Ayhancan Güven is one of the great talents in international GT racing and is almost a star in his home country of Turkey. In the coming season he will start together with Christian Engelhart for Joos Sportwagentechnik in the German GT Championship. In the Porsche one-make cups, the Turkish youngster has been gaining experience in GT racing for years, has won the Porsche Carrera Cup France twice and was runner-up in the German Carrera Cup in 2021. In the interview, the 24-year-old talks about his career so far, his new team from Balingen in Baden-Württemberg and virtual motorsport.

You will start in 2022 for the Joos Sportwagentechnik team in the ADAC GT Masters. This is a big step in your career.
I was a Porsche Junior for the last two years, I have now completed this training and will remain a driver in the Porsche Motorsport family. I got in touch with Team Joos Sportwagentechnik through Porsche, so my next challenge will be the ADAC GT Masters. I am very happy about the trust that is placed in me and I am looking forward to my new task. I didn't know the team personally before, but followed last season in the ADAC GT Masters.

With Christian Engelhart, a very experienced teammate is on the car. Is the pressure to perform higher as a result, or does the anticipation of being able to learn a lot from him prevail?
Having Christian as a teammate is a great opportunity for me. He has a lot of experience and is a fast driver who even became ADAC GT Masters Champion in 2020. I don't see it as an additional pressure, but rather as a very big advantage for me. I will learn as much as possible from Christian and the whole team. That's why I'm very optimistic about my first season with a GT3 vehicle.

Have you known Christian for a long time?
I met him in the paddock a few times last year, this year we will definitely spend a lot of time together. I am looking forward to that.

How big is the challenge of starting immediately in a Porsche 911 GT3 R instead of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup?
The two vehicles differed in some components. It's definitely a big challenge because the ADAC GT Masters is a demanding series with fast drivers and cars. Driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R is also something I've been working towards for a long time. That's why I'm very excited and can't wait for it to finally start.

What is the difference between the two vehicles?
I think the biggest difference is that the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup has no ABS or other driving aids compared to the Porsche 911 GT3 R. In addition, the GT3 vehicle has more aerodynamics. I hope it won't take me too long to get used to the new car.

Last year you drove, among other things, in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, which completes the majority of its races as part of the supporting program of the ADAC GT Masters. How does it feel to be part of the “other” paddock in the future?
It's a big advantage of the Carrera Cup that you get to know the ADAC GT Masters very well even as a driver in the supporting series. It's always great to be part of the main series paddock, which is also something I'm really looking forward to. I know the atmosphere in the paddock of the ADAC GT Masters from my last season in the Carrera Cup and I already know most of the tracks. But there is also new territory for me.

Will you be commuting from Turkey to the ADAC GT Masters races or do you also have a place of residence in Germany?
Before the start of the season I'm with my family in Turkey. But as soon as the preparations start, I will live again in Germany in Gronau. This makes getting to the individual racetracks much easier. During the summer break I will probably spend time with my family in Turkey again. That's what I've done in the past and it has worked.

You are also very active in eSports and start for one of the most successful sim racing teams. Does that also help in real motorsport, especially now that you're moving up to a GT3 series?
Sim racing and real motorsport are definitely different, but as a driver in virtual motorsport there are many things that you can transfer to the real racetrack. I drive for Coanda Simsport with the best sim racers in the world. I learn a lot from them and can always apply that to the race track. Last year I drove the Porsche 911 GT3 R virtually and I think that will help me in the coming season.

What goals have you set for the first season in the German GT Championship?
My focus is currently on getting to know the new car and the new championship and getting used to it. Of course we hope for victories, we will see everything else during the course of the season.