February 08, 2013
Published on tags: Formula Challenge

 

Vod:Bul Racing is very proud to announce Juha Tanskanen, a member of GPVWC between 2004-10, as the Head of Driver development.
This afternoon Vod:Bul Racing released a statement. This is a role that the Vod:Bul Racing team of old never had. We are very excited to work with Mr Tanskanen and be able to bring him back to the GPVWC. We know he will be a great asset to the future of Vod:Bul Racing and the rebuilding of the brand.

Vod:Bul Racing is very proud of its driver heritage and Tanskanen shares the dedication that we have at Vod:Bul to driver development.

Juha Tanskanen was an active member of GPVWC in 2004-2010 taking part is his first grand prix at Hungary in 04. In 2006 Tanskanen concentrated solely on management as a member of Stealth International and running the Synergetic team. This included a Supercup constructor's title. Tanskanen also personally managed the careers of drivers including Phil Perkins to podium finishes.

Vod:Bul Racing invited one lucky journalist to the Liverpool headquarters ahead of the teams car launch this weekend. This was not to see the car early but to meet Mr Tanskanen.

"So what does this role really entail?"
I could spend the whole afternoon talking about this subject, but if I'd have to describe my role in few sentences I'd say that my role entails pretty much anything and everything that is somehow related to either driver development and coaching. To be bit more specific it can be anything between mental coaching, data analyzing and regular meetings with the drivers. Like I said pretty much everything you can imagine.

"What is the plan for the future?"
Our long term vision is to launch our own driver development program for young and talented drivers.

"Why come back now? And to Vod:Bul?"
Why I came back now? Well, everything just seemed to fell in place. The time was right, my role in this team was tempting and I liked the challenge it gives to me. I never meant to be away from the simracing scene this long anyway so, I'm thrilled to bits to be back. We are building a good foundation for the future over here, with a reasonable long term vision. I would have been a fool to say no to an opportunity like this.

"How do you see this season going?"
I see this upcoming season as a learning experience for all of us. We need to do a lot of work to build our infrastructure in a right way so that we can grow as a team and we have to do everything better than all others so that we can achieve our short- and long term goals and make some real progress. However we must be realistic, like always this is a long process so we must be patient. My experience has taught me that in this business nothing can be achieved overnight.

"Can you give us an idea who the lead driver is?"
We don't have such a thing. I've never liked to categorize drivers in that kind of way. Like it or not, motorsport is a team sport. This means that we either win as a team or lose as a team. Of course sometimes there will be specific situations where we need to prioritize our input more towards one individual than a team to get a result that we want to have but when and if this situation arises we'll evaluate them case by case.

With the Vod:Bul Racing car launch this weekend we may see more of Mr Tanskanen soon