IndyCar President of Competition & Operations Derrick Walker "has decided to step down," effective after the season-ending race Aug. 30 at Sonoma Raceway, according to Curt Cavin of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles said that Walker "feels responsibility for the technical and competitive challenges IndyCar has faced this season," largely with respect to the new aero package that was introduced. Miles conceded that the introduction of the aero kits "has not gone as planned, and there has been pressure from within the paddock." But Miles said that he "did not influence Walker's decision." Miles: "This has been a challenging year on lots of fronts, technically, on a number of matters. The aero kit introduction has created some issues from supplying parts to debris to qualifying (at Indianapolis) to competitive issues between Honda and Chevy, and I feel like those things are settling out. But that whole process has not exactly been what Derrick or any of us had in mind in terms of the operation of it. But he's done an excellent job. He's been a real tiger in sticking with the discussions with Honda and Chevy, and we're about ready to conclude those extensions, which is great. I think he's brought a lot of great things to the sport as well." Cavin notes Walker also "came under fire for decisions made by the race control staff he shaped," but Walker "was consistent with his rulings" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/31). Miles: "The year has not gone swimmingly, we’ve had things that were not planned, and he’s a big enough guy to take responsibility for that. I think he was being hard on himself." Miles believes that Walker "felt he’d lost the support of the paddock." Miles: "He felt at least a couple of influential team players -- I’m not going to name level or people ... had turned on him and he was personally disappointed" (AP, 7/30).
THESE BOOTS ARE MEANT FOR WALKER: The INDY STAR's Cavin reports while some in IndyCar "welcomed the news, others did not." Walker's supporters will say that he "took the power of officiating races from a single person and made it a more-equitable group decision." They also "will point to how Walker salvaged a bad situation in this year's Indianapolis 500 when three cars flew through the air in practice, how he finalized technical adjustments that kept flight out of the race itself." But Walker "had detractors," including Andretti Autosport Owner Michael Andretti. He said that the bodywork kits new for this year "were outrageously costly (a fact Walker has challenged)" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/31).
