Timboon sprintcar driver Luke Walker ready for 2020-21 season after year off

The sprintcar driver is eyeing the 2020-21 Victorian season after spending the past 12 months solidifying Engineer It, a mechanical design business based in Timboon.

Walker, 25, said an influx of work and increased staff numbers would free up time to reignite his racing career.

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"I have employed some more people and have been building things up a bit and hopefully I can manage to juggle it all somehow," he said.

"If anything we've actually gained more work through (the coronavirus pandemic) so we've been quite lucky.

"Some of the companies that I work for aren't able to get supplies from China now so I've picked up that manufacturing work.

"I am busier than ever at the minute which is good."

Walker made his mark at the 2019 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic - Australia's premier race - when he finished seventh behind a star-studded field including four past winners.

But he put the brakes on soon after, recognising he needed to nurture his business in its infancy.

"I started my own company and work just took over. I needed to prioritise that," Walker said.

"I picked up some big contracts and it was more of a time thing.

"The time spent on the race car away from the track was just a bit too hard to manage with work as well."

Walker went to two race meetings - the $10,000-to-win 360 show at Simpson and the three-night classic at Allansford - during his break, conceding "spectating is not quite as fun as racing".

"(I miss) the enjoyment of racing and going fast," he said.

"I don't get to do that in my office. I definitely get in the workshop and make things as well but I've still got to do paperwork and accounts and that fun stuff."

Walker, who did a bit of tinkering on his V67 car during his hiatus, expects to be "a bit rusty" when he jumps behind the steering wheel later this year, COVID-19 restrictions permitting.

He will concentrate on meetings in the south-west, at tracks such as Premier Speedway and Avalon Raceway, rather than drive interstate to compete.

"Running my own business takes a lot of effort so I won't be travelling too far," he said.

"But we're pretty lucky, there's a lot of racing pretty close anyway."

The classic, scheduled for January 22, 23 and 24 next year, is his main target and he'll work his with family-focused team to get the best result.

His 2019 seventh-place finish remains a career highlight.

"I think I am going to be doing well to beat that to be honest," Walker said.

"If I could do that again I'd be quite happy.

"A top-10 result at the classic is a pretty good effort for our team.

"The amount of racing we do compared to a lot of the other guys, it's different leagues really."

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