Celebrating an unseeded hero that changed motorcysts forever

For a person who stumbled into the motor split world, Stuart Turner – who died at the age of 92 in early September – left an indelible impression on the industry.

The Turner was one of the rare persons who had an infinite and important amount of wires for their bow. It seems that everything touched that turned into gold. A champion rally cum-driver, a visionary, a architect of major motorcysters, a PR genius, a successful team manager, a masterclass motivator, an unforgettable communicator, a dinner speaker, a dinner speaker, who shares a skilled journalist/writer and abusive writer, with a emotional advocate of the ground level and improves security. Incredibly, it was all briefly Stuart Turner. An accountant by business that turned into one of the most emotional all-rounders and impressive figures of motorsports.

“He had good success as co-operators, but for me,” was nothing in relation to co-driving. ” “That was the man you were always trying to impress. He only respected and he could get the best from people. His ahead thinking was unique and he was ahead of his time.”

The iconic motorcysters broadcaster and rally driver Tony Jardin says: “If you cut her into two like a piece of Blackpool Rock, she had a motorsport core in the middle. The central bit rally would have been rally because it was her obsession and love.

“I think he not only stands as a figurehead, but is a master’s strategist and commander. At any stage he can operate, whether he is talking to a board of major motor companies or talking to mechanics, he all loved him. They worked with the best and BMC’s big boards.

The Turner will be associated with Ford forever, where he hired the post of Motorsport, while overseeing his rally operation and engine program at Formula 1. It was a partnership with Blue Oval that lasted in 1990 before its retirement. It was far from the turner’s chance encounter in motorsport, which initially rolled the ball.

In the mid -1950s, the Turner’s exposure for the motorsport was minimal until he was invited to attend a rally by his sister and her lover, who were competing. When they were lost, the Turner picked up the maps and made a love of the rally from there. A career as a co-operator said that one proved to be a success.

This made the turner a star in the scene of the road rally before the arrival of National Glory, which became the first British rally champion in 1958 as well as the first British rally champion. The title was successfully called on notes for John Sprinzel riding on an Austin-Helle Spright.

Word soon spread to Turner’s co-driving capabilities, causing the British to compete on the international stage. Outing chased in Europe and Canada, although the most notable success was the 1960 lump sum international rally of Great Britain’s victory, which was the participation of Swedish rally sensation Eric Carlson in Saab 96.

The ability to adapt to many roles such as Turner was probably displayed by a decision for a career switch for journalism for the first time, played the role of sports editor with motoring news. It was here where the love of his rally created a very acclaimed motoring news rally championship.

When the British Motor Corporation appointed the Turner as his competitions as the manager, the rally returned to the forefront. Turner BMC made a name for himself in Fala -Fula and Global Motorsport. Decisions were made to bring revolution in their rally program, in which only the iconic mini cooper S and Austin-Helle used to avoid 3000 axes. It was a bold call, but one who paid a large scale.

After having a connection with drivers through his co-driving career, Turner’s charismatic leadership wooed mythological drivers Timo Makinan and Paddy Hopkirk in Guna. Success was probably the most famous mini’s huge victory with the winning victory of Mini’s giant win at the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally led by Hopkirk.

Using all the knowledge received as a journalist, he managed to draw a PR stunt, which is unimaginable for the rally today, to maximize this victory. The winning car and the crew were taken from Monte Carlo to present the estimated 22 million television audiences at the BBC hit television show. Sunday night in London PalladiumHosted by Bruce Forceith.

“Comedian Tommy Cooper was on the bill and then Paddy with Mini is hopkirk, who finally praises,” recalls Jordin. “Turner was so amazing and went to heaven and earth to get that car.

Turner’s time at BMC ended in 1968 when the company merged with British Leind. Ford called. Its then PR boss Walter Hayes offered a role to Turner, which he refused because he felt that it was ‘uncontrolled’ which is a ‘uncontrolled’ which looking at his loyalty to BMC. Instead, a step was taken to become the Deputy Procurement Manager of the oil giant Castrol. But Ford’s greed for a second call for a second time while working as a traveling martial for the 1968 London-Syllasy Marathon.

