Thursday, October 18, 2007
The 50-driver group shot from last year's Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-out.
LAKEVILLE, Conn. - The date and venue for the 11th annual Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-out, the largest and single most important event for karters transitioning to race cars, has been set:
Thursday, January 31 through Sunday, February 3, 2008, at Sebring International Raceway. Any karter that wishes to enter the Shoot-out (including those who think they may later be named one of the 12 ‘‘pre-nominated’’ drivers, each of whom will be awarded the qualifying Skip Barber Three Day Racing School)
must submit an application to Chris Kretzmer, the Karting Shoot-out manager. Karters are urged not to delay, as submission of the application does not guarantee a seat in the Shoot-out. Over the years, Skip Barber Racing’s ‘‘star search’’ system has unearthed and then developed such talents as A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Michael Valiante, Marco Di Leo, Ricky and Jordan Taylor, Timmy Megenbier and Gabby Chaves. The two most recent champions of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda – Jonathan Goring in 2006 and Joel Miller this year – won scholarships at the Shoot-out. Following three days of on-track evaluation of all entrants driving the Skip Barber Formula 2000 race cars – there will also be ‘‘off-track’’ assessments – judges will reward the most talented karters with scholarships to race in the Skip Barber Regionals and the Skip Barber National. The biggest prize is a paid season in the 2008 Skip Barber National. The Karting Scholarship Shoot-out is limited to 50 drivers. The majority come from the ranks of the Snap-on Stars of Karting series and the World Karting Association (WKA). There is no minimum age for drivers to compete in the Regional or National series, provided they pass muster with Skip Barber's chief instructors. ‘‘We truly feel there is no better opportunity for the serious young karter than the Skip Barber system, if the desire is to get into motorsports top echelons,’’ says Todd Snyder, v.p. of competition for Skip Barber. ‘‘The equal-car premise behind every Skip Barber auto racing championship, plus the coaching, the huge amounts of seat time, the furious competition, the simple stark value of our racing – all that has been attracting the best karters for a number of years. Add to that Mazda’s unparalleled support of the Mazda Motorsports Ladder – Skip Barber to Star Mazda to Champ Car Atlantic – and we think it’s clear this is where karters need to be.’’ The Karting Shoot-out application can be found
here Chris Kretzmer: 860.435.4281 /
[email protected] / fax 860.435.1321 Rick Roso
