|
In breaking news issued this morning from Urban Force Racing, Team
Manager
Pete Raskovic has announced that multi-time Madison International
Speedway
Champion Bobby Wilberg has agreed to join the education-first inspired
racing team for the 2008 racing season. Wilberg, the 2007 Madison Late
Model
and Limited Late Model Champion and many time track champion, will join
Dan
"The Rocketman" Lensing as a teammate for the upcoming season. The
Urban
Force Racing Team is preparing for a two-car assault at tracks in the
Midwest, with the hometrack being the Madison International Speedway.
Wilberg, a veteran campaigner from Beloit, Wisconsin will be entering
his
28th season of racing in 2008 and the 43-year old Champion shows no
signs of
easing up on the competition. The 2007 season was a banner year for the
father of one as he performed at his best to win both the Madison Late
Model
crown by 5-points over the always aggressive Tom Gille and capped off
the
year by winning the Limited Late Model title by besting Scott Broughton
by
39-points at the season's end. Wilberg has gathered an impressive
resume of
accomplishments throughout his driving career as he has been in
Championship
form since the 1991 racing season when he captured the Rockford
Speedway
Late Model Championship. Dividing his time over the years between
Rockford
and Madison International, Wilberg has been nothing short of
sensational
winning 9-Madison titles and securing 7-titles at Rockford. Wilberg
also
holds the track record at Madison in the Late Model Division as he
hustled
his racer around the lightning quick half-miler in 17.936 seconds
Wilberg will slip behind the belts of his signature numbered-28 late
model
for the 2008 season with ABC Supply/Urban Force Racing/First Supply
backing
the effort. Wilberg is excited about the opportunity to join the Urban
Force
family. While meeting with the his new team members at the newly
christened
Urban Force Shops, Wilberg remarked, "I am truly looking forward to
working
with the Urban Force Team in 2008. Even though this team is kind of the
new
kid on the block as far as Late Model racing goes, they demonstrated
they
had all of the tools to run upfront once they sorted out their initial
first
year jitters. They made tremendous strides over the last half of the
year
with my good friend Dan Lensing at the controls. Since I work for
Lefthander
Chassis, Dan and I share many of the same ideas as to how to make a car
go
fast and I look forward to working with both Pete and Dan and the great
selection of students who are on-board for the 2008 season. I love
working
young people and this was the kind of atmosphere I was looking for in
partnering up with Urban Force". Wilberg later added, "This is such a
neat
deal. Pete Raskovic and the late Ken Hendricks truly captured the
spirit and
pulse of racing by putting racing into the school curriculum. Urban
Force
Racing is a unique program that will allow young people to return to
the
ranks of short-track racing in the pits and in the stands."
The Urban Force Team is in the process of assembling the equipment at
their
new shop and plans call for the cars to be locked and loaded for the
start
of the new Madison International Season. Dan Lensing, who took over the
controls of the Urban Force equipment will return for his first full
season
with Urban Force Racing. Lensing, who has lived up to his billing as
"The
Rocketman" was in the thick of the action at every event he
participated in
and never finished lower than fifth place while at the controls.
Lensing was
re-signed at the end of the 2007 racing season for 2008. The newly
re-structured team will prove to be double-trouble for the competition
this
years with two proven champions and winners in the meticulously
detailed
Urban Force equipment.
Peter Raskovic, who heads up the Urban Force Racing Team as Team
Manager ,
was overwhelmed after the details with Wilberg were worked out.
Raskovic
stated, "We are pleased to add a driver of the caliber of the great
Bobby
Wilberg to our Urban Force family. Together with Dan Lensing, we feel
we
have two of the very best drivers racing in Wisconsin on our team. With
Bobby and Dan lending their assistance to me to teach and motiviate the
students, the positive feedback to our program will be paramount in
having
other schools in the area take the initiative to fund similar programs
to
teach students about racing and the technical side of the automotive
field".
Raskovic further added, "My friend and mentor, the late Ken Hendricks,
would
be so proud of the steps we have taken with our racing program. In his
memory we will carry on the Urban Force Racing Program in his honor."
Look for further updated developments regarding Urban Force Racing in
the
near future |
|
