KVRT GM Mark Johnson Resigns
INDIANAPOLIS – KV Racing Technology co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser announced today that team General Manager Mark Johnson has resigned.
Johnson, one of the most experienced and respected motorsports executives, assumed the general manager position six races into the 2006 season. He went on to lead the team for the next seven seasons.
Johnson’s leadership skills were never more evident than in 2008, when he oversaw the integration of KVRT from the Champ Car World Series into the IZOD IndyCar Series following unification. Under Johnson’s guidance, KVRT was the highest ranked team to make the transition and the only transition team to finish in the top-10 in the standings.
Over the next five years, KVRT became one of the top-teams in the series, winning poles and competing for podium finishes, year in and year out. Among the KVRT drivers benefiting from Johnson’s vast experience are: Tony Kanaan, Will Power, Oriol Servia, Rubens Barrichello, E. J. Viso, Townsend Bell, Takuma Sato, Mario Moraes and Tomas Scheckter, to name a few.
“Having resigned my position as General Manager of KV Racing, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our team members, valued team partners and especially Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser, for the opportunity to work with this team for the past seven seasons,” Johnson said. “What originally started as a two to three year endeavor, morphed into seven years before we knew it. Jimmy and I worked day to day, shoulder to shoulder, at and away from the racetrack. We formed a tremendous business relationship and an even stronger friendship. That is why, the seven years, feels like only three. Jimmy and I, with the help of so many dedicated individuals, accomplished goals I would have never thought possible. Because these individuals feel like family, it makes this decision that much more difficult.
“A lot has transpired since I joined the team in 2006. I am very happy to have been given the opportunity to contribute to so many of the different projects, both in growing the team and in series initiatives. It has been a privilege to work with some of the most successful and brightest minds in motor sports today.”
“I want to thank Mark Johnson for the service and effort he put forth during his seven years with the team,” Kalkhoven said. “This was a very difficult, but exciting period in open-wheel racing and Mark did a great job of helping guide us through the process. I wish Mark and his family all the best in the future and once again want to thank him for all his leadership over the last seven years.”
Posted by NSSN Staff
on Sep 27 2012 Filed under IndyCar, IZOD IndyCar Series, Latest Headlines.
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