Lakeville, CT – After losing valuable points in the Championship earlier in the day with a DNF at Lime Rock, Chris Livengood bounced back, winning for the second time this year. The sophomore F2000 driver did exactly what he needed to take the fight to the final rounds of the season at Watkins Glen – take points away from Remy Audette, who finished second ahead of Tim Paul.
Livengood started on the outside pole and ran second to Audette early before passing the Canadian and stretching the gap for his third F2000 Series win. Local favorite Paul followed; his best career finished to date. Livengood rebounded from an earlier crash in the first race that cost him valuable points. With just two rounds remaining in the season, a Watkins Glen doubleheader, Livengood is still alive in the title fight but the John Walko Racing/Work Racing driver may need a miracle, some 88 points down on Audette currently. One hundred ten (110) points are available at Watkins Glen. “We had a clean start, Remy and I kept exchanging fast laps the entire way,” said Livengood. “He got a bit held up with lapped traffic and I was able to get by into turn one.” Audette, meanwhile, had a successful weekend at Lime Rock with his fifth win of 2011, two poles, and a new qualifying track record. Audette has yet to fail to finish this season. Said the Canadian: “Chris was pushing us to the limit the entire way, a lapped car messed the race up. The front of the car went away as the race continued, but overall it was a good weekend for Audette Racing.” Tim Paul was the local story, the Mahopac, New York-native finished third in the SMR/GTP Motorsports No. 06, besting his fourth place effort a few months ago at Watkins Glen. “I went to the outside on the start and was able to move up to third,” said Paul. “Minor got back by me, but we battled it out until it seemed like his car just go away. I’m happy to break my bad luck streak here after last year’s crash.” Minor explained after the race that his tires lost grip. Robert Wright, perhaps in his last race in the Van Diemen before switching to the new Radon chassis, won the Masters Class with a fourth place effort. Peter Gonzalez was fifth ahead of Tim Minor, who ran third early before fading. Nathan Morcom drove through the field along with Craig Clawson, both starting at the rear of the pack, to finish seventh and eighth. John Walko Racing/Fat Boy Racing teammates Brendan Puderbach and Craig Clawson completed the top ten. Clawson, meanwhile, had a career day, finishing fourth in the morning race, and taking home CellMark Paper Hard Charger honors in this race, advanced from 23rd to finish 8th, gaining the most positions of any driver. Angel Benitez, after a third place effort earlier in the day, failed to finish for Alegra Motorsports, going off early. Blake Teeter ended up 13th in the Radon chassis for GTP Motorsports, following a turn one incident, in the morning race that saw crash damage repaired. Robert La Rocca did not take part in the race following a penalty for an incident in turn one earlier in the day. The F2000 Championship Series concludes its 2011 season with rounds 13 and 14, at Watkins Glen, October 14-16.
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Andrew Hobbs, Wisconsin native met with John Walko Racing at Beaverun Motorsports Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania for testing. After initial fitting, Hobbs took to the track in the John WalkoRacing prepped RFR F2000 Championship Series car. Hobbs, who had previous experience in an F2000 Championship Series car quickly became comfortable and despite a damp trackearly on ran competitive lap times almost immediately.
