The 2014 Skip Barber Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout Kicks Off at Sebring International Raceway 

Braselton, Ga. (Oct. 28, 2014) — The 2014 Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout kicks off today as the world’s top karters gather for competition at Sebring International Raceway, Florida. The contest will test karters’ abilities to transition from Karts to Cars as they race in full size Skip Barber Formula 2000 race cars for the first time. The shootout is the ultimate proving ground for karters to showcase their abilities as drivers.

The Karts to Cars shootout has awarded more than sixty-five scholarships to famous racers such as Ryan Hunter-Reay (IZOD IndyCar Series Champion), Alexander Rossi (Formula One), Spencer Pigot (Indy Lights) and many more.

Last year’s winner, Australian karter Luke Gabin, moved on to win the 2014 Skip Barber Summer Series. Gabin had the unique opportunity to compete for the Summer Series championship because of his winnings from the 2013 Karts to Cars scholarship Shootout. Gabin will now have the chance to test his skills developed last season in the highly anticipated Skip Barber Racing School Championship Shootout at Road Atlanta in November. He will join the top 10 series winners from the Summer and Winter Series along with other Skip Barber hopefuls to compete for the Grand Prize - a $200,000 scholarship presented by Mazda in USF2000.

“We’re excited to put these talented karters to the test,” said Skip Barber Race Series Coordinator Jeff Lail, “and this is the event that will do just that. In addition to the competition, participants will gain all the tools to jump start their racing career. From media coaching to on track instruction, we cannot wait to arm these young drivers with the necessary skills to succeed.”

2014 Scholarship Shootout Schedule:

Day 1:

Racers begin the competition by learning some fundamentals of formula racing. Day one preparation consists of:

• Vehicle dynamics lecture

• Autocross sessions

• RaceCraft1 seminar

• Lead-follow lapping sessions

• Timed Session #1

Day 2:

Racers spend the bulk of the day in timed sessions on the race track Events for the second day are:

• Timed Session #2

• Seminar with legendary IndyCar champion Bryan Herta

• Timed Session #3

• Timed Session #4

Day3:

The final day of the competition consists of both groups of racers fighting hard in the

• Final timed session.

• Media and sponsor relations seminar by motor sports journalist Dave Despain

• Winner announced

In addition to the racing scholarship, the winner of the 2014 Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout will be awarded the Top Gun Award by Racer Magazine. This award, which will be presented during the final day of activity of the Shootout, will entitle the winner to an article chronically his or her career to date in a future issue of the magazine. Congratulations to the following candidates in the 2014 Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout who will be competing for over $65,000 in scholarship prizes:

Name	Age	City	State / Country
Carson Kapica	16	Katonah	NY, USA
Nathan Laverdure	20	Berlin	MA, USA
Lindsay Brewer	18	Arvada	CO, USA
Konrad Czaczyk	18	Loxahatchee	FL, USA
Henry Morse	14	Redondo Beach	CA, USA
Michael Benyahia	14	Miami	FL, USA
Michael d'Orlando	13	Hartsdale	NY, USA
Lucca Abreu	16	Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais MG	Brazil
Davin Foster	17	Saratoga	CA, USA
Braden Eves	15	Gahanna	OH, USA
Cabot Bigham	18	Weston	MA, USA
Dakota Dickerson	18	San Diego	CA, USA
Neil Verhagen	14	Moorseville	NC, USA
Max Nufer	15	Wildwood	MO, USA
Everett Thomas	18	Covington	LA, USA
Daniel de la Calle	18	Burlingame	CA, USA

 

The Karts to Cars Scholarship Shootout is the largest and single most important event for karters transitioning into race cars. Past winners of Shootout awards include A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ricky Taylor, Jonathan Goring, and Joel Miller. The Shootout is a critical component of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development ladder–a fully integrated motorsports ladder comprised of the Skip Barber Racing School Summer and Winter Series, USF2000, and Star Mazda.

About Skip Barber Racing School

 For 40 years, Skip Barber Racing School has been the leader in training motorsports legends of the future through entry-level, equal car championships. The athletes are given media exposure, expert coaching, on-track arrive-and-drive experience, financial awards and motorsports scholarships. Skip Barber Racing School launched the auto racing careers of Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Scott Speed, A.J. Allmendinger, Raphael Matos, Sergio Perez, John Edwards, Conor Daly, Josef Newgarden, Spencer Pigot and many more. For more information, please visit www.skipbarber.com.

 

   

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