Derrick Walker

Derrick Walker (born 8 April 1945 in Leven, Scotland) is a former British auto racing team owner. Since May 2013, Walker was the President of operations and competition of IndyCar until the finalization of the 2015 Indycar season.

He started in auto racing as a chief mechanic for the Brabham Formula One team from 1970 to 1975. It was quite an operation with F1 media czar Bernie Ecclestone the team owner, and drivers such as series champion Graham Hill and race winners Carlos Reutemann, Carlos Pace and John Watson. Both he and Watson moved to the ill-fated Penske team in 1976, a year after Mark Donohue was killed in the Austrian Grand Prix. Watson won the race that year and finished 7th in the World Championship.

He stayed with Penske in some capacity until 1987. From 1977 until 1980 he was the general manager of Penske Cars' manufacturing facility in Poole, England. He became Penske's Vice President of racing, and watched the team win four PPG Cups (series championships) and four Indianapolis 500-mile races. Some of the most successful American drivers came through the Penske power house during that period, including Rick Mears, Bobby Unser, Al Unser Sr. and Danny Sullivan.

In 1988 the lone Porsche Indy Car team suffered a tragic loss with the death of team owner Al Holbert and Walker took over team management. With driver Teo Fabi they won the race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course which proved to be the only one in the storied marque's Indy Car career. When the team went under Walker purchased the assets of the team and renamed it Walker Motorsports.

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