Date and Venue Announced
The date and venue for the 12th annual Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-out, the largest and single most important event for karters transitioning to race cars, has been set: Saturday, December 27 through Monday, December 29, 2008, at Sebring International Raceway.
Any karter intending to enter the Shoot-out must submit an application by October 31.
The application can be found in various karting magazines and websites, as well as on the skipbarber.com website. skipbarber.com
Please note that submission of the application does not guarantee a seat in the Shoot-out.
There are different requirements and new strictures this year, spelled out on the application, so karters are urged to read and understand them before submitting.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 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda. The biggest prize, courtesy of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development ladder system, is a paid season in the 2009 Skip Barber National, valued at morethan $45,000.
The Karting Scholarship Shoot-out is limited to 50 drivers. This year, and from this point forward, there will be no pre-selected nominees, in order to accommodate as many drivers as possible who want to enter 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 and Gabby Chaves. The two most recent champions of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda – Jonathan Goring in 2006 and Joel Miller in 2007 – won scholarships at the Shoot-out.
‘‘We're confident that the serious young karter can really take advantage of the Skip Barber system,’’ says Todd Snyder, v.p. of competition for Skip Barber. ‘‘Mazda has impressed everybody with its commitment to the Mazda Motorsports Ladder – Skip Barber to Star Mazda to Atlantic – and the Shoot-out is one of the best opportunities for young drivers to learn the most, at a critical stage of their development, about what it takes to be fast. Skip Barber Racing has been at the forefront in getting karters into the right position to succeed in auto racing, and with Mazda's commitment, the system is as strong as it's ever been.’’
Submit 2009 Skip Barber Karting Shoot-out applications to speed@skipbarber.com, or fax to 860.435.1321. You may also call 800.221.1131 and ask for a School & Series Advisor for more information.
