Racing In The Streets
Walko Bucks the Trends
By Greg Washington

The Pittsburgh region is blessed with a plethora of promising young athletes grabbing the headlines.Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, Neil Walker and Terrelle Pryor, to name a few, all have futures so bright they gotta wear shades.

But the outlook is bright not only along the banks of the Allegheny and Ohio or around the now-under-construction "House that Mario Built;" it shines on a little slice of Trafford, Pennsylvania that John Walko calls home.

Walko is the owner of John Walko Racing, Inc., an open wheel racing outlet that fields drivers in the Star Mazda Series, which is composed of a 12 race season spanning from March until October and a talent level comparable to AA baseball. About 40 drivers participate in each race.

Similar to most pro sports today, commitment to a team is often sacrificed for the opportunity to win elsewhere, but keep in mind Walko's racers pay him for track time and car maintenance. Consequently, racers often look for better deals elsewhere and owners like Walko are left looking for replacements at the beginning of each season.

The process is a vicious cycle that affects not only Walko's desire to win, but his ability to make a profit.

"It's hard from a business standpoint because as well as we do it doesn't always result in contracts for the next season," Walko said. "It's hard to rebuild relationships. Drivers think they can get a better deal elsewhere because they think they can go faster with another team, so they leave."

Think of how Walko must have felt when his promising team of youngsters, Charles Anti, 21, Russell Walker, 22 and Kevin Lacroix, 17, won the Star Mazda 2006 Team Championship.

Canadian native Lacroix competed in 11 out of the 12 races, finishing no lower than eighth in each race, including nine top five finishes, earning him the 2006 Rookie of the Year. Walker and Anti combined for seven top 10 finishes in 21 races, holding up their end of the formula for winning the Team Championship.

Lacroix, labeled by some as the future of Quebec racing, soon jettisoned for greener pastures in the A-1 Grand Prix. Anti, who Walko said has "Indy 500 potential," and Walker, a stunt driver in his spare time, could have reacted similarly - but they didn't. Walko re-signed not one or the other, but both, something he says is "very rare."

"I'll be working with [engineer] Steve Dreizler again and Caleb Stream as mechanic," Anti said. "Caleb's car finished second in the championship last year with Lacroix driving. I like to keep my expectations open, but I think we can run for wins and maybe even the championship."

Walker similarly expressed his optimism.

"I'm happy to be joining John Walko Racing for another year," Walker said. "I'm confident they are a championship level team and I'm excited to be working with them. The team continuity will be better than ever. That is going to play a huge role in the championship this year."

To Walko, his duo is more than just a set of drivers, they are intelligent, witty and media savvy, which are characteristics that make them more than just "one trick ponies that can drive.

"Charles and Russell are drivers you wouldn't mind taking to a sponsor meeting and convincing them to put their money behind them," Walko said, which will benefit both as they rise through racing's hierarchy, because like continuity, team sponsorship is rare on the Star Mazda circuit.

Walko hopes he is part of the reason his team has bucked the lack of continuity trend, something he attributes to his management style.

"I have a philosophy where I work for my guys and I try to make their lives a lot easier," Walko said. "I make sure we have the right atmosphere where drivers can come to the team and be comfortable, go fast and enjoy what they are doing, because if they aren't enjoying it, it becomes a huge waste."

Part of maintaining the atmosphere includes not only retaining drivers for consecutive seasons, but the drivers' mechanics and engineers as well, even when the Champ Car Series or IRL come calling.

In fact, Walko has kept mechanic Scott Gates, who currently works with Walker, on staff for the past four years and says several other team members have worked under his tutelage for the past five years.

Despite retaining two-thirds of his drivers from last season, the possibility of losing Anti, Walker or both after this season will once again become a reality, but Walko finds peace in knowing he plays a key role in each driver's development.

"I try to make sure everyone is having a good time and remember they aren't trying to cure cancer or create peace in the Middle East," Walko said. "Having fun sets the tone for team and I think that's why everybody sticks around and we have been getting results. When you are focused on the process and not just the results, you get better results."