Wednesday, February 15, 2006 SEBRING, Fla. - The opening races of the 2006 Skip Barber Masters National is this weekend at Sebring International Raceway, joining rounds seven and eight of both the Southern and Western Regional Race Series. Eighteen of Skip Barber Racing’s finest over-40 race car drivers have entered the championship, including the defending SBMN champion, Chris Willcox of Bridgewater, N.J. But there are at least five drivers each chomping at the bit to take Willcox’s title away. Dick Lippert, Jeff Kaiser and Jimmy Locke each won a Masters National race last year – Quentin Wahl and John Mayes each won twice, in fact – and are the early favorites to knock on the title door.
John Mayes is ready, willing and able to try knocking Chris Willcox off the top of the Masters mountain.
However, Willcox is extremely tough in these cars. When he clinched the 2005 SBMN championship, it was his third consecutive title! Willcox won nine of the 16 races, took three poles and set fastest race-lap 11 times. But Locke took two poles, Lippert, Mayes and John Peterson one each – and in the only two races Wahl entered, he took the pole and the win in both. This year, the series has expanded to nine race weekends, and drivers will score their best 14 of the 18 races. This could make the points battle heading into the final races of the year a real shoot-out.
Dick Lippert: Fast, focused, ready to rock.
Following Sebring, rounds three and four of the Skip Barber Masters National will be on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway ‘‘Outside’’ road course, March 24-26, as part of the combined Southern and Western Race Weekend.
Entry List, Rounds 1 & 2 Michael Auriemma, Muncie Park, N.Y. Ted Ballou, City of Industry, Calif. Dom Bastien, New Canaan, Conn. David Casey, Guilford, Conn. Dario Cioti, River Forest, Ill. Dr. Michael Edwards, Little Rock, Ark. Lorin Gill, Rochester, N.H. Bob Hagerty, La Porte, Texas David Harris, Arlington, Va. Jeff Kaiser, Santa Clara, Calif. Dick Lippert, Wichita, Kan. Jimmy Locke, Center Barnstead, N.H. Donald McDonald, Dover, Mass. Murray Marden, St. Augustine, Fla. John Mayes, Dallas, Texas John Peterson, Virginia Beach, Va. Quentin Wahl, Santa Barbara, Calif. Chris Willcox, Bridgewater, N.J. Rick Roso
