Darren Turner's love of old-style racing!

Aston Martin Racing’s Darren Turner is a man who knows what he likes and doesn’t like.  The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, hosting this weekend’s fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, definitely comes into the first category and not the second as, according to Turner, it's an 'old-style' race track. 

“I’ve only raced there once before, in the 2010 FIA GT1 race,” says the British driver.  “And our races were only an hour long, split between two drivers, so I’m really looking forward to getting much more track time.  It’s always been amazing to watch the F1 races there and it was one of the places I always wanted to go to.”

The two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans GT1 winner and current LMGTE Pro driver continues:  “The reason I like it so much is that it hasn’t been ‘molested’, or changed into the current F1-spec circuits with lots of tarmac run offs.  The layout is really good, with very interesting and challenging corners and it’s not super-wide which concentrates the mind and your efforts.  Add into that the elevation changes and it gets better and better. 

"I think the tarmac run-offs ruin the challenge of many racing circuits these days.  It’s why I like racing in the USA because the circuits there have stayed true to the old-style.

“There’s also an atmosphere at Interlagos which is unique.  If you walk up from the last corner to the start-finish line with the grandstands and pits either side of you, it sends shivers down your spine.  It’s gladiatorial.”

Let the games begin.

Fiona Miller

PHOTO: SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT (SILVERSTONE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, UK), 6 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE, 26TH AUGUST 2012.  Darren Turner (left) and Stefan Mucke (right) finished 3rd in LMGTE Pro.