TW Racing
Two generations of racers
I was asked how I got into racing by a friend in facebook. After a long chat, I decided to cut and paste my story for HRG. I was asked earlier this year to tell my story and include my experience for my profile by HRG. So this was a perfect opportunity to do so.
"So how did you get into racing? Sorry if I'm asking so many questions."
Oh its no trouble at all. I love talking about it.
My father started racing in the late 60's with Paul Newman. My father had an NSU. Then he bought a Lotus Elan. He continued to race with Paul, and I was a crew member of my father's team as well as a mechanic in his garage since I was 11. I practically grew up at Limerock and Pocono, Bridgehampton, Summit Point, Thompson, and Briar.
Then in the 80's my father retired from racing and sold his elan. The guy that bought his car set a track record at Limerock with the engine from it.
Life was boring.
Then in the early 90's, my Father saw a Lotus Europa in a magazine or maybe craig's list for sale. He flew out to Kansas to look at it and to his surprise, it was a race car he had built for a friend in the 70's. So he bought it. We rebuilt the whole car from the ground up. That is the White/Black Lotus you saw at the track.
In the early 90's I decided I wanted to race too. I didn't have enough money for a car of my own so I raced in a series called "Club renault. Renault powered sports racers. I rented my ride. Attended the skip barber racing school 2 years in a row. I learned a ton from him. Then I retired for 20 years. I didn't have the money to race. Those 20 years were painful ones. My love of racing always haunting me, beckoning me back relentlessly.
My father retired again as well, for 20 years.
The Itch to race returned
Then about 6 years ago, we got the itch again and could not resist the call to race once again. We dug out the ol' Lotus and prepped it for racing once again. After 2 years of horrible breakdowns, blowups, overheating, and brake problems, we finally got the JPS back to racing form.
Then we saw 2 years ago, the yellow europa on craig's list. We went to look at it. It was rough and neglected. Rotting in a driveway for 5 years. We bought it for $7500.00 then I proceeded to spend countless hours and money restoring it to it's former glory. The S2, was originally made as a race car in WA. from day 1. It had potential. I have about 5000 hours into the car and, above the 7500, about 3500 invested so far. I will not stop until she is perfect.
In 2010 I received my EMRA Time-Trial License, and Competition License. I won 3 of 3 races that season. Took home some substantially sized trophies. Emra was too easy. I needed to take it to the next level.
In 2011, I attended 2 VSCCA driver Schools, and received my full VSCCA license at the Spring Sprints Event at LimeRock Park, CT. in May. I applied to VSCCA to admit my 1969 Lotus Europa S2 Type 54. I was rejected. They claimed it was because my car had fender flares and they didn't like the Castrol Stickers on my car from my sponsor. WTH???
June, 2011. Attended The Jag event with VSCCA and HRG. HRG was kind enough to let me run with them and I fell in love with the HRG Racing club. Wonderful people, who loved my car. Very gentlemanly like drivers. I felt totally at ease racing with these Veterans.
I joined HRG on the spot after my first race with them and they put my car in HRG group 2. After this event, I was 1st in points until July when someone passed me in points because I did not have the money to attend the July event.
September 2011 The Infamous LimeRock Historic Festival 29. An "invitation only" historic race event with a long history of professional race drivers and rediculously rare and priceless cars. I was a participant and finished a respectable 7th in my "group 5, small bore production". My times were only 2 seconds slower than National Champion Ray Stone. Very respectable. Especially since I was running on treaded DOT Avon tires. This weekend proved to be a challenge as the sky opened up and poured rain down on us all day Monday. I raced both races in the rain without true rain tires and still finished in the front of the pack. The track during the second race had standing water in 3 places of over 3 inches. Very unnverving hitting the pond 1/2 way down the no name straight at 70, but I still did well.
That's my story up to and including the 2011 Race season. Thanks for your interest.
Brian K Walko
TWR Racing Team. Driver and Crew Chief
1969 Lotus Europa S2 Type 54
HRG2
