Name: Will Turner
Name: Will Turner
Profession: Team Principal, retired championship-winning racecar driver
Passion: Racing, racing, racing!
Motto: „I’ve won 10 championships with BMW. I hope I can win 10 more.”
Thank you, Will, for taking the time to talk to us. You started your business as a BMW specialty parts company; what made you take that leap from there into car racing?
I actually started my parts company to be able to afford racing. And then, it just so happened that racing actually supported my parts company. So, one thing led to another. The parts company kept doing better, which is why we got more money to go racing which in turn advertised the parts company. And here we are today with a bunch of races, had a lot of fun.
When you started in 1998, did you ever imagine it would turn out the way it has, with a career of 26 years and counting and 10 championships secured so far?
In 1998, I had no idea what the future would bring, never mind what the next week would bring. I was kind of doing day-to-day things to try to make a living. And again, a lot of this was because I wanted to race. I loved BMWs. I loved the whole modifying of BMWs to make them faster, bring them to the racetrack and show what we could do. But I really had no long-term plan of anything other than that I knew that I had the passion for racing, passion for BMW. And almost 30 years later we're still doing it.
5 POWERFUL FACTS ON TURNER MOTORSPORT:
- First pro race in 1998 in a BMW E36 328is
- 625+ races with BMW race cars
- 10 Championships with BMW
- 26 years in motorsport
- 80+ drivers to date have driven Turner BMW race cars
Turner Motorsport have always been driving BMW – could you explain the reasons for your choice why you have stayed with it?
Back when I first started racing, I wanted to start with something that had like a 50/50 weight distribution, front engine, rear wheel drive, and BMW fit the bill. Back then, it was really an easy car to make a few modifications. It was a great starting platform to turn into a race car and, of course, I'd see the E30 M3 running around in touring car racing and, of course, that's what I wanted to do. I didn't have a plan, I just knew I wanted to race. And I started in amateur racing with the E30, and it turned into an E30 M3, and I have been racing M cars ever since.
Turner Motorsport have collected 10 championship wins since 2013, 3 of which in the past two years; what are the reasons for this recent streak?
It's a lot of work. But BMW making the product that they've made over the last four or five years, has really upped the game in GT3 and GT4 racing. And it's amazing that I was able to win the first year with the new M4 in GT4 and then won a championship the next year in GT3. So, it's very special. 10 championships. I hope I can win 10 more with BMW.
You’ve added the latest stage of BMW M Motorsport's GT race cars, the M4 GT3 EVO and GT4 EVO, to your lineup; what do you hope to achieve for the future of Turner Motorsport and how could the new race cars contribute to this?
We are so fortunate that BMW gave us some Evos this year in the GT4 and GT3. You know, we've had success with the predecessors, so the Evos are just that much better, and hopefully it'll be that much easier to have some success. So far, we've only done a couple races with them, but everything's looking great, and fingers crossed that the competition doesn't learn too much because we have great cars and I hope we can continue.
Being around cars and being successful in car racing with BWM M for almost 30 years – what is your formula?
So, first I have a passion for racing. I have a passion for BMW cars. I've never raced anything other than BMW. I want to win and when we win, it feels so good, I just want to win again. But when we lose, it feels so bad, I just want to race, so I can try to win again. And I think, it's the passion that drives me, the passion that's helped me do what I do every day. I love what I do. I am fortunate to have picked BMW. Hopefully it continues for the next 20 years.
Do you drive BMW M off the racetrack, too?
Of course. Currently I'm driving a new M5 which I love. The technology! You know, every year when I upgrade to the next M car, they get better and better, and this one is going to be hard to beat. I don't know how BMW M could top the current M5.
Supposed you could race any race in the world, which would it be and what BMW M car would you pick for it?
I would jump in a time machine. I would go back to Spa and I'd jump into an E30 M3 world touring car. I used to watch those. And whether it's a Group A car, either German touring car or European touring car, any of those races were amazing. And I still look on YouTube for some of those races to watch because they were amazing. I can just imagine what the feeling was racing those cars. They were fast, it was competitive, that was an awesome era. So, I would definitely do that.
Besides fast automobiles you are known for another passion – tacos; what is it with Turner Motorsport and Tacos?
During the infancy of the race team, it seemed to be wherever there was a racetrack, there was always a Mexican restaurant. And my team would say, “We're not having Mexican again”. And after a while, they actually started liking it and actually requested Mexican at least once per weekend. Well, you fast forward again 26 years, and now we make tacos a part of our race weekend. We either go out for tacos at night or have them for lunch and it's just fun. I haven't really met anybody that doesn't like a good taco.
Thank you for sharing your insights, Will.
| Year | Racing Series | Driver(s) | Race Car |
|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Speed World Challenge Touring Car | Bill Auberlen | BMW E36 328is |
2004 | Speed World Challenge Touring Car | Bill Auberlen | BMW E36 328is |
2006 | Grand-Am Cup Grand Sport | Boris Said, Anders Hainer | BMW E46 M3 |
2006 | Grand-Am Cup Street Tuner | Will Turner, Don Salama | BMW E36 328i |
2007 | Grand-Am Koni Challenge Street Tuner | Adam Burrows, Trevor Hepwood | BMW E46 330i |
2011 | Grand-Am Comtinental Tire Sportscar Challenge Grand Sport | Bill Auberlen, Paul Dalla Lana | BMW E90 M3 |
2014 | IMSA Tudor United Sportscar Championship Grand Touring Daytona | Dane Cameron, Markus Palttala | BMW Z4 GT3 |
2023 | IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport | Robby Foley, Vin Barletta | BMW M4 GT4 |
2023 | IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge Grand Sport X | Francis Selldorff | BMW M4 GT4 |
2024 | GT World Challenge America Pro-Am | Justin Rothberg, Robby Foley | BMW M4 GT3 |
BMW M AND ME: WILL TURNER OF TURNER MOTORSPORT.
The Team Principal about his passion for motorsport and the brand BMW.