Driver coach Steve Welk elaborated:
“I’m very happy with our experience with John Walko Racing. John was great with the car and everything went really smoothly. Andrew responded well to John’s coaching and I’m very happy with how Andrew drove. All things considered, he was able to get the best out of the car.” John Walko Racing, based out of Trafford, Pennsylvania, currently has three drivers competing in the F2000 Championship Series and has accrued multiple race victories as well as podium finishes Written by Monty Mathisen F2000 Championship Series 24 July 2011 Remy Audette passed Chris Livengood on a restart and held on for his fourth win of 2011, starting from fourth and avoiding a massive opening lap incident at the front of the field that produced a lengthy caution period. Livengood started from pole and finished second ahead of Dwight Rider for Front Range Motorsports, Angel Benitez for Alegra Motorsports, and Dave Weitzenhof, in the Citation chassis. “We tried to be smart at the start,” said Canadian Audette. “I went to the outside and saw cars hitting one another. Then on the restart, coming out of turn ten, Chris spun his tires and I was able to get a run on him. From there I never looked back.” For Audette, it was his fourth win of the season and tenth straight top-seven finish in ten races in 2011, and his second win at Mosport in the F2000 Championship Series, much to the delight of the huge Canadian crowd on hand. With Kyle Connery failing to finish, Audette opens a huge gap in the points over Livengood, who moves into second ahead of Connery. Without drops, Audette leads the standings by 104 points over Livengood, also setting fast lap during the race for two more points. Livengood notches another second place at Mosport, matching Friday’s result, and adds bonus points for pole. “I came around on the restart, got on the gas and the car just understeered,” explained Livengood, who won at Mid-Ohio earlier in July. “I have a hard time keeping pick-up off the tires, it just understeered and Remy drove by. Mosport spoiled what should have been two wins this weekend.” Dwight Rider rounded off the podium, taking the Masters Class win with a third place effort in the 30-minute time-window race for Colorado-based Front Range Motorsports. “Going into turn one on the start I was on the inside and there was just enough room to squeeze through, everyone seemed to be getting tangled,” Rider said. “On the restart I pushed as hard as I could but we didn’t have anything for Remy or Chris.”
An opening lap turn one incident triggered a multi-car crash also involving Kyle Connery, Robert La Rocca, Zach Craigo, Tim Minor, Brent Gilkes and Dan Denison and produced an extremely lengthy caution period. Up until the incident, Craigo was having a banner weekend for Front Range Motorsports, with his best qualifying and race results in F2000 to date. Connery, meanwhile, had cut sizably into Audette’s Championship lead margin with a win on Friday at the 10-turn road course. Tim Paul, Craig Clawson, Bill Jordan, Fred Bross and Robert Wright completed the top ten. CellMark Paper Hard Charger honors went to Dave Weitzenhof, who improved 10 positions during round 10 of the F2000 season at Mosport. Tom Drake missed the start following an engine issue during qualifying. Matt McDonough continued development work with the Radon chassis, starting from the rear of the pack after qualifying sixth. The F2000 Championship Series continue with rounds 11 and 12 of 14 at Lime Rock Park, September 16-17 with the NASCAR Modifieds. Written by Monty Mathisen F2000 23 July 2011 Chris Livengood missed out on a race win to Kyle Connery on Friday at Mosport but bounced back for the Saturday morning F2000 qualifying session to take the Afterburner Pole over Connery by three hundredths of a second with a lap of 1:21.000 around the 10-turn road course.
Livengood took the lead during Friday’s first F2000 race from Remy Audette on lap two before Connery tracked him down in the closing stages to grab his fourth win of the year. Livengood, driving for Work Racing/John Walko Racing, won his second career F2000 Championship Series race at Mid-Ohio in early July and hopes to continue the momentum at Mosport. American rookie Connery will line up on the outside of the front row, with a fast lap of 1:21.037 in the #91 CC Autosport and James Lee Racing entry. Connery bagged yet another win at Mosport during Friday’s race, passing Audette for second and then Livengood for the lead. Connery has just five races left to run down Audette from a sizable gap in the Championship. Robert La Rocca finished fourth on Friday and hopes to find the podium as the weekend concludes in Ontario, as the RFR chassis for HP-Tech Motorsport qualified third. Championship leader Audette had to settle for fourth in his #21 Audette Racing Van Diemen after leading on Friday from pole on his home turf in Canada. Tim Minor will line up fifth, the position he finished in during Friday’s race in the #88 Ski Motorsports entry. Matt McDonough qualified the new Radon chassis in sixth place, but will start from the rear of the field, using the race for more testing miles. Zach Craigo continued the momentum from his best finish ever on Friday – sixth – to qualify seventh for Front Range Motorsports with teammate Dwight Rider in eighth, Dan Denison