Skip Barber announces 2009 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda scheduleNew Spring Training eventSeries Awards of $350,000
The BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda today announced its 2009 schedule, the most impressive in the Series history, is a 14-race championship that begins mid-March. Now in its 11th year, the series awards its annual champion one of the largest title bonuses for young drivers: a paid season in the following year’s Star Mazda series worth $350,000.
For the first time in series history, Skip Barber will offer Spring Training for National competitors. The two-day program, to be held at Sebring International Raceway on February 28 – March 1, will provide theory and practice in altering race car set-up to match individual driving styles for best performance. With the help of multiple coaches, drivers will gain experience finetuning the Skip Barber Formula 2000 racecars using adjustments in anti-roll bars, brake bias, ride height, and tire pressures.
“Learning these skills is invaluable to drivers while they compete in our National series and as they advance through their careers,” said Todd Snyder, Vice President of Competition for the Skip Barber Racing School. “Having the ability to properly set-up a racecar is as big a factor as raw talent in a driver moving up through the ranks of professional motorsports,” Snyder added.
The typical 25 plus starting grid at a BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda is filled with young drivers graduating from Snap-On Stars of Karting, the WKA and other karting championships as well as the various Skip Barber Regional Race Series.A Masters Division recognizes a separate champion for those drivers over the age of 40.
The season opener will be held at the Sebring International Raceway on the weekend of the famed 12-Hour race; the finale will run at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. In between are races at Virginia International Raceway, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Barber Motorsports Park, Road America and Road Atlanta as part of the Petit Le Mans race weekend. All seven Skip Barber National race weekends – there are two 30-minute races per weekend, plus practice and qualifying – are in support of spectator events, many a part of the most prestigious race weekends in American road racing.
At the August race weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park all three Mazda-supported formula car series – BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda, Star Mazda and the Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda – are on the slate. The Lime Rock Park finale, dubbed the Skip Barber Festival of Speed, will feature all three Skip Barber race series (Skip Barber National, Skip Barber Regional Race Series and MAZDASPEED Challenge.)
Skip Barber race series have launched the auto racing careers of Marco Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Speed, A.J. Allmendinger, Jon Fogarty, Raphael Matos, Salvador Duran, Gerardo Bonilla, Jonathan Goring and Conor Daly, plus dozens of other drivers succeeding in Grand-Am, IRL, ALMS, NASCAR, and SCCA, as well as international series such as F1 and A1GP.
2009 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda scheduleSeven double-race weekendsSpring Training, February 28- March 1, Sebring International RacewayRounds 1 & 2, March 17-20, Sebring International Raceway with American Le Mans SeriesRounds 3 & 4, April 24 - 26, Virginia International Raceway with Grand-AmRounds 5 & 6, June 12-14, New Jersey Motorsports Park with Atlantic ChampionshipRounds 7 & 8, July 17-19, Barber Motorsports Park with Grand-AmRounds 9 & 10, August 13-16, Road America with American Le Mans SeriesRounds 11 & 12, September 22-25, Road Atlanta with American Le Mans SeriesRounds 13 & 14, October 8 – 10, Lime Rock Park (with Skip Barber Regional Race Series &MAZDASPEED Challenge)
