The Skip Barber Racing School Winter Series presented by Mazda will start the 2012-2013 season at Road Atlanta this weekend. Debuting alongside the season-opener will be Skip Barber Racing School's Winter Core Coaches that will develop the next wave of champions in racing.With more than 250 years of collective professional driving experience, the group will have experience racing with IMSA, NASCAR, NHRA, SCCA, Skip Barber Racing School, Grand-Am Cup, Firestone Firehawk Series and more. Skip Barber Racing School is proud to have such an experienced group professionals for the upcoming season. The instructors and a brief bio are below in alphabetical order.Nick AndriesNick started racing karts at an early age and won the TAG - Florida Karting Championship Series  and the Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout. He started racing with Skip Barber Race Series in 2009 and started racing in Star Mazda 2010. In 2011, Nick finished his first full season in Star Mazda; taking a season-high seven podium finishes (including four second-place finishes), two fastest races laps and a pole to claim third in the Driver's Championship while helping Team Pelfrey secure the Team Championship in its first season of operation.Pete ArgetsingerPete was chief instructor at the Brands Hatch Racing School in England for 11 years. A one-time British Formula Ford champion, as a factory FFord driver for Royale he set a lap record at Hockenheimring in the European championship and won the Kentagon FF title based at Brands Hatch. In the U.S., Pete won the IMSA Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in a Porsche, and in Grand-Am set a track record at Homestead and won at Watkins Glen. In 2007, he entered into the Grand-Am Koni Challenge series with Regional Race Series stand-out Tim George. He has also racing in IMSA Camel GTP Series in a Lola T616 and Formula Three at Monaco.

Stephan Bastrzycki

Pronounced "STEFF-on ba-STRICK-ee" A Skip Barber instructor since 1995, Stephans also taught for Saab, Bentley, Volvo, Chevy, Jaguar, BMW, the Alfa Owners Club and Ford Like many of our instructors, hes done a bunch of TV and film work: Stunt driver for Nickelodeon television shows and NESNs Wait Til This Year movie about the Red Sox From 2000 to 2003 Stephan raced in SCCA World Challenge and was noted as the fastest qualifier of all the Honda drivers. Before that he was a race winner and two-time championship runner-up in SCCA IT and S Showroom Stock. Stephan is also a test-driver for the MX-5 Regional and Pro Challenge Series.

Casey Carden

Casey grew up in Braselton, Georgia right down the road from Road Atlanta.  His career began in karting where a few championships led him to racing formula cars in SCCA competition.  He competed for several successful years regionally and nationally in Formula Mazda.  In addition to formula car racing, Casey has experience driving in many endurance races in cars ranging for Trans-Am style cars to MX-5 Cup cars. Caseys passion for working with others led to a job instructing at Skip Barber in 2008 and he hasnt looked back. He currently serves as the Regional Chief Instructor for the Southeast and the race series Pit Lane Coordinator.

Steve DeBrechtA lifelong student of racing, Stevie D. attended his first SCCA race in Wentzville, Mo., 1963. More than 30 years behind the wheel, more like 40 if you count stealing the keys at night. First "legit" competition was in 1976, with his killer 69 Datsun 510 Two-time SCCA Midwest Division Champion in GT-4 and GT-5 Met Chief Instructor Terry Lee Earwood when co-driving with Dorsey Schroeder in the IMSA Firehawk street-stock wars in the mid-80s. The rest as they say, is history. Ive been sliding down that long slippery slope ever since!Won a bunch of Firehawk races, but one of the best was in 1988 when, co-driving with Earwood in a Dodge Daytonathe first time that model was raced -- they beat everyone despite starting DFL (engine management issues in qualifying).

