Charlie Eastwood

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charlie Eastwood
Eastwood in 2017.
Nationality Irish
Born (1995-08-11) 11 August 1995 (age 28)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain career
Debut season2016
Current teamRedline Racing
Racing licence FIA Gold
Car number28
Starts31
Wins5
Podiums20
Poles6
Best finish1st in 2017
Previous series
2015


2014
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
Toyota Racing Series NZ
BRDC Formula 4
Championship titles
2023
2022

2019
2017
Asian Le Mans Series
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Pro-Am
Blancpain Endurance Cup Pro-Am
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain

Charlie Eastwood (born 11 August 1995 in Belfast) is a racing driver from Northern Ireland who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for TF Sport.[1] Having been an Aston Martin factory driver, Eastwood was signed by Corvette Racing in 2023.[2]

The Irishman has collected a number of accolades in sportscar racing, including winning the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in the Pro-Am category, the LMP2 Pro-Am class of the 2022 European Le Mans Series, as well as the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series.[3][4]

Early career[edit]

Having become the 2012 Rotax Max World Karting champion, Eastwood began his single-seater career in 2014, driving in the BRDC Formula 4 Championship for Douglas Motorsport.[5] He would score two podiums at the season-ending round at Snetterton to finish tenth overall.

Eastwood began the following year with a campaign in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, where he would score three podiums as part of the M2 Competition outfit.[6] Thereafter, he would compete in various rounds of the Formula Renault NEC and Eurocup Formula Renault categories, where he would not score any podiums. At the end of the year, Eastwood would win a two-year scholarship to become a Porsche-supported driver.[7]

In 2016, Eastwood switched to sportscars, driving for Redline Racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain.[8] The Irishman impressed during his rookie season, claiming ten podiums and a win at Brands Hatch to finish the campaign in third place. He remained in the series in 2017, where four victories and a further six rostrum appearances helped him win the championship on countback against Dino Zamparelli.[9]

GT career[edit]

Ahead of the 2018 season, Eastwood signed with TF Sport to compete in the Silver Cup class of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup as well as the LMGTE Am category of the FIA World Endurance Championship.[10][11] In the former, Eastwood and teammates Ahmad Al Harthy and Euan McKay struggled, scoring a best in-class finish of fourth to end up seventh in the standings, last of all full-time entrants. The latter series brought more success, as the team finished on the podium four times, thus ending up third in the GTE Am standings.

In 2019, Eastwood would remain with TF to race in both series.[12][13] Partnering Al Harthy and Salih Yoluç in the Pro-Am Cup of the Blancpain Endurance Series, Eastwood would clinch the championship, having won in the Pro-Am class at the 24 Hours of Spa.[14][15] In the WEC, Eastwood and Yoluç were joined by pro driver Jonathan Adam, alongside whom they won the LMGTE Am category at the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans and took the runner-up spot in the championship thanks to three further victories.[16][17]

During the COVID-19 pandemic-affected 2020 campaign, Eastwood and Yoluç took part in the International GT Open series's pro class.[18] The pair won three races, missing out on the title by just two points.[19]

Prototype & GT mix[edit]

Having competed in the GT class of the Asian Le Mans Series to start out 2021, Eastwood would take his first step into prototype racing by driving in the European Le Mans Series's LMP2 category for TF Sport-run Racing Team Turkey.[20] Listed in the Pro-Am subclass, Eastwood and Salih Yoluç scored a lone win at Le Castellet alongside Harry Tincknell and placed fourth in the standings, having withdrawn from the season finale due to a crash in practice.[21][22] The year also saw Eastwood win at Snetterton in the British GT Championship and take victory in a one-off round of the International GT Open.[23]

The following year once again started with a campaign in the AsLMS, where Eastwood led Oman Racing towards sixth in the standings.[24] He then embarked on his sophomore season in the ELMS, where he and Yoluç were joined by Jack Aitken for the majority of races.[25] The trio scored three LMP2 Pro-Am victories, with a last-lap pass by one-off Aitken replacement Will Stevens giving the team a fourth win at Spa, on their way to a Pro-Am championship; Eastwood contributing to the title with chasing stints during the middle part of races.[26][27]

