tenth place finish in round six at Rockingham Speedway, giving him his one championship point of the year.

Racing record

World Touring Car Championship

YearTeamCar1234567891011121314151617181920DCPts
2005GR AsiaSEAT Toledo CupraITA
1
ITA
2
FRA
1
FRA
2
GBR
1
GBR
2
SMR
1
SMR
2
MEX
1
MEX
2
BEL
1
BEL
2
GER
1
GER
2
TUR
1
Ret		TUR
2
DNS		ESP
1
ESP
2
MAC
1
MAC
2
-0

British Touring Car Championship

YearTeamCar123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930DCPts
2006VX RacingVauxhall Astra Sport HatchBRH
1
BRH
2
BRH
3
MON
1
MON
2
MON
3
OUL
1
OUL
2
OUL
3
THR
1
THR
2
THR
3
CRO
1
15		CRO
2
Ret		CRO
3
15		DON
1
DON
2
DON
3
SNE
1
Ret		SNE
2
13		SNE
3
14		KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
BRH
1
BRH
2
BRH
3
SIL
1
SIL
2
SIL
3
26th0
2007Arkas RacingVauxhall Astra Sport HatchBRH
1
14		BRH
2
12		BRH
3
15		ROC
1
16		ROC
2
DNS		ROC
3
11		THR
1
17		THR
2
13		THR
3
14		CRO
1
13		CRO
2
Ret		CRO
3
Ret		OUL
1
14		OUL
2
Ret		OUL
3
11		DON
1
14		DON
2
15		DON
3
13		SNE
1
11		SNE
2
Ret		SNE
3
11		BRH
1
10		BRH
2
10		BRH
3
Ret		KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
THR
1
15		THR
2
Ret		THR
3
Ret		24th2
2008Arkas Racing with sunshine.co.ukVauxhall Astra Sport HatchBRH
1
19		BRH
2
16		BRH
3
17		ROC
1
17		ROC
2
18		ROC
3
10		DON
1
16		DON
2
Ret		DON
3
DNS		THR
1
22		THR
2
19		THR
3
14		CRO
1
16		CRO
2
15		CRO
3
13		SNE
1
18		SNE
2
Ret		SNE
3
13		OUL
1
OUL
2
OUL
3
KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
SIL
1
18		SIL
2
DNS		SIL
3
17		BRH
1
18		BRH
2
17		BRH
3
Ret		22nd1