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TRAFFORD, PA (February 8, 2007) – Defending a Championship in a series as hotly contested as the Star Mazda Championship Series can be a daunting task. John Walko Racing recently took a huge step forward in that effort however, resigning two of the team's three drivers from its 2006 Team Championship winning roster. Teammates Charles Anti and Russell Walker return for a second season each under the tutelage of the experienced JWR crew. Each driver will be part of their own three man unit, paired with an engineer and mechanic, within the overall team for the entire season. This is a continuation of the approach that helped guide JWR to the Team Championship in their rookie season. John Walko, team owner, believes this approach is crucial in developing young talent in to consistent front running contenders. "There is something to be said for continuity, working with the same engineer, already speaking the same language, knowing the team, knowing the car, knowing what to expect from everything. It is more than just knowing the tracks. People don't understand how human this is, it is more than just sticking the best drivers in the best cars and going fast. There is a lot to the relationships involved." For Pittsburgh native Anti, those relationships will include Steve Dreizler returning as Engineer and Mechanic Caleb Stream. While Anti and Dreizler have a long history together, Walko noted that his driver and Stream have also worked well together as part of a quite successful off-season testing program. A program that has revealed an all together different driver than the one that made his professional debut at Sebring just last season. "We have already done a winter testing program with Charles and I can see a difference in him already. He knows the tracks now and the whole concept of Pro Racing is nothing new now, so the second year we expect to see a big difference in him. Last year was really his first season of Pro Racing at any level so part of the learning curve last year was learning to deal with the intensity level of a Pro weekend." Walker enters the 2007 season with a very familiar system as he is reunited with both his engineer and mechanic from his rookie season, Eric Langbein and Scott Gates. The Dallas, Texas based racer looks to build on a strong finish in 2006 that resulted in three top ten finishes in the final four races. After several strong runs in testing, Walko believes his second year driver will be a threat this season. "From the beginning of testing, Russell, Eric and Scott picked up right where they left off at the end of last season. Sebring in particular showed that as a team they were communicating very well and Russell was on top of his game behind the wheel." The return of two veteran drivers, and the chemistry readily apparent between them and their crews, has Walko excited about the team's prospects in the coming season. "With a full year under their belt I think they'll be completely different drivers this year. And we have seen great speed already this year in winter testing. Both Charles and Russell should be competing for wins and championships in 2007. If these two drivers are able to capitalize on their chances we should be in contention for the Team Championship as well. Although, we would like our chances even better if we were able to secure a third driver to round out the team" Team QuotesCharles Anti:
"I'll be working with Steve Dreizler again and Caleb Stream as mechanic. Caleb's car finished second in the Championship last year with Kevin Lacroix driving. I like to keep my expectations open but I think we can run for wins and maybe even the Championship." Russell Walker: "I'm happy to be joining John Walko Racing for another year. I'm confident they are a Championship level team and I'm excited to be working with them. The team continuity will be better than ever. That is going to play a huge role in the Championship this year." Eric Langbein, Engineer for Russell Walker: "I think there is an advantage in a specific driver working with a specific engineer and mechanic combo as a team. I know Russell, Scott and I are all looking forward to moving in to next year and having some continuity. It is a very rare thing at this level of racing for this kind of opportunity to be available." Steve Dreizler, Engineer for Charles Anti: "Obviously it says a lot for the team that both Charles and Russell are returning to the team for their second year with us. I look forward to both of them challenging for the Championship this year. Charles and I will be working with Caleb this year. His cars have finished second twice in two years for the Championship so we'll see if we can't do one better for him this year." The team continues their preparations for the upcoming season with a test at Virginia International Raceway. Opportunities are still available to join the 2006 Star Mazda Team Champions for the upcoming test and also for the 2007 season. Drivers interested in participating in the VIR test or other upcoming tests are encouraged to contact the team soon. Also, drivers interested in discussing their 2007 racing programs should contact John Walko Racing at john@johnwalkoracing.com .
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TRAFFORD, PA (February 1, 2007) – Just one year ago the newly formed John Walko Racing had yet to turn a lap of practice. Despite the late start compared to their opponents in the Star Mazda Series, the team walked away at the end of the year with the Team Championship. While the turnaround makes a great story, the team has no intentions of repeating the scenario in 2007 and has started with an aggressive testing program that has the team looking toward another Championship winning season. The most recent testing stop brought the team to Sebring for a preview of the opening round of the 2007 schedule. The test took place on the Paddock course which is a shorter layout than the race takes places on but incorporates several of the key components of the full course as team owner John Walko explains. "The Paddock Course at Sebring takes in turns 16, 17 and 1 which are three of the four most important turns on the track. They are the hardest ones to come to grip with - turn seventeen is wide open, like a parking lot with no reference points, while turn one is probably one of the most intimidating turns in motorsports." JWR brought two drivers from their successful 2006 team for the test, Charles Anti and Russell Walker. The chemistry between all of the returning team members was evident from the start according to Walko. "It was probably the best test we've ever done. The team worked well as usual and everything clicked from the very start. The time we have under our belt together is really showing. Both cars turned nearly 200 miles each day with no problems at all. They ran from morning to night - no crashes, neither put a tire wrong." Anti's last visit to Sebring was his first ever professional level race so returning to tackle the toughest aspects of the racetrack was a perfect way to prepare. Walker on the other hand, joined JWR after Sebring last season so this was his first opportunity to work with his engineer Eric Langbein and mechanic Scott Gates at the season opening facility. Much of the success of the Sebring test can be attributed to team continuity, a rare commodity at this level of racing. In addition to Walker, Langbein and Gates returning as a unit Anti will once again be paired with engineer Steve Dreizler. Caleb Stream, mechanic for Kevin Lacroix's Rookie of the Year and Championship runner-up effort last season, moves over to join Anti and Dreizler for the entire 2007 campaign. Team QuotesCharles Anti:
"I think the short course was better the way it worked out because the two most difficult turns that we run in the race were in that course and we were able to hit them twice as often. The test could not have gone any better. I think the worst I did was drop two tires off the entire two days. We made changes, some worked while some did not as is expected, and we were able to run a lot of miles. I really don't think we could have asked for anything more." Russell Walker: "We got up to speed immediately and had no problems at all, the cars were beautiful. The team worked really well together. Charles and I even ran a race simulation from a standing start for twenty laps, swapping positions, running together. Overall a perfect test, it exceeded all my expectations." Eric Langbein, Engineer for Russell Walker: "I was very pleased with the test; it was one of the most successful tests I've been involved with, ever. We had no mechanical failures, we went fast and the drivers were able to get used to the two most difficult corners at Sebring. Two of the past three years, Championships have been won by driver and team combinations that were in their second year together so that is a very powerful tool that we are trying to take advantage of." Steve Dreizler, Engineer for Charles Anti "Everybody was thrilled with the way both guys ran and both cars performed. The impression I have is that both men showed up ready to work and both set about doing the job at hand with a professional demeanor. I look forward to the VIR test and getting back to work!" The team continues their preparations for the upcoming season with a test at Virginia International Raceway. Opportunities are still available to join the 2006 Star Mazda Team Champions for the upcoming test and also for the 2007 season. Drivers interested in participating in the VIR test or other upcoming tests are encouraged to contact the team soon. Also, drivers interested in discussing their 2007 racing programs should contact John Walko Racing at john@johnwalkoracing.com |
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