Turner to Drive Heart of Racing GTD Aston at Road Atlanta

Triple 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Darren Turner will drive The Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in next weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round.

The long-serving Aston Martin factory driver has been confirmed in the No. 23 HoR entry alongside Ian James and Roman De Angelis for the six-hour enduro on Sept. 5.

It will mark the Englishman’s first IMSA outing in five years, and a return to the site of his GT1 class victory in the 2006 Motul Petit Le Mans.

Turner last contested a WeatherTech Championship round in 2015 when he appeared for Aston Martin Racing in the GT Le Mans class of that year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

“It’s exciting to be joining The Heart of Racing near the beginning of their journey with Aston Martin,” said Turner.

“The team has shown great potential so far in their first season with the Vantage GT3 and I’m looking forward to working with them to extract the potential from the car.

“I love racing in America and Road Atlanta is a fantastic venue, where I’ve always had success. Let’s hope there is some more around the corner.”

James added: “It will be a great opportunity for us to have Darren with us for the six-hour race.

“His skills behind the wheel and knowledge of the car will be extremely beneficial in aiding our continued progress with setup and speed, and what we hope will be a great result.”