Season openers are at A1GP March 10-12

The Skip Barber National Presented by RACER will award more than $150,000 in prize money for the upcoming 2006 season, which begins March 10-12 supporting the inaugural A1GP race weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The $100,000 bonus for the series champion remains, but new this year are cashawards for second-through-fifth in the final points standings. Second overall wins$20,000, third place $15,000, fourth $10,000 and fifth, $5,000.

Series Director Todd Snyder says, ‘‘This is the best prize package in the nine-yearhistory of the National, especially when you consider that a full seven-weekend,14-race season still costs a driver and his/her sponsors well under $50,000.’’

Rick Ratajczak, one of the series officials, commented on the A1GP opener: ‘‘Notonly is it a high-profile start to the year, it’s the first of four major road racingweekends that we’re supporting this year.’’ (The others are VIR with Grand-AmRolex, Trois-Rivieres with Pro Star Mazda/Grand-Am Cup, and Road Americawith Champ Car.)

Ratajczak continues, ‘‘At Laguna, we have 90 minutes of track time prior to thefirst qualifying session, so we’re attracting drivers to the event that haven’t evencompeted in the R/T 2000 race car.’’