In 2023, the Irishman switched to LMP2 for the AsLMS, driving for DKR Engineering along with Yoluç and category rookie Ayhancan Güven.[28] Podiums in all four races, including a win in the final round on Yas Island, gave the trio the title.[29][30] This proved to be preparation for a double campaign, as Eastwood returned to the ELMS to defend his and RTT's Pro-Am title, whilst also leading ORT by TF in the FIA World Endurance Championship, partnering Michael Dinan and Ahmad Al Harthy in the LMGTE Am category.[31][32] In the former, he, Yoluç, and Louis Delétraz recorded an overall LMP2 win at Barcelona and took a class win in France, but lost out on the title due to car issues at Aragón and a spin by Yoluç in Portugal.[33][34][35][36] The team finished third in the LMP2 Pro-Am subclass.[37] In the latter, Eastwood and his teammates finished third at Spa and scored a second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which helped them towards fifth in the standings.[38]

During the winter, Eastwood and Yoluç returned to the AsLMS, where they finished seventh in the teams' championship together with Michael Dinan.[39]

Corvette factory driver[edit]

Ahead of the 2024 season, Easwood was announced as a Corvette factory driver.[40][41] He would return to the WEC with TF Sport, driving a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the newly formed LMGT3 category alongside Rui Andrade and Tom van Rompuy.[42]

Racing record[edit]

Career summary[edit]

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2014 BRDC Formula 4 Championship Douglas Motorsport 24 0 0 0 2 233 10th
2015 Toyota Racing Series M2 Competition 16 0 0 1 3 535 7th
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Strakka Racing 2 0 0 0 0 76 17th
Fortec Motorsports 2 0 0 0 0
AVF 7 0 0 0 0
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 7 0 0 0 0 0 25th
Strakka Racing 3 0 0 0 0
2016 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Redline Racing 16 1 1 1 10 246 3rd
Porsche Supercup 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2016–17 NACAM Formula 4 Championship MomoF4 Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2017 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Redline Racing 15 4 5 2 10 228 1st
Porsche Supercup Porsche Cars GB 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Oman Racing with TF Sport 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Silver Cup 5 0 0 0 0 47 7th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am TF Sport 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
24 Hours of Nürburgring - AT Care For Climate 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am TF Sport 8 0 1 0 4 99 3rd
2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Oman Racing with TF Sport 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-Am 5 1 3 0 5 122 1st
GT Cup Open Europe Optimum Motorsport 2 0 0 ? 1 18 18th
24H Series - 991 Duel Racing
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am TF Sport 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 11th
2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am TF Sport 8 4 2 1 5 154 2nd
2020 International GT Open TF Sport 12 3 3 0 8 112 2nd
British GT Championship Beechdean AMR 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2021 European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Racing Team Turkey 5 0 1 0 0 29.5 11th
Asian Le Mans Series - GT TF Sport 4 0 0 0 0 10 12th
International GT Open 2 1 1 0 2 27 13th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD 2 0 0 0 0 259 52nd
British GT Championship Oman Racing Team with TF Sport 3 1 1 0 1 0 NC†
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Garage 59 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Northwest AMR 1 0 0 0 0 211 61st
Asian Le Mans Series - GT Oman Racing 4 0 0 0 0 36 6th
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Racing Team Turkey 6 0 1 0 0 38 8th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Heart of Racing with TF Sport 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2022–23 Formula E NEOM McLaren Formula E Team Test driver
2023 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am ORT by TF 7 0 1 0 2 65 5th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Pro-Am Racing Team Turkey 6 2 4 0 3 94 3rd
Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 DKR Engineering 4 1 0 0 4 76 1st
2023–24 Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 TF Sport 5 0 2 0 0 42 8th
2024 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 TF Sport 2 0 1 0 0 7 9th*
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD AWA 1 0 0 0 0 152 40th*
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 Tower Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 209 26th*
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Racing Team Turkey

As Eastwood was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points. * Season still in progress.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2018–19 TF Sport LMGTE Am Aston Martin Vantage GTE Aston Martin 4.5 L V8 SPA
2
LMS
Ret
SIL
2
FUJ
2
SHA
8
SEB
6
SPA
2
LMS
6
3rd 99
2019–20 TF Sport LMGTE Am Aston Martin Vantage AMR Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 SIL
7
FUJ
1
SHA
1
BHR
Ret
COA
1
SPA
3
LMS
1
BHR
8
2nd 154
2023 ORT by TF Sport LMGTE Am Aston Martin Vantage AMR Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 SEB
9
ALG
8
SPA
3
LMS
2
MNZ
7
FUJ
13
BHR
NC
5th 65
2024 TF Sport LMGT3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8 QAT
Ret
IMO
7
SPA
LMS
SÃO
COA
FUJ
BHR
9th* 7*

* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[edit]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2018 United Kingdom TF Sport United Kingdom Euan Hankey
Turkey Salih Yoluç
Aston Martin Vantage GTE GTE
Am
304 DNF DNF
2019 United Kingdom TF Sport United Kingdom Euan Hankey
Turkey Salih Yoluç
Aston Martin Vantage GTE GTE
Am
327 42nd 11th
2020 United Kingdom TF Sport United Kingdom Jonathan Adam
Turkey Salih Yoluç
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GTE
Am
339 24th 1st
2023 Oman ORT by TF Oman Ahmad Al Harthy
United States Michael Dinan
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GTE
Am
312 28th 2nd

Complete British GT Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points
2020 Beechdean AMR Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 GT3 OUL
1
OUL
2
DON
1
DON
2
BRH
1
DON
1
SNE
1
SNE
2
SIL
1

Ret
NC 0
2021 Oman Racing Team with TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 GT3 BRH
1
SIL
1

4
DON
1
SPA
1
SNE
1

1
SNE
2

4
OUL
1
OUL
2
DON
1
NC† 0†

As Eastwood was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2021 TF Sport GTD Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 DAY
7
SEB MDO DET WGL WGL LIM ELK LGA LBH VIR PET 52nd 259
2022 Northwest AMR GTD Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 DAY
12
SEB LBH LGA MDO DET WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR PET 61st 211
2024 AWA GTD Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8 DAY
18
LBH
LGA
VIR
40th* 152*
Tower Motorsports LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SEB
12
WGL
MOS
ELK
IMS
PET
26th* 209*

* Season still in progress.

Complete European Le Mans Series results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2021 Racing Team Turkey LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT
15
RBR
4
LEC
6
MNZ
7
SPA
Ret
ALG
WD
11th 29.5
Pro-Am Cup 6 2 1 2 Ret WD 4th 70
2022 Racing Team Turkey LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 LEC
6
IMO
7
MNZ
7
CAT
10
SPA
6
ALG
6
8th 38
Pro-Am Cup 1 1 2 4 1 1 1st 131
2023 Racing Team Turkey LMP2 Pro-Am Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT
1
LEC
1
ARA
9
SPA
2
ALG
6
ALG
4
3rd 94

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 Pos. Points
2021 TF Sport GT Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 DUB
1

10
DUB
2

11
ABU
1

16
ABU
2

6
12th 10
2022 Oman Racing Team with TF Sport GT Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 DUB
1

6
DUB
2

5
ABU
1

5
ABU
2

4
5th 40
2023 DKR Engineering LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DUB
1

2
DUB
2

2
ABU
1

3
ABU
2

1
1st 76
2023–24 TF Sport LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SEP
1

7
SEP
2

8
DUB
5
ABU
1

4
ABU
2

6
8th 42

References[edit]