Turner wasted very little time in search of opportunities for Ford to show himself in motorsports and sell more cars – ‘Win on Sunday, selling on Monday, was in full swing. A master stroke of 1970 London was to contest for the Mexico World Cup rally – a marathon 16,000 miles. Ford entered a modified MK1 escort, in which the turner focuses on reliability. The future world rally was inspired as champion champion Hanu Mikakola, taking Ford to win. The result gave birth to a new road -Going version of the car – ‘Escort Mexico’, which emerged with a logo flying out of the showroom, and today is a cult classic.

Ford quickly became synonymous with the rally and in 1979, Turner oversaw, as the first WRC constructs and drivers of Ford, peddle the escort RS1800 for glory. Another driver will be titled when in 1981 Eri Watton and David Richards hit Rothmans-liverid escort.

With rally programs, Ford’s famous Cosworth DFV V8 engine F1 was dominating the world, although the Turner F1 was not a man to continuously to Padock, who was choosing to spend his time strategically. The rally was Turner’s first love and fought to convince the top brass to ensure that Ford was once present in discipline despite difficult times.

“I would say that he was playing an important role in keeping Ford in the rally,” Jardin says. “When the questions were asked by the management because things were not going to that well, he wrote a big document why Ford should continue and what to do it. They did not just do it from the heart, they had a strategy and a plan. The plan was followed and he gave the world champion.

“He created a blue oval that is this and it continued with the current Dakar program and through the M-Sport, and even driving on the motorway is still fast forces everywhere.”

Of course, big decisions were to be made. As Audi pioneered a four-wheeler drive with his all-converting quattro in Group B period in the 1980s, Turner decided to cancel Ford’s Escort RS1700T rally rally project and its C100 Sportscar racing program. The decision was taken to develop the Ford RS200 Group B car, which unfortunately did not realize his ability after Group B ended prematurely in 1986, the car debut season, where he built a secluded podium in Sweden. Sierra Kosworth will become its successor.

“In my time he was Mr. Ford,” Wilson explains. “I was doing the RS1700T test. There was no question that 1700t was getting very good, and it was three seconds a mile faster than the MK2 escort, but Stuart said that he did not come up with a clean sheet of paper and said that we need to drive a four-wheel. The reflection was the right thing.

“He instills confidence in engineers and technicians to take the next step. This is what he was very clever. He would come with ideas, but then he would confidence to people to see them.”

Wilson, who handled Ford’s rally operation in 1997 through his own M-Sport company, also benefited to educate the turner’s vision and passion and help the next generation in the game: “He was one of those when he went to a room when he went to a room that you thought, ‘right, I draw myself together’.

“Ford used a full -day rally forums and has a picture of me when I was 14 years old.

Turner continued to extend the motorsport to actually spread this passion into motorcystems at the ground level, giving countless local motor clubs across the country. He was also a very large lawyer to improve motorcystems security, who became an important person in the installation of Motorsport Safety Fund. The Turner also continued to praise with the Autosport Award in 1990 and the Prince Michael Award of Merit in 2009.

“The fact is that he supported so many motor clubs, and a minute he would be having dinner speech after a major corporate, and then promising the Safok Motor Club that he would be there to give the award there, and he would only pay their petrol, say everything about them,” Jordin misses.

Turner would also turn to write to publish more than 20 books, in which his spirit was ever present, a henes manual for retirement of everything. This humor was a major component of his speeches; The F1 supremo Berney Eclestone was often the theme for some harmless teasing.

“What I have seen in every field, whether he is listening to his speeches or working with Ford, he was like any top co-operator,” Jordin says. “There were strategies, plans and details. He was sitting there to his wife, in which there was a stopwatch time and how long it was. He would work outside, who would be better, would re -work the gag or leave them. He was fantastic. He was a riot.”

Turner would be remembered as a person who was committed to motorcystores at the ground level as he was winning at WRC about F1 and Ford. A soul that is inspired by pure unpounted passion.