Cem Bölükbaşı took his, and Vector Sport’s, first win in the European Le Mans Series driving the #7 Oreca LMP2. The former Esports driver, who made headlines in 2022 when he was announced as an F2 driver coming from F1 Esports, joined the Silverstone‑based LMP2 outfit this year and is now equal on points with the #20 Algarve Pro Racing entry at the top of the Pro/Am standings. The Turkish driver reflects on how important his time in F1 Esports was for him and looks ahead, aiming for glory.

The unique start that defined him

Back in 2017, the F1 Esports scene began to emerge. Bölükbaşı first drove for McLaren that year before making the switch to Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls), competing in the championship until 2019. Several years later, going from GT4 and F3 to F2 in 2022, the hype around his sim‑to‑real journey was all over social media.

“I think I probably did it at the perfect time. Because it was right after COVID. People were interested in sim racing the most compared to now. So I think I was very lucky. Esports had the most amount of viewers in their history probably because all the F1 drivers were playing it too. Honestly, it was great.”

This story defined the rest of his career and helped him secure sponsors.

“100%. It was a different story. In the end you had a lot of races with different drivers who are very talented and very fast. But I was the only one with that story. And I was the only racer from my country. So from my country I think I was in a good position to find sponsors. But also, because of my social media power, I was able to convince brands to put some money into it.”

Setting the tone after maiden ELMS win

Now, several years later and having built up experience by driving a variety of race cars, the driver, who completed his first full ELMS season in 2023 with DKR Engineering, now leads the championship. Being level on points with APR.

“I would like to win the championship in ELMS in Pro-Am and for sure in Pro in the near future.”

Getting his first ELMS win at Imola, the third round of this season, means a lot to him.

“That was really special. It was one of the most important wins in my career as well. Because it’s my third season in endurance racing. I got very close to winning multiple times, but it just never happened. And winning a race in endurance is always difficult because everything has to go well. Finally it happened. I was really happy and I really like my team Vector. So I am very glad I was able to give them their first win in the championship. Hopefully not their last one.”

Winning on his mind, the 28‑year‑old has his longer‑term goals set. “I would like to go to Hypercar. I think doing WEC is important. It’s planned as a target, but for now I am trying to win the championship here. If that helps me get a drive in Hypercar and I am delivering, doing what I need to do, then I am confident it will go where I want it to.”