Multiple GT racing champion Darren Turner began his 2024 racing season in promising fashion with an eye-catching ‘stand-in’ performance at the Dubai 24 Hours – the opening round of the 24H Series – last weekend.
Because the event clashed with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, in which Turner won the GTD class last year, the Heart of Racing by SPS team found themselves short of three drivers who were all contesting the blue riband event in Florida, USA. Thus Turner, along with Heart of Racing FIA World Endurance Championship driver Daniel Mancinelli and Dubai 24H veteran Pierre Kleinubing, were all called up to fill in the empty seats.
“The Dubai 24 Hours was delayed by a couple of weeks because of the freight issue that are effecting the region at the moment,” explained Turner. “So, Ian James, the team principal of HoR called me and asked me if I could assist. Aston Martin Racing kindly allowed me to participate because HoR is a partner team, and it meant I could start my season with a lovely weekend in the January desert sun! What could be better?”
Turner, who has an overall podium finish to his name in previous Dubai 24 Hours, had not contested the event since 2014, when he raced for Craft Racing AMR in an Aston Martin Vantage V12. This time he was driving a Mercedes AMG-GT3…
“I have raced a Mercedes once before, at the Nürburging 24 Hours, but it was a few years ago and the steering was a development fly-by-wire system. Daniel and Pierre didn’t know the Mercedes either.”
With all the lack of car experience, the team decided to focus on finding a balance than going for ultimate lap times. “We never really found the limit of the performance, compared to some of the other Mercedes in the field, but we had a reasonable balance and set-up by the time we got to the race.”
Having qualified 12th overall, and seventh in the Pro-Am Class, Turner and his team-mates made a strong start to the race.
“We were going like a train, and we had a great rhythm,” he said. “By the time we reached halfway, we were running third in class.”
The event is unique in that the competing teams had to fuel at pumps at a fixed point in the paddock, and that Bronze-graded drivers must complete at least 12 hours of the race’s running time. Unfortunately for Darren’s crew, the running-time was cut shorter still by some technical issues that dropped them down the competitive order.
“Sadly, after half distance we had a wheel-bearing issue, and then picked up a little bit of damage,” said Turner. “A bit later on we also had to deal with an ABS problem that was sort of related to the earlier bearing issue. That cost us about 40 minutes all in all, so for us, it was more like the Dubai 22 Hours once you had taken into account the refuelling method.”
The most positive aspect of the event for Darren his team-mate Gray Newell’s performance through the weekend.
“Gray really did a great job,” said Turner. “Absolutely brilliant. Zero mistakes, he’s a great deal faster than he was last year and not far off the pro drivers in pace. He said to me that he feels like he is really beginning to contribute to the team performance and I believe that’s true. All his feedback was valid, he didn’t make any on-track mistakes which was mega, and he did a reasonable amount of time in the car as well.”
Newell’s seven hours driving, along with Turner’s four, went a long way to recovering the car to fifth place in class by the race’s conclusion.
“We did a good job all told,” said Turner, “and to be honest without those issues in the second half of the race, we were on track for a class podium.”
Turner’s next racing event is planned for the 81st Goodwood Members’ Meeting on 13-14 April.
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