Terry Earwood

Terry is the winningest driver in the history of the Firestone Firehawk Endurance Series (which became Grand-Am Cup/Koni Challenge) 1996 Touring National Champion It was Terry Lee who brought Driving School curriculum to Skip Barber in 1984, based on a curriculum he designed for the Georgia State Police He started racing years ago, but it wasnt road racing -- it was drag racing. He was the 1973 NHRA Super Stock National Champion (in an SS/EA 1971 Hemi Cuda). Numerous Drag Racing National and Regional event wins, three Regional autocross championships... Inducted in the NHRA Southeastern Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1996 and the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame, in 2002.Don Kutschall Dancin' Don won his first trophies, though not his last, racing karts in 1959 in Mansfield, Ohio and began racing at Mid-Ohio shortly after it was built in 1964. He continued racing Karts winning numerous state and territorial championships until 1967.   After pursuing a career in dance, he returned to racing in the mid-1980s and won Rookie-of-the-Year in SCCA Western York and the Skip Barber Mid-West Series in 1988 racing Formula Fords.  While driving various open wheel, sports racers and vintage cars he ran his first Firestone Firehawk race in 1989 with Alfa Romeo and continued in the series finishing full seasons in 1996 and 1997.  In 1990 Don became a Skip Barber Instructor and was site manager at Sebring and Lime Rock for SBRS in 1998-2001.  Don continues as a lead instructor for SBRS and conducts numerous programs for auto manufacturers and tire companies.  Over the past decade he has coached in the Ferrari Challenge, been a private coach for many young and established drivers and been in demand for helping test and setup race  cars. Along with Terry Earwood, Don is a Master EVOC instructor who trains police in vehicle dynamics and driving techniques.  Don is pleased to be a Core Instructor for the SBRS Winter Series for 2012-2013.

John Murphy

John is not only a NASCAR Busch East competitor, but was also a National SCCA Atlantic race winner and champion John was also the SCCA Northeast Regional champion in Formula Continental in the late 1990s. John is also a test-driver for the MX-5 Regional and Pro Challenge Series.

RB StewingEverybody pronounces Rocket Boys last name STEWing, but its really STEEwing. Regardless, R.B. is another SBRS superstar whos done it all, from starting as a mechanic to winning the Eastern Series championship. R.B. has had everyone from Paul Newman and Tom Cruise to Tommy Lee and Meat Loaf as racing school students Hes done stunt work for TV and movies, too.

Rene Villenueve

Born in the United States to a family with strong roots in Canada, Ren grew up in the U.S.A, Canada and France. Following his dream, Ren started racing in 1987 when he attended the Spenard-David Racing School in Canada run by Richard Spenarda popular and former teammate of Gilles Villeneuve in Formula Atlantic Since then, Ren has raced a multitude of cars, from FF1600 and Barber Saab to F3, endurance touring cars and big-bomber Corvette C5-Rseven Caterhams and million-dollar vintage Ferrarisall over the world! In the last 5 years Rene has competed is the Grand-Am Rolex Series and is currently competing in the American Le Mans Series. Keith WattsKeith has raced everything from late-model dirts and A.S.A. to Formula Fords and Barber-Reynards, and has won a lot of races in the Race Series Keith is also a much-in-demand "driver for hire" in vintage sports car racing He is often the pit lane coordinator, an extremely important job during Race Series weekends.

Kris Wilson

Beginning his racing life as a Jim Russell mechanic at the old Riverside Raceway, before long he was winning races In 1988 Kris finished second in the Formula Mazda seriesand was named Rookie of the Year. He won the Horizon Driver Search in 1993 which got him a paid ride in USAC/SCCA Formula Ford 2000. He finished fifth in the championship in 1993 and was awarded Rookie of the Year honors... By the mid-1990s he was in the Firehawk Showroom Stock series and in his first year, won five races (and yes, was named Rookie of the Year!) Recently Kris has been racing ALMS and Grand-Am prototypes and since 2004 has been competing in Grand-Am Cup Kris is noted as one of the test drivers for the Racing School and the Race Series.Bob ZiegelBob has been closely associated with Skip Barber Racing since, well, the very beginning! He won the first-ever Race Series event (Connecticuts Thompson Speedway, 1976) and a look at his mantle would show not only an astounding 100+ wins but also an Overall Championship, three Masters titles, at least 15 years of race and championship finishes in the top three Bob was the 1970 SCCA New England and NARCC Formula Ford Champion Babson College Sports Car Club Driver of the Year, 1962-63 Bob took the pole at the SCCA Runoffs in 1967 in his MGA vs Bob Sharp and his factory-sponsored Datsun.For live updates, follow all the action on Twitter (@RaceSkipBarber) and Skip Barber Racing School Facebook page for updates throughout the weekend.2012-2013 Skip Barber Presents the Mazda Winter Series ScheduleNovember 9-11, Road Atlanta, Braselton, GADecember 6-8, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, CA January 17-20, Homestead-Miami Speedway Road Course, FL February 13-17, Sebring International Raceway Full Course, FLMarch 8-10, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, CA April 4-6, Sebring International Raceway Full Course, FL