Aston Martin Ace Appointed Go Motorsport Ambassador

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Darren Turner is the latest prominent British racing driver to join the eminent ranks of Go Motorsport ambassadors. The former McLaren F1 test driver and current Aston Martin sportscar star adds his name to a distinguished roster of UK stars backing the Motor Sport Association's new Go Motorsport initiative - a scheme which has been set up specifically to help people of all ages to get involved in all areas of motor sport whether as a competitor, volunteer or spectator.

Established by the MSA, governing body of UK motor sport, Go Motorsport was launched last summer at the McLaren Technology Centre by reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton. The impressive list of ambassadors supporting the Go Motorsport scheme includes: David Brabham, Martin Brundle, Jenson Button, David Coulthard, Damon Hill, Lord March, Allan McNish, Jason Plato, Andy Priaulx, Murray Walker, Sir Frank Williams and Malcolm Wilson.

Turner, 34 from Banbury, is one of Britain's most versatile drivers with a successful track record in sports car, touring car and single seater championships. He is also a firm favourite with fans, teams and the media. For the past two seasons Darren has combined race-winning performances for SEAT Sport in the HiQ British Touring Car Championship with class winning feats for Aston Martin at the Le Mans 24 Hours. In 2009, Turner remains with the iconic British marque as an integral part of its ambitious team now gunning for outright Le Mans glory with an exciting V12-powered LMP1 prototype. Darren also sits on the panel of judges overseeing the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver programme set up to recognise and support the very best of this country's young racing talent.

"Go Motorsport is a great campaign and I'm delighted to be given this chance to give something back to the sport," enthuses Turner. "For lots of reasons, it can be tricky for newcomers to get into our sport but this initiative from the MSA aims to overcome some of the myths and to provide all the answers for those wanting to get started. Having raced at all levels in UK, I know what this country has to offer both for competitors and fans. Whether you're an aspiring Lewis Hamilton dreaming of F1, a car enthusiast looking to have some fun or just seeking some excellent live entertainment, there are boundless opportunities out there... and there's no better place to start than the GoMotorsport.net website."

Like so many others, Darren kicked off his racing life in amateur karting before moving to single seaters in 1992 via the Jim Russell Racing Drivers' school, where he made it into the World Scholarship Final. This was the start of a series of successful single-seater campaigns culminating in him winning the 1996 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award. It was no surprise that Turner's performances caught the attention of the F1 fraternity which led to test drives with McLaren, Jordan and Arrows in 1997 before he became a McLaren F1 test driver in 1998, a position he held until 2005.

This collaboration with McLaren led to a gradual move away from single-seaters to sportscars and touring cars. In 1999 Turner was a member of AMG Mercedes driver squad at Le Mans. Since then he has competed in all the world's premier sports car series and events including the Le Mans 24 Hours, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the American Le Mans Series in a variety of machinery, including most recently the Aston Martin DBR9.

In recent years Darren has dovetailed his sportscar career with a series of touring car campaigns including two years with Team Rosberg/AMG Mercedes in the DTM championship and three seasons in the BTCC with SEAT.