Daniel Lloyd will make the transition from saloon car action to single-seater competition this year after being invited across the Atlantic to contest the 2010 BF Goodrich/Skip Barber National Championship presented by Mazda.
Renowned as one of the UK’s top young karters prior to his graduation to car racing in the 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship, the Scammonden-based driver immediately underlined his ability during his debut season with three race victories. Stepping-up to the ELF Renault Clio Cup last year, Daniel again proved his credentials by becoming 2009 Winter Cup Champion.
Evaluating all options for his 2010 motor racing programme, the 17-year-old has now settled on the decision to compete in the Skip Barber National Championship. Daniel, and his manager Tim Sugden, believe the choice to race in the single-seater category will lead to greater career opportunities while also allowing him to establish an even stronger reputation as a true emerging star of the race track.
“This is a really exciting development for my career”, said Daniel, “My aim is to become a professional racing driver at the highest level possible and that’s why we’ve taken the decision to race in the Skip Barber National Championship in America this year.
“There are currently many more opportunities in the States to open doors than in the UK, plus we’ve been offered a very attractive deal by the guys at Skip Barber to join them. It’s undoubtedly going to be a tough challenge to switch from saloons to single-seaters but I’m really looking forward to it and I’m confident in my ability to progress quickly.”
Although having never driven a single-seater race car to date, Daniel isn’t at all fazed by the challenge awaiting him. In order to familiarise himself ahead of his competitive Skip Barber debut, the West Yorkshire youngster will conduct a test in a Formula Ford in the coming weeks before heading to the States for the opening two rounds of the Skip Barber National Championship.
Homestead Miami Speedway in Florida will host the season-opening event just under four weeks from now on 5th/6th/7th March where the category will act as support to the high-profile Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series at the 2.3-mile road course. In total, 14 races will be contested throughout the year with two rounds at each event.
The BF Goodrich/Skip Barber National Championship presented by Mazda is a key rung on the national motor racing ladder in America and has been the career starting point for a huge number of today’s top professional racers – including NASCAR’s A.J. Allmendinger, multiple Grand Prix winner and Indy 500 victor Juan Pablo Montoya and fellow Indy winners Kenny Brack and Helio Castroneves.
More recently, the last two Skip Barber Champions – Conor Daly and Connor De Phillippi – went on to win the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy race in the UK while Josef Newgarden, the 2008 Skip Barber National Championship runner-up, became last year’s UK Formula Ford ‘Rookie of the Year’.
Daniel Lloyd – Driver Profile
Nationality: BritishLives: Scammonden, Huddersfield, West YorkshireDate of Birth: 4th March 1992Age: 17
Occupation: Production Assistant/Racing DriverSponsors: Propack
Career Highlights2009:
ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup Champion;ELF Renault Clio Cup – 11th overall with best result of fifth position, three other top six results and eight more top 10 finishes; also named ‘Driver of the Day’ on two occasions
2008:
Ginetta Junior Championship – 4th overall in debut car racing season with three wins, two other podiums and one pole position
2007:
KF2 & Junior Rotax Karting Championships: ABkC Winter Series – 3rd during opening round;Kart Masters Grand Prix – 3rd overall;Winner of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship
2006:
Junior Rotax Karting:BRDC Stars of Tomorrow Championship – 3rd overall;British Super 1 Championship = 4th overall
2005:
Junior Max Karting:BRDC Stars of Tomorrow Championship – 5th overall;British Super 1 Championship – 15th overall;Winner of the Wigan Gold Cup
2004:
Mini Max Karting:South Yorkshire Kart Club Vice-Champion;Trent Valley Kart Club Championship – 5th overall
2003:
Karting debut
