The Resilience Team
Meet the Team that made W2R possible
Resilience Racing provides key support to W2R and is providing managerial, organizational, and financial management support to W2R. To meet the RR team, click on the Resilience Racing logo
The W2R Team
Meet the Crew
One of the cool things about Warriors2Racers is that we have folks from all across the country involved. Please see the below for more on some of the amazing folks that belong to W2R.
Ed McLean
National Director for W2R Driver and Crew Development
With over 35 years' racing experience, Ed is the founder of the program and provides day-to-day support. He works to get veterans from zero experience into positions that they are looking for in motorsport, whether that is in the pit or in the seat.
Ed is also a Motorsport Safety Foundation Level 2 certified instructor and has experience in multiple forms of racing and multiple types of racing cars including Formula Renault, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vee, supercars, sedans, and sportscars.
Ed is a US Air Force veteran with over 10 years of service with deployments to to Iraq and South America
Jake Mac
Ohio/Pennsylvania State Rep/National Crew Coordinator
I’m a longtime fan of anything fast. While in the Navy I spent a few years with Bailey Motorsports in Connecticut. We ran SK Modifieds at Waterford Speedbowl, and Late Model Stock cars at Waterford and Thompson International Speedway. Currently serving as A crew member for Baller Racing Team in the American Endurance Racing (AER) series. I also Autocross when I can with Leroy Engineering in their 2023 Leroy Miata Cup. On my “free time” I also enjoy competing in local long range rifle matches.
I serve as the primary point of contact for crew members for endurance racing events.
9yrs US Navy Submarine Force - Served as a Sonar Technician on Fast Attack Submarines
Tana P.
Texas State Coordinator & Driver
Tana is a OIF/OEF US Navy Veteran who served 8 ½ years as a Hospital Corpsman.
Now as a veteran with strong beliefs in self-care and setting an example for other transitioning veterans, she has found that the best therapy for her, is Helmet Therapy. In her youth she could be found around the drag strip and fast cars. It only made since that she found comfort among rumbling cams and burning tires.
In 2022, tired of isolating, she found camaraderie and mentorship with another woman veteran in the SCCA. In her first year and after only 3 Autocross events, she won her class and sealed her desire to go as far as possible as a racer, teammate, and role model. Since then, Tana has been “full throttle” to be the best racer she can be.
Ethan Ventresca
Tennessee State Coordinator/Driver Coach
A US Navy Vet and highly experienced racer, Ethan is one of the newest additions to the Coordination staff. He specializes in helping more experienced drivers gain confidence in their abilities and decreasing their lap times. He is also an experienced mechanic and can usually be found turning wrenches on cars when not in the drivers seat.
Andrew P
Michigan State Rep & Driver
Andrew is a former tanker for the Army and was deployed to northern Iraq. After returning from deployment, he built his first drift car (1996 Nissan 240sx). After PCSing to Georgia, he built his second drift car (1991 Nissan 240sx). It was about this point where he was "bitten by the racing bug". After medical retirement in 2019, he started racing with a 2007 Subaru WRX, this time falling in love with time attacks/time trials. In 2020, he started doing HPDEs and did 14 that year. In 2023, he took 3rd in an SCCA national race at Gingerman.
He is looking forward to getting heavily involved in the coming season.
David Z.
Idea Man/AER Team Owner/Driver
David is the one that really started the whole W2R concept in November 2022. After seeing the work that Ed McLean had done with other veteran organizations and the interaction and integration of Jake Mac into the AER family, David suggested to Ed that a veteran-only team might be created and that he might be able to provide a car to the team.
Without David's creativity and input, W2R might never have become a reality.
Elazar M.
West Virginia State Representative
Elazar is an Army veteran and radar technician with two deployments to Iraq.
His involvement in motorsports began in 2010 with autocross and hillclimbs. He continued into HPDE training for several years and in 2019 completed the SCCA driver's school and got his SCCA Competition License. He has campaigned his MR2 in the Mid-Atlantic region since then including winning the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Road Race Series Championship, and is now a competitor for the SCCA National Championship.
Elazar is also an experienced endurance driver with Champcar, 24 Hours of LeMons, and Lucky Dog. He has experience at most East coast tracks from New Hampshire to Georgia including an overall LeMons win at Pitt Race.
Elazar is a Motorsports Safety Foundation level 1 certified instructor/coach and graduate of SCCA and NASA instructor schools with four years experience.