in ninth for Polestar Racing Group and Brent Gilkes rounding out the top ten. Gustavo Rizzo missed the session and will miss the last race of the weekend at Mosport following a crash during Friday’s race. The weekend at Mosport concludes with a 6:05 p.m. scheduled race start. Follow live on www.F2000series.com and on Twitter @F2000. Written by Monty Mathisen - F2000 22 July 2011 American rookie Kyle Connery took his second straight win and fourth of 2011, vaulting from fourth in the race after starting second to pass Tim Minor, Remy Audette and then Chris Livengood for the lead in the first of two F2000 Championship Series races at Mosport. “I didn’t get a great start and we were behind Tim (Minor) for a while,” said Connery. “I got past him and then the caution came out so we had a chance to get by Remy; once I saw him I was just thinking championship.” Connery, driving for CC Autosport and James Lee Racing, continued: “We had to finish ahead of him (Remy Audette) today. And then when I saw Chris (Livengood), I tried to set a pace and was able to put a move on him entering turn eight for the lead. Today was good for the points.” Connery claws back ten points on Audette in the Championship, now down by only 53 points. Livengood set the fastest race lap and finished second ahead of Canadian Audette. “Those two other guys, Remy and Kyle, what an absolutely fantastic race,” said Livengood, who passed Audette for the lead on lap two and gapped the Canadian in a highly entertaining F2000 race at the 10-turn Canadian road course on a warm day in Ontario. “I battled as hard as I could but didn’t come out on the top step like we wanted,” added the Mid-Ohio winner, driving for Work Racing/John Walko Racing. Audette, meanwhile, did lose a few points but came home with another consistent podium finish, and his ninth straight top-seven finish this season.
“I did my job for the Championship,” Audette commented. “We ran a good race; we have to finish well for the points. Tomorrow is another day so we will prepare the car accordingly and I will prepare myself.” Robert La Rocca was fourth in the RFR chassis for HP-Tech Motorsport. The Florida-based squad also takes home the CellMark Paper Hard Charger Award, with teammate and fellow Venezuelan rookie Giancarlo Potolicchio advancing seven positions during the race. Tim Minor won another Masters Class trophy by finishing fifth overall. “I got a good start but the car went away rather quickly with some massive oversteer,” Minor explained. Zach Craigo notched his best result of the year for Front Range Motorsports, finishing sixth ahead of Brent Gilkes, Tim Paul, Angel Benitez and Dan Denison, who completed the top ten for Polestar Racing Group. Matt McDonough started at the back of the field in the new Radon chassis for development and testing reasons, after qualifying a strong sixth, and was classified 18th at the end of the race, which ended early due to a crash involving Gustavo Rizzo in turn four. Saturday July 23 sees the F2000 grid qualifying at 9:45 a.m. and conclude the weekend with a 6:05 p.m. scheduled race start John Walko and Work Racing have been busy since winning round 13 of the 2010 season at Mid-Ohio with rookie driver Chris Livengood. The team has been auditioning talent for the 2011 F2000 Championship Series season at the BeaveRun MotorSports Complex in Pennsylvania and has big plans.
Those plans for 2011 call for expansion to a multi-car F2000 team, according to Walko, who is responsible for the race-prep and at-the-track engineering through John Walko Racing (JWR). “The goal is to run a three car team between Work Racing and myself,” he explained. “We’re expecting Chris back for a championship effort and want two additional cars. “We’ve been busy testing at BeaveRun with the #37 car, last week we had Nathaniel Steele and Kyle Knecht run laps and they are both interested. And this week we’ll be there with some more potential drivers.” And those two additional cars may not be so far off, as Walko said that two drivers were close to signing for 2011.The bigger question mark is what chassis the team will be using, as a potential chassis deal is in the works. 2010 Looking back on 2010, Work Racing was one of the biggest story lines of the year. Running a 1999 bone-stock Van Diemen chassis on a shoe-string budget for rookie Livengood, the team started out the year with a Pinto motor and was very competitive. The Zetec switch came at Mosport and Livengood went even quicker. Race weekends generally saw the team sleeping in their race trailer in the paddock and on occasion didn’t even set up the scale pads. “This chassis doesn’t change unless it hits something and there is no reason to mess with it,” Walko explained. “The Hoosiers are super consistent and our notes are good enough that when the cars leaves the shop, we know its right. “You have to be careful with how much time you spend getting carried away on the wrong things under the awning.” As the season continued, Livengood wheeled the Van Diemen chassis to pole at Watkins Glen and led most of the race before Daniel Erickson snuck by. A few weeks later that win would come, as the 24-year old stamped his name on Mid-Ohio with a dominating victory. “The win at Mid-Ohio was the big highlight, obviously,” commented Walko. “But the start of that ball rolling was