MOTORSPORT: Walkinshaw return to track with Formula four (From Witney Gazette)

MOTORSPORT: Walkinshaw return to track with Formula four

3:55pm Wednesday 24th October 2012 in Sport

Walkinshaw Racing, one of the most respected brands in world motorsport, will make a full-time return to competitive action in the UK from next year with a confirmed entry into the new BRDC Formula 4 Championship.

Based in Chipping Norton and led by team principal Ken Page, the relaunched British arm of Walkinshaw Racing will contest the MotorSport Vision-run Formula 4 single-seater category with two cars (in the livery pictured above).

Bolstering the team’s bid will be commercial manager Mick Gomme, who has a wealth of Formula 1 experience, and race engineer Brendan Gribben – a chief designer at Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) and a respected engineer in the Formula 2 Championship.

“We’re absolutely delighted to relaunch Walkinshaw Racing as a team in the UK again”, said Page.

“It’s something we have been considering for a while and we feel the time is right to add involvement to our other operations, such as V8 Supercars.

“The opportunity to join the BRDC Formula 4 Championship was too good to miss. It looks a great new series.” With a history dating back to the 1970s, the business was established by the late Tom Walkinshaw.

It ventured into World Championship Sportscar racing and Formula 1, where the owner played a key role in Michael Schumacher’s first F1 title win with Benetton.

In addition to success in the Le Mans 24 Hours and again in touring cars in the BTCC with Volvo, the Walkinshaw name has a high profile in Australian V8 Supercars with the Holden Racing Team.

The inaugural season of Formula 4 is provisionally scheduled to start in late April 2013 be contested over eight weekends until the conclusion in October.