Announcement: 2005 National Championship Schedule

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 LAKEVILLE, Conn. (Jan. 4) - The Skip Barber National Championship Presented by RACER announced its 2005 schedule today. Two of its seven race-weekends will support premier ALMS events: the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in mid-March, and the Road America 500 in late August. National Championship Managing Director Todd Snyder said, ''We made a concerted effort to get the National on the cards at some big spectator events, and Sebring and Road America are two of America's most noteworthy tracks. Of course, VIR, Lime Rock and Mont-Tremblant are also fantastic venues, so we think we've got a very solid 'driver's' championship on tap for 2005.'' Snyder added, ''We're still working on a venue for the finale -- right now, we're focusing on getting a top-notch West Coast event -- and hope to have some exciting news in that regard soon.''

Marco Andretti, son of racing legend Michael, won the Skip Barber National title in 2004, the series' fifth year.

New for 2005 is the integration of the Skip Barber Masters National Championship into the 'regular' field; drivers over the age of 40 will compete for their own championship awards as a distinct category. The Skip Barber National Championship Presented by RACER is a professional junior formula series that employs up to 30 identically prepared 150hp Dodge 2.0-liter, sequential gearboxed, wings-and-slicks R/T 2000 single-seat race cars. A full season of the seven-weekend, 14-race championship costs $38,150. The Skip Barber National Championship Presented by RACER 2005 Schedule: Sebring International Raceway, Mar. 16-18 Sebring, Fla., w/ALMS 12-Hour Virginia International Raceway, Apr. 22-24 Ashton, Va. Lime Rock Park, May 12-14 Lime Rock, Conn. Road America, July 1-3 Elkhart Lake, Wis. Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant, July 22-24 Mont Tremblant, Que., Canada Road America, Aug. 19-21 Elkhart Lake, Wis., w/ALMS 500-mile To Be Announced, Sept./Oct. Rick Roso