leading the race at the Glen. At that point I knew we could win.” F2000 Walko gave a lot of the credit to Bruce Work, who made the 2010 season possible under the Work Racing banner. He also said the decision to come back to the F2000 Championship Series for 2011 was a no-brainer. “The way things are run in the paddock, it’s by racers for racers,” he added. “We do need to remind people that this Series is a destination too, not just a rung on the ladder.” Walko has run motorsports programs in a variety of series in North America and continued: “The reason I’m running F2000 is the exact same reason that’s kept me away in the past: budgets. I was pitched to come run a team a few years ago and the budgets were too low. At the time I had full-time employees plus my family to support and with what it costs to go F2000 racing it wasn’t possible. “But now, the budgets are still low and the way the economic environment is: the Series works. You can run it reasonably with a bunch of cars. It’s hard to find customers with mega-dollars to run in some of the other series.” FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TRAFFORD, Pa -- John Walko Racing (JWR) has announced a driver development program for the 2009 season. The JWR driver development program will work with young race drivers to enhance their climb up the motorsports ladder as they move from karting and school based formula car race series.
By using JWR Racing's extensive experience in the motorsports' world, the program will develop driver's skills through proven methods that have been used by John Walko's race drivers. Utilizing the Star Mazda and Formula Ford 2000 Zetec cars, JWR will custom develop testing programs to an individual drivers needs. Working within the JWR program drivers will begin to develop advanced skills beyond the world of school series and karting. Drivers will work with different chassis setup parameters including shock settings, spring rates, aerodynamics and general chassis dynamics. By working with experienced race engineers JWR drivers will start developing the necessary communication skills between engineer and driver to improve and adapt a racecars setup to match their needs. Being able to utilize the Star Mazda and the FF2000 car will allow for a two tier approach to testing and racing. As the JWR drivers grow and develop in the FF2000 car they can immediately advance to the higher powered Star Mazda racecar within the same team. Along with advancing a drivers technical understanding of motorsports, JWR will work with drivers to help map out a path best suited to advance their careers. There are so many different options currently in the motorsports arena that having a proper plan is almost as important as having the fastest driver. "A proper testing program is so often overlooked as a young driver moves up the motorsports ladder," team owner John Walko stated. "What we want to do is shorten the learning curve for drivers by offering a development program that prepares them for the next step in their career, while allowing them to still focus on their karting or lower level formula car race programs. We have worked with several drivers within our race teams that have benefited from extensive testing programs. Our new development program is just a natural progression of our race programs." John Walko Racing will use the Beaverun Motorsports Complex as the main track for the driver development program. The challenging 12-turn circuit, located one hour from the JWR race shop near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offers significant cost benefits to drivers by limiting travel and track rental costs for the development program. JWR already has already signed Charles Anti to a 2009 test program and is in talks with several other drivers about testing programs for the 2009 season. The former Star Mazda Team of the Year is also working on race programs for the 2009 season and has cars available for every event on the Star Mazda calendar. John Walko Racing, the 2006 Star Mazda Team Champions, has established a national reputation as one of the top teams in Jr. Formula Car racing. Formed by race engineer John Walko, JWR has found success in SCCA Formula Ford, Formula Continental, the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship and the Star Mazda Championship. John Walko Racing drivers have amassed 4 SCCA Runoff wins, 11 professional and 22 amateur wins, 37 professional podiums, 12 amateur podiums and 30 pole positions. Operating out of a state-of-the-art race shop in the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania suburb Trafford, John Walko Racing currently competes in the Star Mazda Championship. For test and race opportunities please contact John Walko Racing via email, John@JohnWalkoRacing.com or by phone (412) 414-3304. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Former Star Mazda Standout Eyes 2010 Series ReturnTRAFFORD, Pa -- Charles Anti has announced that he will return to the cockpit of a Star Mazda car this season. After taking a year away from motorsports to focus on his studies, Anti will rejoin John Walko Racing for an extensive testing program in 2009. The focus of the tests will be to re-acclimate Anti to the Star Mazda car. Anti is currently planning to return to the Star Mazda Championship for a full campaign in 2010.
