Jersey's James Walker prepares for Daytona debut

by GD Thu 14 Jan 2010, 8:00 am

Walker will be racing in a Number 64 Porsche in Daytona

James Walker has begun preparations for his debut appearance at the Daytona 24-hour race in Florida.
The Jersey-driver had his first outing at Daytona last weekend, competing in a three-day test race, ahead of the main event on 30-31 January.
Walker said his first experience of the course had surpassed all expectations.
He said: "The place is awesome. It's such a famous track and it is great to get our there, especially on the banked sections which are a lot of fun."
Walker, who finished fifth in the 2009 Formula Renault championship, is a newcomer to endurance racing and thus is having to get to grips with a different kind of car ahead of his Daytona debut.

I've still got so much to learn so I'm just soaking it all up - I'm the rookie here

James Walker

"The Porsche has a lot of power but these cars are much heavier than single-seaters so they behave very differently," added Walker.
"The biggest challenge for me is getting used to the fact that the car moves about so much under braking due to the extra weight and less grip.
"It's a great car though an I can't wait for the race so I can drive it even more."
Walker, who is part of the J Lowe racing team for the 24-hour event, has also been taking tips from his more experienced team-mates on how to cope with the demands of endurance racing.
"I've had a good taster of what's to come and I can't wait to get back out there to race," said Walker.
"I've still got so much to learn so I'm just soaking it all up - I'm the rookie here." (from BBC)