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Turner to race Aston LMP1

Three in a row for Aston Martin?

Darren Turner has been revealed as one of the drivers who will compete in the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours, and the full Le Mans Series, with Aston Martin. After racing the Aston Martin DBR9 to GT1 class victory in 2007 and 2008, Turner now joins the line-up for the marque's assault on the LMP1 class at Le Mans this summer.

The 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours is already an historic event for Aston Martin as the race marks the 50th anniversary of its outright win at La Sarthe.

Before any talk of history though there is a lot of hard work to be done and one of the biggest challenges that Turner faces is the switch from a GT car to a prototype.

"The challenge of racing an LMP1 car is something I am really looking forward to," said the British racer. "My prototype experience is limited to 50 laps around Paul Ricard in the Audi R8 a few years ago but I saw how quickly Tomas (Enge) adapted from GT1 to LMP1 last year so I know I can do it."

"I am also relishing the opportunity to go for the Le Mans Series title in 2009," he continued. "This will be the first time I have completed a full LMS season so it will be good to be in the race for the title".

With two Aston Martin Le Mans victories under his belt all eyes will be on Darren in June to see if he can complete the set and go for the hat-trick.

"That would be incredible," said Darren. "But, as David Richards (Aston Martin Chairman) has said, an outright Le Mans victory in 2009 would be a dream. Mind you, he also said that anything can happen at Le Mans and he's absolutely right! I think we will go out there and do what we always do and that is to compete at the highest level and push for P1."

As a British driver, racing for Aston Martin, Darren also takes a lot of national pride with him when he steps into the cockpit.

"The last four years at Le Mans with Aston Martin have been an amazing experience for me as a British driver. It was a privilege to drive the DBR9; it is a special car and I have many great memories of it. To get the opportunity to go out there now and race with Aston Martin for the outright victory is phenomenal."

The Le Mans Series gets underway at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on 5 April before heading to Belgium, Portugal, Germany and the UK, during its five-race schedule. The 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours takes place on 13/14 June.