Darren Turner and Jody Fannin join TF Sport for GT Open

Aston Martin Racing ace Darren Turner and young GT star Jody Fannin complete an exciting and formidable driver line-up for TF Sport’s International GT Open assault on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit (19-20 July).

The International GT Open has enjoyed a rapid expansion in its short nine-year history, growing in success in terms of quality of entries, exposure and its global reach, with a philosophy for simplicity and stability that continues to attract many of the world’s greatest teams and drivers.

Instrumental in reviving the traditional Pro-Am spirit of GT racing, a bumper field of GT2 and GT3-spec machines from some of the world’s most prestigious sportscar manufacturers is expected to turn out for the fifth round of the 2014 season at the home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Silverstone, this weekend (19-20 July).

TF Sport has been selected to represent Aston Martin Racing (AMR) at the event and will field a sole GT3-spec V12 Vantage for AMR regular Turner and young, up-and-coming GT star Fannin.

The Tom Ferrier-led squad from Redhill, Surrey is a full-time contender in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship but is known for undertaking successful exploratory outings in other high-profile GT racing contests, such as the Blancpain Endurance Series and Dutch Supercar Challenge.

With high-calibre drivers such as Turner and Fannin joining the fold, TF Sport’s short and long-term ambitions are clear.

Turner – a McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winner – is one of the most successful and experienced British racing drivers on the current circuit.

The Banbury racer has been a key member of Aston Martin Racing since 2005 and, having won the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours French endurance classic twice, is currently taking on the FIA World Endurance Championship in an Aston Martin Vantage GTE.

“I’m looking forward to racing with TF Sport this weekend,” said Turner. “It’s a fairly late addition to my race programme but I know the car and I know the track so we just need to make sure we spend time during the practice sessions to learn about the tyres. TF Sport is a young team but it has experienced people behind it, so there’s no reason why we can’t have a good race meeting.  I’m racing with Jody Fannin, an upcoming GT driver who I have heard a lot about, so It’ll be good to see what he’s got too.”

Fannin, aged 20 from Surrey, was crowned British GT4 Champion in 2012 after notching up several race wins, pole positions and fastest laps, and was then nominated as a BRDC (British Racing Drivers’ Club) Rising Star as he took the step up to the world stage in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

“I’ve known the guys at TF Sport for a while now and have a lot of respect for them, so I’m looking forward to working with the team,” said Fannin. “At the beginning of the year, I tested the Aston Martin GT3 car at Portimao. It went very well and we have been working hard ever since to get the right opportunity to race the car. I raced mainly in Europe last year, so to compete at Silverstone again in 2014 with Darren Turner is fantastic and I can’t wait. In addition, the car should be very competitive at Silverstone, so we’re naturally hoping to mix it at the front of the field.”

Aston Martin Racing Managing Director, John Gaw, said: “TF Sport is a team Aston Martin Racing wants to work with for a very long time and we all have a lot of respect for Tom (Ferrier) in terms of what he has achieved as a racing driver, engineer and Team Manager. We wanted a top-level team to represent us in the International GT Open at Silverstone and all of the ducks fell into line with TF Sport, Darren (Turner) and Jody (Fannin.

"We’re very familiar with the International GT Open and like the package, and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 is a proven winner on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. With such a formidable driver line-up – Darren knows the car really well, while Jody is a hugely talented young racer – I believe TF Sport has a great shot at victory.” 

TF Sport