Date: 22.03.10
It was announced today that Jersey racing driver, James Walker,
will contest the 2010 Superleague Formula title in the Liverpool
Football Club car. After challenging for the championship in the
World Series by Renault, James is entering a new chapter in his
racing career this year and is still focused on his dream of
becoming Jersey's first F1 driver.
Superleague Formula (SF) combines two of the world's biggest
sports: motor racing and football. The 750bhp racing cars run in
the liveries of the top football clubs and James is delighted to
have the task of running for 'The Reds'.
"Being from the small island of Jersey I'm very proud of where I
come from," said James. "I know the people of Liverpool have a very
strong sense of identity too and that the football club is at the
heart of that. I hope I can make them proud by winning in
2010."
When it comes to the machinery the Superleague cars are slightly
heavier than the World Series cars James is used to but they
deliver an extra 250bhp, taking them up to around 750bhp. The cars
are very physical to drive but James has already shown he is more
than up to the task by winning the final SF race of the 2008 season
in the Borussia Dortmund car. He also subbed for Rangers FC at the
Nürburgring earlier that year, putting on a great show of
overtaking in both races.
James has extra incentive to get the pedal to the metal in 2010
as Superleague Formula carries a hefty prize fund. In total, over
€5 million will be awarded throughout the season and it is possible
for a single driver to pocket €2.2 million along the way! The lure
of the prize fund wasn't the only deciding factor for James
though.
"After having challenged for the title in World Series last year
I felt that this year I needed to be somewhere new," said James.
"F1 is still my goal so it was important for me to stay focused on
single-seater racing. I've had many good offers to move into GT and
endurance racing and also to make the move to America but the move
to Superleague Formula feels right. GP2 would have been the next
step but, as everyone knows, coming up with the money to compete
there is extremely difficult. The F1 dream is still very much still
alive and I came very close to securing a third driver role in F1
for 2010. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in now in
Superleague Formula. Having spent a couple of days with the team I
can see how committed they are about making sure we have what we
need to win. Winning is all we are interested in."
The 2010 Superleague Formula season begins on 3/4 April at
Silverstone before heading to tracks in Holland, France, Spain,
Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Italy in a 12-event series. For more
information on Superleague Formula please visit: www.superleagueformula.com.