Skip Barber Racing School is proud to have trained champions in motorsports for 38 years. That proud tradition continues with 2006 Racing School Graduate and 2008 Karting Scholarship Shootout Champion Connor de Phillippi (pictured left next to Nick Andries, another talented Skip Barber Racing School graduate) has earned one of two Porsche Junior Scholarships for the 2013 racing season.
After an extensive selection process, De Phillippi came out on top against young drivers from all over the world to be chosen as one of the newest Porsche Juniors.
Factors taken into account during the selection process were fitness, mental strength, and technical understanding. At the finale at the Autodromo Vallelunga in Italy, the best six candidates had to prove they could work alongside engineers, drive consistent times over a race distance, as well as underline their speed in qualifying laps on fresh tires.
"The decision was a very exciting one," said Porsche Head of Racing, Hartmut Kristen. "The finalists were all on an impressive level. In order to select the two candidates with the greatest potential, our engineers carefully examined every single lap. Our current Porsche works drivers have shown that the Carrera Cup is an excellent platform for a professional international career."
De Phillippi lives in the Californian town of San Clemente south of Los Angeles. He began racing karts at the age of five, and over the course of the next nine years he notched up 21 national championships. In 2008 he made the jump to formula racing. Straightaway, he secured the title in the Skip Barber West Coast Series and became champion of the Skip Barber National Championship in 2009.
In 2010, the American with Italian roots, took the next step on the career ladder, capturing the Star Mazda Championship Rookie of the Year award with third place overall. The following season he was the series runner-up, while this past season he finished fourth in the Star Mazda title fight.
"It's unbelievable to now be a part of this program," said De Phillippi. "It's a huge step for me to now race in Europe. But as everyone knows, there is no better school in GT racing than to pit yourself against the top specialists in the Carrera Cup Deutschland. Porsche works driver Patrick Long also took this route. He is one of my biggest role model. I hope to be his teammate one day."
About Skip Barber Racing SchoolFor 38 years, Skip Barber Racing School LLC, the leader in high performance driving and racing education has operated a fully integrated system of racing schools, driving schools, racing championships, corporate events and OEM events across North America. Skip Barber Racing School is offered at more than 20 of Americas most prestigious racetracks. Skip Barber Racing School provides entry-level, equal car championships. The athletes are given media exposure, expert coaching, on-track arrive and drive experience, financial awards and motorsport scholarships. The reason many people choose to race with Skip Barber Racing is because they know it is the place where the stars of tomorrow begin their careers. The Skip Barber Racing School launched the auto racing careers of Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, A.J. Allmendinger, Raphael Matos, Spencer Pigot and many more.
