Braselton, Ga. (October 22, 2015)—The iconic Skip Barber Racing School Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout is less than a week away. Competitors are preparing themselves to travel to NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana and the anticipation is building.

In its 40th Anniversary, Skip Barber Racing School has trained the very best of motorsports talent and a majority of these individuals began their careers with the one-of-a-kind program originated at Skip Barber Racing School – the Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout.

Taking the brightest karting talent and teaching them the ins and outs of racing in an open wheel car as well as the full complement of skills necessary for success in motorsports including business development, media training and much more, the Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout is the largest and single most important event for karters to begin their careers in car racing.  

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One of this year’s TEAM USA Scholarship awardees Dakota Dickerson catapulted his career through the program where he won a scholarship to enter Skip Barber Racing School’s Race Series. He currently sits in 3rd position in the series.

Other notable participants of the program include Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly, Alexander Rossi, Marco Andretti and this year’s Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot. All of these Skip Barber Racing School alumni have been named as potential F1 drivers by Autosport.  

The international field of karters range in age with the youngest karter being only 14 years old. Everett Thomas will be a local favorite entering the competition. He is from Louisiana.  Bayley Mickler will be traveling across the globe from Western Australia to compete.

Alongside the training that each competitor will receive, karters will also have the opportunity to receive scholarship prizes to enter the Skip Barber Race Series with the Champion winning a full season in the 2015 – 2016 Skip Barber Winter OR Championship Race Series held in the summer of 2016.

The awards for this year’s competition are as follows:

• 1st Place: Full Season in the 2015 – 2016 Skip Barber Winter OR Championship Race Series
• 2nd Place: $15,000 Race Series Scholarship
• 3rd Place: $10,000 Race Series Scholarship

2015 Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout Competitors:

Name	Age	City	State/Providence
Steve Rogers	27	Vancouver	WA
Simon Sikes	15	Athens	GA
Andrew Engberson	16	Copper Canyon	TX
Devin Wojcik	15	Fayetteville	NY
Christopher Tarhan	24	Rancho Palos Verdes	CA
Tyler Graaf	18	Becker	MN
Andre Castro	17	New York	NY
Sting Ray Robb	14	Ontario	OR
Augusto Soto-Schirripa	16	Miami	FL
Bayley Mickler	19	Perth	Western Australia
Ethan Tyler	15	Chicago	Il
Max Nikolof	18	Howell	NJ
Adam Cornell	15	Wellsboro	PA
Everett Thomas	19	Covington	LA

 

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About the Skip Barber Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout
The Skip Barber Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout is the largest and single most important event for karters transitioning into race cars. Past winners of Shoot-out awards include A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ricky Taylor, Jonathan Goring, and Joel Miller. Scholarships are courtesy of Skip Barber Racing School and MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development. The Skip Barber Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout is a critical component of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development ladder–a fully integrated motorsports ladder comprised of the Skip Barber Racing School Summer and Winter Series, USF2000, and Star Mazda.