"I didn't want to just jump back into racing cold turkey," Anti stated. "I want to get back in the car in 2009 to test to relearn the car, so I can come back prepared to race in 2010. John (Walko) and his team were able to put together a test program that will allow me to get back into the swing of driving as well as work on development for 2010. This will allow me to really focus on my driving as well as putting together a top notch marketing program for sponsors for the 2010 race season." "This is a great way for Charles to get back into the series," team owner John Walko said. "The cars have changed a little bit since he has been away, with the biggest difference being the radial tires. A season of testing will get him better prepared for 2010. We are really looking forward to continuing our relationship with Charles this year." Anti's Star Mazda Career spanned two seasons, both competing with series stalwart John Walko Racing. Anti scored a career high fifth place finish during his 2006 rookie season, which helped John Walko Racing score the series Team Championship. The Pittsburgh native's 2007 campaign showed a lot of speed, however bad luck negated what would have been solid results and Anti placed 13th in the championship. In 2008 Anti took a year away from motorsports to focus his attention on his studies at New York University. Anti is currently working on updating his official website www.CharlesAnti.com. Look for more announcements from John Walko Racing regarding their 2009 plans in the coming weeks. John Walko Racing, the 2006 Star Mazda Team Champions, has established a national reputation as one of the top teams in Jr. Formula Car racing. Formed by race engineer John Walko, JWR has found success in SCCA Formula Ford, Formula Continental, the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship and the Star Mazda Championship. John Walko Racing drivers have amassed 4 SCCA Runoff wins, 11 professional and 22 amateur wins, 37 professional podiums, 12 amateur podiums and 30 pole positions. Operating out of a state-of-the-art race shop in the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania suburb Trafford, John Walko Racing currently competes in the Star Mazda Championship. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TRAFFORD, Pa. - The John Walko Racing (JWR) Team visited the New Jersey Motorsports Park for both rounds nine and ten of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. After having been absent from the previous three events the JWR Team was excited to have two drivers competing at New Jersey.
The JWR Team had never visited the New Jersey Motorsports Park complex and was excited to get back on track. The team was also excited to field two drivers new to their roster list. Rookie Kevin Toledo, a 17 year old Chilean who is also competing in the Formula Renault 1.6 Championship in Argentina piloted the #27 Eliseo-THL Pro Formula Mazda and veteran Master's class contender Michael Guasch from Molecule Labs Inc. piloted the #91 Molecule Pro Formula Mazda of John Walko Racing. In addition, neither driver had even completed a lap around the challenging Thunderbolt circuit. Nevertheless, the team set their goals high for the weekend. Friday practice saw both drivers working steadily on setup and track knowledge. Eliseo Salazar, Kevin Toledo's manager had this to say, "He (Kevin Toledo) was always in the middle of the grid, 13th, 14th. The fact that he didn't make any major mistakes and that he ran with and was beating more experienced drivers is what we were looking for." Mike Guasch, with the aid of Speed Secrets driver coach Gordon Bentley, was focused on getting comfortable in the car and learning the track. "We did not have the opportunity to test before the race which really set us back. This meant that I had to learn the track while working really hard at getting the car setup for my driving style." Saturday JWR qualified Kevin Toledo in the 13th spot and Mike Guasch in the 23rd position. The hot, humid, and often very dirty conditions tested the John Walko Team. Both drivers achieved outstanding results with both drivers moving up quickly. Kevin Toledo finished 10th and Mike Guasch saw a final result of 17th. Eliseo Salazar was excited after Saturday's race. "This was by far the biggest Challenge of Kevin's career. In his first Star Mazda race he ended up finishing 10th. Top ten was our goal." Eric Langbein, Kevin Toledo's engineer commented post race, "On a whole I feel we accomplished our goal. Kevin did an excellent job to overcame unfamiliarity and adverse conditions." Sunday saw conditions that were again hot and humid but the team was set for another day of tough competition. Sunday's schedule did not include any practice sessions and the drivers only saw the track for qualifying and the race. Mike Guasch started to feel comfortable in his car and was able to move forward several spots. He brought the #91 John Walko Racing machine home in the 19th position which was three better than his starting position. "Overall I had a really fun weekend! I loved working with my mechanic Scott and engineer John Walko. It was just unfortunate that we did not get to test beforehand. Although, I feel that I drove as well was I could have driven given the circumstances." Kevin Toledo battled an ill handling chassis in qualifying and as a result started the 10th round of the Star Mazda Championship Series in 17th. Adjustments were made to the car but little improvement was found. After completing the first 22 laps Toledo brought his car into the pits and retired. Eliseo Salazar talked about Kevin Toledo's experiences on Sunday. "We made some changes to the car that didn't work with the track and the day, but this was a try out for next year. The car wasn't handling right and Kevin lost a few positions so we decided to bring him in." TRAFFORD, Pa. - The John Walko Racing (JWR) Team visited the New Jersey Motorsports Park for both rounds nine and ten of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. After having been absent from the previous three events the JWR Team was excited to have two drivers competing at New Jersey.
