Patrón Highcroft Racing boss Duncan Dayton has again thrown his support behind the Team USA Scholarship program which enables young stars of the future to do battle with some of the world's best young drivers.
Established in 1990 with future CART champion Jimmy Vasser as its first recipient, the program has helped launch the careers of a number of American stars including Bryan Herta, A.J. Allmendinger, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Paul Edwards and Memo Gidley.
Connor De Phillippi, from San Clemente, Calif., and Brett Smrz, from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, have been named recently as the latest recipients of prestigious scholarships.
De Phillippi has taken a commanding lead in this year's BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda, winning seven of 12 races held thus far.
Smrz has secured one Skip Barber victory in addition to posting some impressive results in the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup. Smrz also leads the Jim Russell Championship Series.
The pair will get the chance to head to the United Kingdom next month to race in two of the most prestigious Formula Ford races in the world - the Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone.
Team USA Scholarship drivers swept both events in 2008, with Josef Newgarden becoming the first American ever to win the Formula Ford Festival and Conor Daly taking the Walter Hayes Trophy.
"I'm delighted to continue to support the scholarship program and will be looking forward to seeing how the guys perform in England," Dayton said.
"Getting the chance to race in Europe against some of the best young drivers in the world will be invaluable for their careers - whether they continue to race overseas or bring back that knowledge and experience they gained to further their career in the US.
"We've had Memo Gidley and Andy Lally drive for us in the past and you never know what opportunities may arise for these guys at Patrón Highcroft Racing in years to come. I will be keeping an eye on their progress."
ONLINE PATRÓN HIGHCROFT STORE NOW OPEN
Patrón Highcroft Racing fans can now celebrate the team's outstanding 2009 American Le Mans Series season with a visit to the team's new online store.
Fans can purchase an extensive range of merchandise including t-shirts, hats, team shirts, model cars and collectibles.
Support the team by wearing the same team gear as Scott Sharp and David Brabham as they fight for the American Le Mans Series Championship with the Acura ARX-02a.
Some of the highlights of the new range include a stylish range of Patrón Highcroft Racing fashion t-shirts and hoodies. Kids won't be disappointed either - there is a great selection of Highcroft-branded attire - all available at http://highcroftracingstore.com/
ACURA ARX-02a 1/43rd SCALE MODEL NOW AVAILABLE
The 1/43rd scale model of Patrón Highcroft Racing's championship leading 2009 Acura ARX-02a car is now available.
Made by Spark Models, the new edition is the first scale model of the 2009 car which has dominated this year's American Le Mans Series.
The latest additional is available from the new team online store. Fans can now complete their Patrón Highcroft collection - the 2009 car available alongside the team's 2007 and 2008 American Le Mans Series entries.
Priced at $75 (US), the new collectible can be purchased at the store from this link.
FANS FLOCK TO NEW CAR BUILD ON YOUTUBE
Following Patrón Highcroft Racing's dramatic Petit Le Mans comeback, race fans have flocked to YouTube.com to view the time-lapse video of the build of the new Acura.
The team's championhshop hopes suffered a major setback after a crash on Thursday destroyed the team's Acura ARX-02a.
But in an outstanding effort form the team, a complete new car was build from a bare tub in less than 24 hours, enabling Scott Sharp, David Brabham and Dario Franchitti to drive from the back of the grid to sixth overall and extend the team's championship lead.
The time-lapse video begins with nothing except for a new engine placed in the middle of the work area. The following 24 hours are then captured in less than three minutes as a new photo was taken every 20 seconds to document the rebuild.
To date, the video has received more than 30,000 views on YouTube. Fans can view the dramatic fightback by the team at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzKfCIY_zfg
