Tuesday, January 02, 2007
- Major new award for series champion
- 12 of 14 races to support notable motorsports events
- Introduction of Masters Division championship-within-a-championship
- Rounds 1 & 2 are at Sebring 12-Hour March 14-16: Limited-capacity Lapping available March 7 & 8
The Skip Barber National series has released its 2007 schedule, a seven-weekend, 14-race championship that opens mid-March at the Mobil 1 12-Hours of Sebring. Six of the seven National events – there are two 30-minute races per weekend – are in support of big spectator shows: one with Champ Car, two with Grand-Am, one with ALMS, a NASCAR Busch East round and one with the emergent NASA street stock series. Also, as part of the just-announced long term partnership between Skip Barber Racing and Mazda North American Operations, the 2007 champion of the Skip Barber National will be awarded a full season in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship – a significant increase in value from the $100,000 Career Enhancement Award of years past. Second place in the championship is worth $20,000, with third, fourth and fifth being awarded $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. Significantly, the second-through-fifth place drivers will have the option of converting their 2007 cash prizes into a much higher seat-time value for the 2008 National season: Second place: $20,000 cash can be converted into $30,000 in 2008 seat time Third place: $15,000 cash can be converted into $22,500 in 2008 seat time Fourth place: $10,000 can be converted into $15,000 in 2008 seat time Fifth place: $5,000 cash can be converted into $7,500 in 2008 seat time
The New Masters National Category For the first time in the National’s nine-year history, there will be a separately scored championship for drivers 40 and older, similar to the Star Mazda system. The highest finishing Master in each of the year’s 14 races will be awarded first-place Masters points, with second, third, etc., scored in the same fashion. To accommodate the business and travel schedules of the Masters contingent, two additional ‘‘stand-alone’’ race weekends will be part of the full Masters 2007 schedule. The Masters Division title bonus is $10,000 in Skip Barber seat time, with second, third, fourth and fifth in the championship also being awarded seat-time credit: Season champion: $10,000 Second place: $7,500 Third place: $5,000 Fourth place: $2,500 Fifth place: $1,000 Todd Snyder, vice president of racing for Skip Barber, said, ‘‘The National already has a solid reputation for introducing and developing star talent to the racing world,’’ citing A.J. Allmendinger, Scott Speed and Marco Andretti as the most recent proof. ‘‘A driver succeeding on the Mazda ladder that now starts with Skip Barber, stepping up to Star Mazda and then the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, is an incredibly efficient, not to mention exciting, system for developing the next generation of racing stars. ‘‘And by running a championship-within-a-championship for the Masters, those drivers will gain the same benefits as the ‘regular’ National drivers: big fields, racing in front of large audiences, and the chance to shine in front of race team owners and managers,’’ Snyder added.
Look for further announcements from the Skip Barber National regarding a new series sponsor2007 Skip Barber National schedule Rounds 1 & 2, March 14-16, Sebring International Raceway with American Le Mans Series Rounds 3 & 4, April 26-29, Virginia International Raceway with Grand-Am Rounds 5 & 6, June 22-24, Cleveland Grand Prix with Champ Car World Series Rounds 7 & 8, August 3-5, Road America with National Auto Sports Association Rounds 9 & 10, August 16-18, Lime Rock Park with NASCAR Busch East Rounds 11 & 12, September 14-16, Miller Motorsports Park with Grand-Am Rounds 13 & 14, October 5-7, Virginia International Raceway with Grand-Am KONI Challenge
For the Masters Division, add June 8-10, Watkins Glen International with Rolex Grand-Am, and September 28-30, Road America with Midwest Regional Rick Roso
