Darren Turner
Darren Turner ( born April 13, 1974 in Camberley ) is a British racing driver.
Career
Darren Turner rose in the winter of 1993 into formula racing and won his first race in 1995 in the British Formula Renault. The following year, he increased his performances and finished with two wins and several podiums as the championship runner-up behind David Cook and won at the end of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. Then he moved in 1997 to the British Formula 3, but was unable to repeat his results. However, he was given the opportunity to test a Formula 1 car for McLaren, Jordan Grand Prix and Arrows in the same year. In 1998, Turner opted for a start in the Formula Palmer Audi, which he finished with three overall wins than runner-up behind Justin Wilson.
At Mercedes
At the start of the 1999 season, Turner initially wanted the Italian Formula 3000 contest, but received a contract with McLaren -Mercedes test driver in Formula 1 and then broke his commitment to the national racing series after only one championship run from. In the following two years remained Turner test driver for McLaren - Mercedes. He also went into the DTM with Team Rosberg. There piloted Turner 2000-2001 a Mercedes -Benz CLK. The following year, his contract was not renewed, so he reoriented himself and started in the oval racing series NASCAR. There, he won six championship races, finished the season only in seventh place yet.
In Prodrive
In 2003, Turner in the GT sports. He was reported in the FIA GT Championship as a driver Kelvin Burt next to a Ferrari 360 Modena, remained until the middle of the season but with little success. After the 24 - hour race at Spa -Francorchamps he got a new teammate with Jamie Davies. After that boosted his performance and he finished two runs on the platform of the N - GT. At the same time he received a contract with Prodrive and launched the 12 Hours of Sebring race in the American Le Mans Series. He, his FIA GT teammate Burt and Anthony Davidson finished the race on the podium of the GTS class. Middle of the season the team with the Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello then went to the 24- hour race at Le Mans, but could not finish the race due to a technical defect. After Turner was given the opportunity to start again for Prodrive in the ALMS. At the penultimate race in Miami had short January Magnussen replaced Turner. He and his team-mate David Brabham finished the race as a class winner of the GTS. After Turner returned to Europe to finish the year with another class win at the 1000 km race at Le Mans with Jamie Davies.
2004 Turner tested at the Le Mans Endurance Series an Audi R8, but remained without racing. For Prodrive drove Turner this year only at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished the race with Colin McRae and Rickard Rydell on the podium of the GTS. Prodrive, where it was worked for the next season to the development of the Aston Martin DBR9, allowed Turner the rise of the factory team Aston Martin Racing. Therefore, he took in 2005 at several championships. So he finished with David Brabham and Stéphane Ortelli, the 12 - hour race at Sebring class victory in the ALMS. He went then to the podium at the championship round of the FIA GT Championship and later with Brabham and Stéphane Sarrazin in Le Mans and Spa. He also started with different rider line for the Aston Martin customers Convers Team in the Le Mans Endurance Series, where he drove out another class victory with compatriot Robert Bell. Despite good results took Turner at year-end championships in all midfield positions only because he did not participate in a fraction of the runs in each series.
Seat, Prodrive and Nissan
In 2006, Turner remained at Prodrive and thus in the factory team Aston Martin, however, was now planned for a full season in the American Le Mans Series. He and Tomáš Enge finished two championship races as a class winner in the GT1. In parallel, Turner signed a contract for the 2006 season at Seat Sport and launched in twelve of the 30 championship races in the British Touring Car Championship. On 3 September 2006, Turner between the ALMS and BTCC had to decide. He started on the Knockhill Racing Circuit, thereby losing the opportunity to out down a title in the competitive GT1 class of ALMS.
The following year, Turner focused on the BTCC and then took part in the entire championship. He finished there three races as the overall winner and the season in sixth place. Nevertheless, he began to continue in GT racing. So he drove a Ferrari F430 GT for different teams and in different racing classes in the American Le Mans Series, including for Krohn Racing. He was also for Aston Martin Racing again at the 24 - hour race at Le Mans at the start. He, David Brabham, Rickard Rydell and won it in the GT1 class. He was also reported at selected rounds of the FIA GT Championship and the Le Mans Series.
Also in the 2008 season piloted Turner and teammate Jason Plato a Seat Leon TDI in the British Touring Car Championship. By the end, he finished two races as the overall winner and six more on the podium, but he remained in eighth place in the drivers' standings ledliglich in midfield and behind teammate Plato back. After Turner already played last year for Tracy Krohn is a sports car race, he received in 2008 the opportunity to drive a Daytona Prototype at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Together with Niclas Jönsson and Ricardo Zonta he finished his first round of the Grand-Am Sports Car Series in fourth place. He then defended for Aston Martin Racing's David Brabham and Antonio García the GT1 class victory at Le Mans and drove in the connection for the customer teams Gigawave, Strakka Racing and Drayson each have a round of the FIA GT, Le Mans Series and American Le Mans Series.
In 2009, Turner ended his involvement in touring car racing and now again focused more on the sports car range. At the beginning of the year he went again for Krohn Racing at the 24 Hours of Daytona, but did not finish the race Lola B08/70. Later in the year he was to drive with Niclas Jönsson the car in the 250 miles from Daytona again, but could not build on the achievements of the previous year again. In Europe, Turner was also involved in the projects of Aston Martin and Nissan. Gigawave, which presented the operations team for the development of the Nissan GT -R in 2009, Turner allowed multiple inserts with Michael Krumm in the FIA GT Championship. The car, which was developed for the 2010 advertised FIA GT1 World Championship, but could not compete with the older and more powerful vehicles. Turner also started at Aston Martin in the newly developed with Lola Cars Le Mans prototype, the Lola - Aston Martin LMP1 at Le Mans and in the season of the Le Mans Series. However, he and Harold Primat were only in the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring pull out a podium and remained at the end of the season in the championship behind teammate and masters Stefan Mücke, Tomáš Enge and Jan Charouz back. In Le Mans, Turner was able to finish the race on only the 13th overall with Anthony Davidson and Jos Verstappen after technical problems.
In the 2010 season Turner start together with Tomáš Enge in the FIA GT1 World Championship for Young Driver Aston Martin Racing from Paderborn. Here, the duo won a championship run and two more Qualifkationsläufe. In the championship, they finished at the end of the fourth. In addition, Turner was involved in both the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Aston Martin. In Le Mans Turner Juan Barazi and Sam Hancock added at Le Mans prototype of the factory team but was engine failure. In the Le Mans Series he start with Robert Bell for the British customer team JWM Motorsport in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The team, however, had to contend with a number of technical problems and played no role in the outcome of the championship in the GT2 category.
2011 Turner piloted the newly developed Aston Martin AMR -One. The no championship run in scoring ended due to technical problems. Aston Martin Racing Then moved on last year's car Lola - Aston Martin LMP1 and reduced exposure to a vehicle. Therefore, in was a start in the prototype forbidden in the runs against the end of the year. In the FIA GT1 World Championship, he shared, as in the previous year the cockpit with Stefan Mücke. Through regular podium finishes and a win on the Gold Port Circuit he finished for Young Driver Aston Martin as runner-up.
2012 Turner starts in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Aston Martin in the GT2 category.