Lewis Turkington: Racing His Own Line

The 16-year-old son of four-time British Touring Car Champion Colin Turkington is stepping out of the shadows, swapping autograss for asphalt, and building a motorsport story with purpose.

Lewis Turkington may carry one of the most recognisable surnames in British motorsport, but his route into racing has been anything but conventional. While many of his rivals were karting from the age of six, Lewis only began competing properly shortly before his 13th birthday. His first classroom was not a slick tarmac circuit, but the loose, unpredictable world of autograss.

“Most people nowadays start at like six years old, which is insane,” he says. “I started properly just before I turned 13. We had a little autograss car, just for a bit of fun, learning how to change gear, how a car really feels and the size of it. I learned quite a bit from that, like my car control.”

That first car was a Nissan Micra, before Lewis moved into a Toyota Yaris. Across junior autograss seasons from 2022 through to 2025, he built a reputation for progress and resilience. At national level, where more than 100 junior cars could gather for the biggest events, he first made the semi-finals, then reached the final, and later finished fourth despite racing with a broken arm after an incident in the semi-final.

From Loose Surfaces to Learning Lines

For any young driver, moving from autograss to circuit racing is a major shift. For Lewis, it meant leaving behind a discipline built on instinctive car control and stepping into a field where many competitors already had years of karting racecraft behind them.

“Moving from gravel to tarmac, it was a lot different,” he explains. “There’s a lot more to learn, but you’ve got a baseline of a time you can aim for, which I found really good. The big difference was everyone that did karting. They were used to going around tarmac circuits and they had great racecraft because they’d been doing it for so many years. There were so many factors I didn’t have, which I’ve needed to learn to try and catch back up.”

That learning curve has brought him into the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship, where he is developing in full view of a motorsport world that already knows the Turkington name. His father, Colin Turkington, is a record-equalling four-time British Touring Car Champion, with titles in 2009, 2014, 2018 and 2019, and is widely regarded as one of the great touring car drivers of his generation.

But Lewis is not trying to simply copy the family script. He is writing his own version, one race weekend at a time.

Bridging the Gap

His first season on the circuits was interrupted by GCSEs and injury, but the experience gave him a foundation. This year, he says, the progression has been clear.

“The first qualifying event of the year was 16th, then I qualified 10th with my exhaust falling off, so I was down on power a little bit. Then the last weekend was the third round of the year and I qualified fourth, which is fantastic. It shows my progression.”

For Lewis, those results are not just numbers on a timing sheet. They are proof that the gap to drivers with years of karting behind them is closing.

“It’s pleasing the whole family and myself mainly because it shows I’m trying my best and I’ve properly bridged that gap between all the kids that have done karting and me, who didn’t.”

Sim racing has also become part of the learning process. At home, Lewis can practise circuits, race with friends, and, most importantly, share virtual track time with his dad before real events. “It’s great because I can go on with my dad and race with him before events, so we can learn the track,” he says. And yes, they race in the same room.

Support, Sponsors and Purpose

For 2026, GSF Car Parts has come on board as Lewis’s title sponsor, supporting his full season in the Fiesta Junior Championship. The partnership arrives at an important stage in his development, giving him backing as he continues to build speed, confidence and visibility.

Lewis describes GSF Car Parts simply as a business that serves both professional garages and everyday retail customers, supplying parts such as batteries, brakes, oil filters and other essentials. He is clearly grateful for the support, but sponsorship is only one part of the identity he is building.

Alongside his racing, Lewis founded Driving Dyslexia Forward in 2023. The initiative aims to challenge the stigma around dyslexia, raise awareness, and create a community for young people and families looking for encouragement and advice.

“The main focus was to eliminate the stigma around dyslexia and raise awareness,” he says. “Dyslexia is very strong, I believe, in motorsport. It’s where some dyslexic people flourish. I wanted to bring awareness and create a community.”

It is a mature mission for a 16-year-old, but it fits neatly with the way Lewis speaks about racing: as something bigger than results alone. Motorsport has given him lessons, confidence and a platform. Now he wants to use that platform to help others see dyslexia as a difference that can come with strengths, not simply a barrier.

The Road Ahead

Ask Lewis where he sees himself in five or ten years and the answer is ambitious but grounded. The immediate focus is learning, improving and choosing the right championships for the next steps. The longer-term dream is GT racing.

“The goal is to progress on to GT racing,” he says. “Obviously it’s not easy to make that step, so we’re just looking at championships for next year and onwards to build to that point. The market will change and maybe touring cars might be the way to go again, but at the moment the goal is GT racing.”

And what about following his father into the same seat? Lewis laughs at the idea, but the ambition is there. “I’d love to,” he says. “With GT racing, because it’s more than two drivers, I could race with my dad. That would be a cool end goal. Racing around the Nürburgring with Dad would be great.”

For now, Lewis Turkington is still at the beginning of that journey. He is a late starter by modern junior racing standards, but perhaps that is part of what makes his story compelling. He has already learned how to adapt, how to recover, and how to turn perceived disadvantages into motivation.

The surname may open conversations, but the driving will have to do the rest. Lewis seems ready for that challenge.