Braselton, Ga. (June 25, 2014)- Racers will head to Houston, Texas June 27-29, 2014 to compete in rounds 5 & 6 of the 2014 MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge.
The weekend is gearing up to be filled with excitement as Rookie racer Ben Albano will try to take back the top spot in the championship point standings. Despite Albano’s determination, returning racer Drake Kemper is not going to let go of the top spot easily. Kemper snatched the elusive number one spot from Albano in the last two races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In addition to the points battle, Bryan Hixon and Zach Lee have home court advantage. Both racers are from Texas and will have a gaggle of fans cheering them on. With Albano close behind Kemper and Texas natives racing head to head, the weekend will be full of action!
The MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge Championship includes six double race weekends. The champion of the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge class receives a scholarship toward the 2015 season of the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series.
The second place winner receives a full season in Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge and the third-place winner receives a scholarship for half a season in the Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge.
The following drivers will be racing at Houston Grand Prix:
Ben Albano, of Greenwich, CT —219 points
Felix Borodaty, of Short Hills, NJ —176 points
Robert Foley, of Randolph, NJ —209 points
Bryan Hixon, of San Antonio, TX —215 points
Drake Kemper, of Toluca Lake, CA —224 points
Zachry Lee, of San Antonio, TX —172 points
- Sarah Montgomery, of Lafayette, LA —192 points
The schedule for the weekend is as follows:
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Friday, June 27, 2014
10:00 a.m. Scales open- Mazda MX-5 Cup/ Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Practice- Mazda MX-5 Cup/ Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
12:15 p.m. Driver/Crew Chief’s Meeting - Mazda MX-5 Cup/Skip Barber MAZDASPEED
Pro Challenge at the Series Trailer
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Practice - Mazda MX-5 Cup/Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
4:30 p.m. Driver’s ONLY Meeting - Mazda MX-5 Cup/Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge at the Series Trailer
5:00 p.m. Scales Closed - Mazda MX-5 Cup/Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
Saturday, June 28, 2014
7:30 a.m. Scales open- Mazda MX-5 Cup/ Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Qualifying - Mazda MX-5 Cup/Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
12:10 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. Race #1- Mazda MX-5 Cup/Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
4:30 p.m. Scales Closed - Mazda MX-5 Cup/Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
Sunday, June 29, 2014
9:00 a.m. Scales open- Mazda MX-5 Cup/ Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
12:10 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Race #2 - Mazda MX-5 Cup/Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
The 2014 MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge Schedule
March 12-14 Rounds 1 & 2 Sebring International Raceway with Tudor United SportsCar Championship
May 2-4 Rounds 3 & 4 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with Tudor United SportsCar Championship
June 27-29 Rounds 5 & 6 Grand Prix of Houston with Verizon IndyCar Series
July 11-13 Rounds 7 & 8 Canadian Tire Motorsports Park with Tudor United SportsCar Championship
August 8-10 Rounds 9 & 10 Road America with Tudor United SportsCar Championship
October 1-3 Rounds 11 & 12 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta with Tudor United SportsCar Championship
Stay up to date with the MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge by going to skipbarber.com.
About Skip Barber Racing School Professional Racing
Skip Barber Racing School, since its founding in 1975, has prided itself on helping create the next-generation of racers. The Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge class races within the 2014 SCCA Pro-Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup. This class provides another step in the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder for racers aiming to race professionally in sports cars. Since 2007, Skip Barber Racing School has run the MAZDASPEED Challenge race series in Mazda MX-5 Cup race cars. After some test racing in 2011, the full-fledged pro racing class started in 2012