The JWR Team had never visited the New Jersey Motorsports Park complex and was excited to get back on track. The team was also excited to field two drivers new to their roster list. Rookie Kevin Toledo, a 17 year old Chilean who is also competing in the Formula Renault 1.6 Championship in Argentina piloted the #27 Eliseo-THL Pro Formula Mazda and veteran Master’s class contender Michael Guasch from Molecule Labs Inc. piloted the #91 Molecule Pro Formula Mazda of John Walko Racing. In addition, neither driver had even completed a lap around the challenging Thunderbolt circuit. Nevertheless, the team set their goals high for the weekend. Friday practice saw both drivers working steadily on setup and track knowledge. Eliseo Salazar, Kevin Toledo’s manager had this to say, Eliseo Salazar, Kevin Toledo’s manager had this to say, “He (Kevin Toledo) was always in the middle of the grid, 13th, 14th. The fact that he didn’t make any major mistakes and that he ran with and was beating more experienced drivers is what we were looking for.” Mike Guasch, with the aid of Speed Secrets driver coach Gordon Bentley, was focused on getting comfortable in the car and learning the track. “We did not have the opportunity to test before the race which really set us back. This meant that I had to learn the track while working really hard at getting the car setup for my driving style.” Saturday JWR qualified Kevin Toledo in the 13th spot and Mike Guasch in the 23rd position. The hot, humid, and often very dirty conditions tested the John Walko Team. Both drivers achieved outstanding results with both drivers moving up quickly. Kevin Toledo finished 10th and Mike Guasch saw a final result of 17th. Eliseo Salazar was excited after Saturday’s race. “This was by far the biggest Challenge of Kevin’s career. In his first Star Mazda race he ended up finishing 10th. Top ten was our goal.” Eric Langbein, Kevin Toledo’s engineer commented post race, “On a whole I feel we accomplished our goal. Kevin did an excellent job to overcame unfamiliarity and adverse conditions.” Sunday saw conditions that were again hot and humid but the team was set for another day of tough competition. Sunday’s schedule did not include any practice sessions and the drivers only saw the track for qualifying and the race. Mike Guasch started to feel comfortable in his car and was able to move forward several spots. He brought the #91 John Walko Racing machine home in the 19th position which was three better than his starting position. “Overall I had a really fun weekend! I loved working with my mechanic Scott and engineer John Walko. It was just unfortunate that we did not get to test beforehand. Although, I feel that I drove as well was I could have driven given the circumstances.” Kevin Toledo battled an ill handling chassis in qualifying and as a result started the 10th round of the Star Mazda Championship Series in 17th. Adjustments were made to the car but little improvement was found. After completing the first 22 laps Toledo brought his car into the pits and retired. Eliseo Salazar talked about Kevin Toledo’s experiences on Sunday. “We made some changes to the car that didn’t work with the track and the day, but this was a try out for next year. The car wasn’t handling right and Kevin lost a few positions so we decided to bring him in.” John Walko Racing is focused on providing the best equipment and service for drivers of all levels in the Star Mazda Series Championship Series presented by Goodyear. For inquiries regarding driving positions please email John Walko Racing at john@johnwalkoracing.com |
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