AUGUSTA — One of Maine’s most well-known and respected racing personalities will be working for a different organization in 2012.

Cherryfield native and four-time NASCAR Busch North Series champion Andy Santerre has parted ways with Revolution Racing, the organization that oversees NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program.  

After two highly-successful seasons guiding developmental drivers for that squad, Santerre has joined respected team owner Shigeaki Hattori to manage his team on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East circuit.

“We had a ton of success in the two years I was at Revolution Racing,” Santerre said Friday night while greeting fans at the Northeast Motorsports Expo. “Yet, as good as it seemed from the outside, it was time for me to move on. I appreciate the opportunity I had with those guys, and wish them nothing but continued success in the future. “

With drivers Sergio Pena and Darrell Wallace Jr., Santerre won six of 12 races in 2011, helping to further their careers with solid guidance and direction. Wallace is under contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and will run the full K&N Series for Gibbs in 2012, plus six Nationwide Series races, while Pena is considering his options and has yet to announce his plans.  

“Working with those young developmental drivers was very rewarding,” Santerre said. “To see guys like Austin Dillon, who drove for me in 2008, Sean Caisse, Michael Cherry, Darrell and Sergio progress from nervous rookies to confident race winners was a special feeling. To have played a role in their maturation process within NASCAR is a source of great pride for me.”

A native of Japan, Hattori is well-connected with Toyota Racing Development, the brand Santerre worked with during last year’s successful run in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. His plans include a full-time East series effort along with a part-time schedule in the Automobile Club of America (ARCA) circuit. 

“Mr. Hattori has a shop full of top-notch equipment and the desire to win a K&N Pro Series East championship as he develops drivers for the future.  So this will be a similar role for me, yet with new and exciting twists. The connections with TRD will give us a competitive advantage, for sure. I’ve worked with other brands most of my career, but am very impressed with Toyota’s equipment and performance.”

Santerre started in the old NASCAR Busch North Series back in September 1992 driving for Augusta-based O’Connor Racing. From there, he progressed on to manage his own Andy Santerre Motorsports program, taking it to unrivaled success with multiple titles.

He is regarded as one of the sharpest chassis men to work on a full-fendered NASCAR machine in the Northeast.

“It’s been quite an interesting ride over the years,”  Santerre said. “I’ve worked with some great people, driven a lot of great race cars and overall have done very well. Racing has been good to me, but I’m not done yet by any means.

“This new opportunity for 2012 has me just as excited as ever, and I can’t wait to get started. Mr. Hattori will get a 110 percent effort every day I’m there and, as always, my goal is to help him win races.”