Skip Barber Racing collected three wins and six podium finishes across an action-packed weekend of racing at its home track of VIRginia International Raceway. The team scored the first win of the season for the Acura Integra Type S in TC America powered by the Skip Barber Racing School, netted a pair of top ten finishes in GT4 America, and set one of the fastest laps of the weekend in Toyota GR Cup North America. Celso Neto kickstarted the weekend for Skip Barber Racing by leading every lap in the opening race of the TC America weekend, delivering the first victory of the season for an Acura in TCX. Cooper Broll added to the accolades in Race 1 by earning his first-career podium finish with a steady performance in the No. 19 PiedParker Acura Integra Type S. It wasn’t just in TCX where Skip Barber Racing was spearheading the field. In Race 1, Alex Garcia added his third win of the season in the No. 14 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si FE1. The Floridian soon added his fourth victory a day later in Race 2. With this performance in the books, Garcia now has four wins in five races since joining the TCA grid. After finding his inaugural podium finish in Race 1, Broll took little time to claim his second podium with another strong outing in Race 2. Celso Neto in the No. 22 Skip Barber Racing School Acura Integra Type S joined Broll on the podium, giving Skip Barber Racing a 100% podium rate across the TC America weekend. “Bringing home three wins and six podiums at our home race is a tremendous accomplishment for the team,” Skip Barber Racing Team Manager Joe Monitto said. “Everyone with Skip Barber Racing has been working tirelessly to build this program and we really broke through this weekend. Celso getting the win in TCX is so well-deserved, I couldn’t be prouder of Cooper for getting his first two podiums, and Alex continues to make it look easy in TCA.” In GT4 America, the father-son duo of Marc and Tyler Sharinn returned to drive the No. 16 Skip Barber Racing School Aston Martin Vantage GT4. After a clean run in their season debut at Circuit of the Americas, a three-hour endurance race, the Sharinns entered VIRginia International Raceway facing a pair of sprint races. The duo rose to the occasion with ease and delivered a pair of seventh-place finishes, giving Skip Barber Racing eight top ten finishes in the weekend. With a dominating performance in TC America behind him, Alex Garcia climbed aboard the No. 14 Orlando Family Medical Toyota GR86 Cup car and delivered the second-fastest lap of Race 2, a time nearly two seconds faster than his qualifying time. Garcia’s rapid improvement is a testament to the growth that can come with the guidance of Skip Barber Racing’s instructors, even within a race weekend. James Klimas in the No. 61 Middletown Toyota GR86 Cup car improved eight spots in Race 1, setting a new season-best for positions gained. Will Lambros was also on the move in Race 1, gaining 11 positions in the crowded midfield in the No. 77 Skip Barber Racing School Toyota GR86 Cup car. “It was a thrill to watch James, Will, and Alex in GR Cup slice through the field, and the Sharinns managed a great race in GT4 America,” Monitto said. “It was a fantastic weekend made even sweeter by doing it at our home track.” Next for Skip Barber Racing is the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Ford Mustang Challenge weekend at Road America on August 1 – 4 where the team will be joined by a special guest driver. Follow the Skip Barber Racing School on Instagram and Facebook to catch the latest news on all of our racing endeavors.
