19-year-old Jack Butel is being mentored by fellow Jerseyman and professional racing driver James Walker.
James Walker is well known in motorsports, having driven around the world in single-seater categories such as British Formula Ford, Formula Three, World Series by Renault and Superleague Formula as well as sports car outings at Daytona and Le Mans.
He’ll be guiding the young driver through his second season in the fiercely competitive MSA Formula single-seater series.
Walker said: “I am delighted to be working with Jack in 2016. My role will be to work with him away from the track, improving his mindset and physical fitness and being there to assist in any way possible. Coming from racing in Jersey to a national series is a big step and as I have been there myself, I would like to use my experience to help guide him and make sure he avoids the mistakes young drivers tend to make.
“Jack had a solid year in 2015 as he learnt the car, circuits and how a race weekend works – so for this year we can come back to those circuits and achieve a quicker rate of development. He has already made a good start in the two tests this year and I look forward to seeing him progress in the months ahead.”
Butel had a strong first season in the MSA Formula Championship, claiming several top 10 results and his season best – sixth overall at Silverstone last September.
“His experience is invaluable as he has been there and done that. We can relate to each other as he knows what it is like out on track and in high-pressured situations. To have someone like that in Jersey is fantastic and something I can use to my advantage.
“This means I can work closely with James and train hard locally and just worry about the racing when I get to the UK. I look forward to working with him in the coming weeks ahead of the season opener at Brands Hatch.”
Jack will be out in the car on 23 March at Rockingham before the championship gets underway at Brands Hatch at the beginning of April. You can follow him on Facebook facebook.com/JackButelRacing and @ButelRacing96 on Twitter and if you’d like to get involved with Jack and his team, email derek.b@expressautoparts.je.