  1. ^ O'Connell, RJ (13 November 2023). "Corvette Racing Expands Factory Driver Line-Up For 2024". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Corvette Racing Expands Factory Driver Line-Up For 2024". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Prema, Cool Racing & Racing Team Turkey Win Race & Championship Doubles, Iron Dames Crush The Field In GTE". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (19 February 2023). "DKR Wins Title With Victory in Abu Dhabi Season Finale – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ^ "World Karting Champion Charlie Eastwood joins F4 with Douglas". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  6. ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (10 March 2015). "2015 Toyota Racing Series season review". Formula Scout. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  7. ^ Bonham, Lee (27 January 2016). "Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2016: Charlie Eastwood - The New Scholar". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  8. ^ Bonham, Lee (27 January 2016). "PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB 2016: CHARLIE EASTWOOD – THE NEW SCHOLAR". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Charlie Eastwood Crowned 2017 Carrera Cup GB Champion In Thrilling Finale At Brands Hatch". 2 October 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  10. ^ Kilshaw, Jake (13 February 2018). "TF Sport, Al Harthy Move into Silver Cup – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  11. ^ Kilshaw, Jake (8 January 2018). "TF Sport Confirms Step Up to WEC with GTE-Am Entry – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Ahmad Al Harthy, Salih Yoluc and Charlie Eastwood set for Blancpain with Oman Racing with TF Sport". tfsport.co.uk. TF Sport. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (22 May 2019). "TF Sport Set for GTE-Am Return with New Vantage". Sportscar365. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  14. ^ "Porsche wins battle of the heavyweights to conquer 2019 Total 24 Hours of Spa". Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Oman Racing's Al Harthy seals second Pro-Am title with fifth straight podium". Times of Oman. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  16. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (20 September 2020). "Aston Martins Win GTE Classes; Manufacturers' Title Secured". SportsCar365. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Eastwood celebrates glorious 24 Hours of Le Mans victory // Infinity Sports Management". www.infinitysportsmanagement.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
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  19. ^ "Ramos-Chaves confirmed as the 2020 GT Open Champions". www.gtopen.net. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
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  21. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (6 June 2021). "G-Drive No. 26 Crew Takes First Win of Season at Paul Ricard – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  22. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (23 October 2021). "Milesi Scores Back-to-Back Poles with Late Flyer at Portimao – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  23. ^ Lloyd, Andy (8 August 2021). "British GT: Al Harthy and Eastwood win Race One at Snetterton". Motorsport Radio. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  24. ^ Goodwin, Graham (3 December 2021). "de Haan, Eastwood & Al Harthy Confirmed For Oman Racing Asian Le Mans Effort". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Jack Aitken Joins Racing Team Turkey For 2022 ELMS". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  26. ^ "United Autosports Take The Win At Spa, Championship Goes Down To The Wire, Prema vs Panis". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Prema, Cool Racing & Racing Team Turkey Win Race & Championship Doubles, Iron Dames Crush The Field In GTE". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  28. ^ Villemant, Thibaut (30 January 2023). "Asian LMS – DKR Engineering with a crew to compete for the LMP2 title?". Endurance-info. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  29. ^ "Belfast's Charlie Eastwood wins Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 in Abu Dhabi". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 20 February 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  30. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (19 February 2023). "DKR Wins Title With Victory in Abu Dhabi Season Finale – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  31. ^ Goodwin, Graham. "Louis Deletraz Joins Racing Team Turkey For 2023 ELMS". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  32. ^ Goodwin, Graham (11 January 2023). "FIA WEC Reveal 38 Car Full Season Entry – 13 Hypercars For Breakthrough Season". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  33. ^ Euwema, Davey (23 April 2023). "Racing Team Turkey Wins Barcelona Thriller – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  34. ^ Euwema, Davey (16 July 2023). "Algarve Pro Takes Dramatic Paul Ricard Victory – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  35. ^ Kilbey, Stephen (26 August 2023). "United ORECA Wins 4H Aragon Thriller". dailysportscar.com.
  36. ^ Euwema, Davey (20 October 2023). "United Beats APR in Rain-Affected 4H Algarve – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  37. ^ "ELMS". www.europeanlemansseries.com. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  38. ^ "Charlie Eastwood's Le Mans dream dashed by Corvette Racing for second time". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 11 June 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  39. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (10 November 2023). "Two Defending Champions in TF Sport LMP2 Lineup". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  40. ^ "Charlie Eastwood will be "a good fit" says Corvette Racing chief". The Irish News. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  41. ^ Staff, Sportscar365 (13 November 2023). "Juncadella, Bamber Among Corvette Factory Driver Additions – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  42. ^ "TF Sport Confirms Eastwood, Andrade & Van Rompuy". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.

External links[edit]

Sporting positions
Preceded by Porsche Carrera Cup GB
Champion

2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup
Pro-Am Champion

2019
With: Ahmad Al Harthy & Salih Yoluç
Succeeded by
Chris Goodwin
Alexander West
(GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup)
Preceded by European Le Mans Series
LMP2 Pro-Am Champion

2022
With: Salih Yoluç
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ben Hanley
Matt Bell
Rodrigo Sales
Asian Le Mans Series
LMP2 Champion

2023
With: Ayhancan Güven & Salih Yoluç
Succeeded by
Incumbent