JAMES WALKER TO RACE FOR SUPERLEAGUE TITLE

It was announced late last week 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.