BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda

What was first organized in 1999 as a one-off championship race for the “best of the best” of Skip Barber’s four Regional Race Series – a race run at Lime Rock Park and won by IndyCar driver Ryan Hunter-Reay – is now the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda; a 14-race entry-level professional championship positioned as the primary stepping stone for young drivers transitioning from karting and club racing into the upper reaches of professional motorsports.

The BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda is part of the comprehensive MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder, with its champion earning a fully-funded season in the following year’s Cooper Tires Presents the USF 2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda. The ladder continues to include the Star Mazda Championship and the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. Skip Barber National drivers are also eligible to participate in the newly announced “Road to Indy” driver development system that includes USF 2000 and Star Mazda followed by Firestone Indy Lights and ultimately the IZOD IndyCar Series.

The BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda races in support of professional open-wheel and sports car championships. The National is contested with the same Formula Skip Barber race car driven in the Skip Barber Race Series, but fitted with BFGoodrich g-Force R1 racing slicks. To ensure a level playing field, the cars are tested then tuned prior to each race weekend to perform within a specific performance window then weight-equalized to account for the size and build of each driver in the field.

The BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda is the series that launched the auto racing careers of IndyCar drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay (1999 National Champion), Raphael Matos (2003 National Champion) and Marco Andretti (2004 National Champion), NASCAR Sprint Cup driver A.J. Allmendinger and Scott Speed, and Walter Hayes Trophy winners Conor Daly (2008 National Champion) and Connor DePhillippi (2009 National Champion). Prior to the inception of the National, Skip Barber’s system was the starting point for the careers of drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Simmons, Townsend Bell and Bryan Herta.

SKIP BARBER CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

The Skip Barber Cup Championship is a separate class running with the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda. Named in honor of company founder and former owner Skip Barber, the Skip Barber Cup Championship is open to drivers aged 26 and older who would like to race against the younger drivers at the marquee events offered in the 2010 National schedule, but are not eligible for the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development system. Skip Barber Cup drivers will compete for a separate championship and prize fund to be announced later.