The “incredible” Le Mans racer that staged a memorable comeback

Oliver Turvey’s technical insight and feedback has made him an important component of several motorsport outfits for more than a decade, not least the McLaren Formula 1 team. Having joined the Woking-based team in 2010, first as a development driver before taking on a testing role, it’s a position that Turvey still occupies today.

During that time the now 37-year-old has also competed in several championships, most predominately in Formula E where he spent eight seasons, all with NEXTEV TCR before it morphed into NIO 333. A career-best finish of 10th in the 2017-18 drivers’ standings came via his only Formula E podium in Mexico City, as well as a further five points finishes.

As well as an extensive career in single-seaters, which included finishing runner-up in the 2008 British F3 Championship behind Jaime Alguersuari but ahead of other F1 prospects including Brendon Hartley, Sergio Perez and Marcus Ericsson, the Briton has also dabbled in the world of sportscars. And despite having driven various McLaren F1 machines, it’s from the world of endurance racing where Turvey picks his favourite car, the Zytek Z11SN which used Zytek-tuned Nissan engines.

Turvey raced the open-top LMP2 car three times at the Le Mans 24 Hours between 2013-15 with Jota, now the Cadillac factory squad in the World Endurance Championship, and won his class in 2014 before the car was rebadged as the Gibson 015S for 2015. The Briton had already made his sportscar debut in the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 car, but found that the Zytek made an instant impression.

“The first time I tested it I was like, ‘this car is incredible, it’s just so good to drive,’” remembers Turvey, who alongside his McLaren duties is also currently DS Penske’s reserve driver in Formula E. “It was a very stable car, very well balanced.

“It just inspired you to go faster and you felt like you could push it to the limit all the time, which is quite a nice feeling in a sportscar, especially at a long race like the 24 hours.”

A single campaign in the 2013 European Le Mans Series yielded third in the standings via a win on home soil at Silverstone, along with seventh in class at the French classic alongside Simon Dolan and Lucas Luhr. But a planned move to Delta Motorsport in the World Endurance Championship the following season collapsed due to funding issues, so Turvey’s participation in that year’s Le Mans alongside Dolan and rookie Harry Tincknell came about in unexpected circumstances.

Loic Duval’s huge testing accident aboard the Audi R18 LMP1 car left him on the sidelines, meaning Jota driver Marc Gene was called to replace the Frenchman, with Turvey in turn replacing the Spaniard – who went on to finish second alongside Lucas di Grassi and Tom Kristensen in the legendary Dane’s final Le Mans outing.

“I arrived at Le Mans on the Thursday morning, I only did a few laps in the night qualifying to make sure that I qualified for the race, so I basically went into the race with no practice or anything,” recalls Turvey. “I remember my first stint and it started raining after one or two laps…”

“It was a pretty mega race to go from not being at Le Mans the week before to then end up on the Sunday on the podium as a winner!” Oliver Turvey

Having suffered early delays during a torrential downpour with several pitstops to change tyres and a broken number panel which put the car several laps down on the leaders, Jota pushed on through the night. Aided by the Zytek’s solid handling and engine problems besetting the OAK Racing Ligier that led for 240 laps, the crew took the class lead from TDS Racing’s Ligier with Turvey at the wheel during the final stint. They led for just 31 laps, but did so at just the right time to secure an unlikely victory and fifth overall.

He adds: “It was a pretty mega race to go from not being at Le Mans the week before and basically arriving on the Thursday, to then end up on the Sunday on the podium as a winner. It was a pretty special race and pretty crazy!”

It remains his best finish to date at Le Mans, an event he last contested with the short-lived Ginetta G60-LT-P1 LMP1 car in 2018. But there was still a last hurrah to come in 2015, when Turvey partnered Dolan and Mitch Evans to finish second in LMP2 with the Gibson. Their 48-second deficit to the winning KCMG ORECA came after clawing back from three laps down due to a shift problem and a sensor change, leaving Turvey and co with a palpable sense of what could have been.

The Zytek invited drivers to push on, which Turvey enjoyed during two come-from-behind podium runs at Le Mans – although came up just short in 2015

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images