While the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games in Valencia, Spain, was a massive success with 82 nations, 643 competitors and 26 different disciplines – the event originated on a significantly smaller scale.
The 2018 FIA GT Nations Cup in Bahrain kick-started the concept of racers competing for their country on the world stage.
The inaugural FIA Motorsport Games began the following year in Rome, with subsequent events in Marseille (2022) and Valencia (2024) experiencing dramatic growth.
Of those 643 competitors fighting for gold medal glory in Valencia last year, only one has been ever-present in this competition from the very first event in 2018.
It is fitting that this single competitor came away with a gold medal in Bahrain and repeated this performance last year – Turkish racer Ayhancan Güven.
Not only did the Porsche factory racer take home the gold, but he did it in style with a dramatic charge from the back of the grid and all the way to victory lane in GT Sprint.
“As team captain for Türkiye, it was amazing for the team to score three medals, but we were still missing the gold by Sunday.” Güven said.
“Our Federation was confident I had a great chance after qualifying on pole, and I was happy because Valencia is a tight track, and I knew I could win the race from there.
“But in the lunch break, I got a WhatsApp message from the team boss that we had an issue with the technical check, and then we need to start last!
“I knew getting past Finn Wiebelhaus from Germany and the hometown guy, Dani Juncadella from Spain, would be tough because it is tricky to overtake there. I was pushing like crazy, and was lucky there was a safety car.
“I got up to P2 behind Germany and just kept trying to put him under pressure and force him to make a mistake. This was my hope because I could not overtake him, so I decided to stay close to him.
“He made a small mistake with two or three laps to go, and there was a tight corner where we were really strong. The Porsche is good in the braking and slow-speed corners, so I know that was my chance.”
“I sent it, and luckily it worked, and we came home with the gold medal.”
The gold medal win was Güven’s first in FIA Motorsport Games competition after previously recording the win in the FIA GT Nations Cup.
Güven teamed up with Salih Yoluç in 2018 to finish second in the first qualifying race in Bahrain and then went on to win the second qualifying race and the Gold Medal final.
He is the only driver to have competed in the FIA GT Nations Cup and all three editions of the FIA Motorsport Games in Rome (2019), Marseille (2022), and Valencia (2024).
“The FIA Motorsport Games is very important in Türkiye because the young drivers see it as a great opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage,” Güven said.
“We have great support from the Turkish Federation for the young drivers to race, but for classes like karting and rallying, it's not easy for the Turkish drivers to go to Europe to compete.
“For myself, it’s a bit different at the event as I’m the captain of the Turkish team. They always expect results from me, but also I'm there to support the young talents coming from Turkey.
“So I had two roles there. I was there all week, but I only drove on the last day in GT Sprint. The rest of the week, I’m here to support my young teammates.”
Güven rose to prominence with back-to-back Porsche Carrera Cup France titles in 2018 and 2019. That same year, he finished second in the Porsche Supercup.
He joined the Porsche Junior Program in 2019 and remained a consistent contender in Supercup and Carrera Cup Germany, placing third in Supercup in both 2020 and 2021.
Güven moved to GT3 competition in 2022, finishing runner-up in ADAC GT Masters. In 2024, he won the Bathurst 12 Hour with Manthey Racing and he finished second on debut with Wright Motorsport in the Daytona 24 Hour.
Yesterday, he recorded his first-ever win for Porsche in the hotly-contested DTM championship.
“A lot of the racing at the FIA Motorsport Games is just amazing, but the event also has a really cool vibe. It’s amazing to race for your nation, rather than just racing for yourself or your manufacturer,” Güven said.
“I’ve been here since the beginning, and it has gotten better and better every year.
“The karting last year in Valencia was just crazy in all classes. From mini to junior to senior to endurance - the level of competition was amazing. Rallying, drifting, and cross car, the competition level was really high.”
TOSFED, the Türkiye Otomobil Sporları Federasyonu - the nation’s Federation Internationale de Automobile ASN heavily supports Turkey's participation.
“The Games are very important for Turkey, and we participated more or less in every category. I hope this event becomes bigger and bigger in the future,” Güven said.
“I'm racing over 20 weekends a year for Porsche and our customer teams in huge events like the Daytona 24 Hour and DTM, but it’s nothing compared to the FIA Motorsport Games.
“I hope in the future in GT Sprint we can expand the field. Last year, categories like Karting and Esports were huge with capacity grids, and I think that can certainly be the case across all classes in the future.
“Turkey and other countries like Spain and Germany were in every category, and I think you’ll see more and more countries sending a full team in the future for every event.”
After kicking off his career by winning the Turkish championship 10 years ago, the series threw its support behind Güven. Now, as a Porsche factory driver and FIA Motorsport Games team captain, he is keen to repay that support.
“It was a very proud moment for me to win the gold medal and repay the amazing support I have received. TOSFED is now supporting a lot of young drivers who are looking to follow in my footsteps. We have really good talents working hard and getting good opportunities.
“I didn't grow up with the perfect background for racing, but now we have a new generation that is very well prepared and trained.
“I think in 10 years we will see more Turkish drivers in every category around the world. I really enjoy this part of my role for the Federation to support these young drivers, and the FIA Motorsport Games can play an important role in really showcasing these drivers on the world stage.”
