New-Look Wilk Team Ready To Kick Off 2015 Season
Posted by: Team Manager Bob Wilber
POMONA, Calif. (February 3, 2015) -- Tim Wilkerson still looks pretty much the same, whether he's wearing his owner's hat, tuning his 10,000-horsepower Funny Car as its crew chief, or driving the Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang 310 mph in just four seconds. His LRS Mustang still looks the same, at least for the first two races of the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season, before Wilk brings out a new body with a fresh paint scheme in Gainesville. Just another year of boring consistency, right? Actually, not much could be further from the truth.
In one of Team Wilk's biggest recent overhauls, the crew roster for 2015 has changed considerably, and in the end only one member, Ryan Wirth, will be competing at the same position as last season, while he is joined by four new teammates. Most notably, veteran tuner Richard Hartman has been brought aboard to oversee mechanical operations while also assisting Wilk directly in the tuning process, and simultaneously the LRS team has welcomed crew members Mark Dritt, Joe Serena, and Daniel Grinnell. In addition, cylinder head specialist Nick Shaff has changed positions and will now be the clutch specialist on the team.
"We had two guys go over to another team during the winter, and we had another guy who wanted to move into our machine shop, so we're a pretty different bunch right now, but they're smart guys and they seem to be coming together pretty well," Wilk said. "One of the guys we lost was my clutch guy, and that's an important slot on the team, so I asked Nick if he'd be interested in making the switch and he dove right in. I figured I'd rather have a guy I know and trust learn the clutch procedures than a totally new guy, and I expect Nick to be right on top of it.
"Another guy we lost was more or less my right hand out there when the car was being serviced, and I wasn't real sure how we were going to fill that spot, until I thought of Richard Hartman. You don't often get a chance to bring a guy with his kind of experience and talent into the group, and he's really going to be a big addition to this program. There's probably not a situation he hasn't seen or addressed, and we're a better team just having him."
Another change for Team Wilk in 2015 was a positive one, as the group ventured to Phoenix in late January to make some preseason testing laps. With new mechanics working on his car, and with a few new parts and pieces bolted into place, Wilk took two different tuning approaches out onto the track, in an effort to see what the motor and the clutch "wanted" in terms of aggressive set-ups. Though both laps were tuned differently, the LRS Ford ran a strong 4.04 at 313 mph on each lap.
"Two really good laps, and we came at it from different directions each time, so I'm real happy with that," Wilk said. "I lifted a little early each time, and honestly the car was so safe on both runs it wasn't even running close to the edge of what it can do. Plus, it was a really good thing to get these guys out there and make some noise. They've been great working at the shop, but they needed to get some game action in, if you know what I mean. They did fine, and they'll get better. We're getting some help, in the form of some extra guys who have worked with us, at the first few races, and that will help these guys gel a little as a team.
"Looking at the change in the crew, I knew how important it was to make the trip and spend the money. We haven't done too much testing the last few years, trying to save our budget for the real deal, and I've had to admit that our testing was really getting done at the first two races, in Pomona and Phoenix, which usually got us off to a slow start. I think we were all pretty pleased with how the test session went, and I'm looking forward to making laps that count. I honestly think we're a win just looking for a place to happen."
Four new crew members. One valuable mechanic working a new position. A new paint scheme to come. Preseason testing with solid results. It's clear that the most consistent element in drag racing is often change, and Wilk embraces it. The new-look Team Wilk will hit the track this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, for the 55th Annual Circle K Winternationals, kicking off yet another 24-race campaign that will stretch from coast to coast and border to border.
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