Aston Martin works driver Darren Turner has been racing alongside fellow British driver Jonny Adam and Brazil’s Daniel Serra in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. The highlight of the season was Jonny Adam taking the lead on the last lap to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans to score the team’s one and only victory so far. 

As the FIA World Endurance Championship heads to Mexico City for Round 5 of this year’s championship we caught up with him to discuss the season so far, the new FIA GT World Championship and this weekend’s race, which he won in 2016 for the British manufacturer.

Q: Last year you won here in Mexico with Richie Stanaway, this year you are racing with Jonny Adam and Daniel Serra.  What are your thoughts on returning to Mexico for the second time?

“I loved going to Brazil, Sao Paulo was great, but equally going to Mexico is a fantastic experience.  This is one of the good things about the FIA World Endurance Championship is the fact we go to some great places around the world. You get to touch a little bit of the culture in each of those countries.

“Because the circuit has a bit of feel of a street circuit it is very exciting to drive. There is a good combination of corners and very technical as well.  The last stadium section is wonderful to come into.  You come from an area that is surrounded by concrete walls and then it opens up in front of you.  You get the feeling of the crowd and everything else so it is a great way to finish a lap.

“Last year there was mixed weather so we were changing to wets or intermediates during the race.  It was Richie’s stint when the drizzle came and he stuck it out on the slicks was the turning point.  When it was dry the no95 Aston had the advantage and Nicki (Thiim) was pulling away but the race changed for us when the rain came.  The result put me in the lead of the championship so it was a good race to win.”

Q: The 24 Hours of le Mans was a good result for you, Jonny, Daniel and Aston Martin.  The other three races have proved to be a challenge for you.  What has been the difference between Le Mans and the other races in the WEC this season?

“You would have to look at the balance of performance (BoP) as Le Mans is done differently to the other races. One of the big things this year is the new regulations on tyres, which is having a big effect on the way we are able to do the strategy for the races.  It is really difficult to make four sets of tyres last qualifying and a six hour race. It’s not ideal for wheel to wheel racing and we’ve been struggling to manage the tyres over the weekend.

“The BoP at Le Mans was obviously off the back of last year and kept everyone very close.  The tyre allocation isn’t the same so we were back to a traditional style of strategy for the race, which worked really well and the Dunlop tyres were fantastic.  What was really nice was how close all the competition was.  This year it was five manufacturers and we’re all within a couple of tenths of each other. That last five minutes of the race was magic to watch!”

Q: 2017 has seen the GT class become an official FIA World Championship rather than a world cup.  Has this meant any change on how you approach the races or the season for you as a driver or for the team?

“You just want to win the championship, whether it is world or whatever; it is still a championship you want to win.  All it means if you do win it you can call yourself a world champion. Maybe it should’ve been a full world championship from the beginning, but it is now and it is fantastic.  The status will only encourage more manufacturers to come and compete in the WEC, so it is a good move.
“It certainly doesn’t change the mentality of the drivers or the teams, we still approach each race the same way as before.”

Q: There are five races left on the 2017 calendar.  Which one are you looking forward to the most?

 “That’s a difficult question because I really enjoy all of them for different reasons.  Mexico is great because, well, it is Mexico, the circuit is fun and challenging. CoTA is one of the best modern grand prix tracks there is. The otherside is going to Austin, so you get to see a fun part of America, which is great.  Shanghai is completely different from everything else, a good circuit and, on a personal side, the nicest hotel we stay in all year.

“I love going to Japan, I’ve always looked forward to going there.  Fuji, while it’s not always been a great circuit for us, it’s difficult because it is low grip and that hasn’t always played into our hands.  Bahrain is the season finale, another nice track, nice people and a great end of season party.

“I can’t pick one circuit as my favourite because they all have something to offer and I am looking forward to them all.”