TR: Carl Skerlong Utah summary

Skerlong on-track with Miller Motorsports Park results

Mukilteo, Washington (May 23, 2006) - Carl Skerlong added another victory to his impressive 2006 tally at the weekend, May 20th-21st, as he collected his seventh straight win in the Formula TR 2000 Series in Round 7 at Miller Motorsports Park, Utah. The 17-year-old Washington-native followed up Saturday's win with a third place podium finish in Round 8 to further extend his lead at the top of the championship standings to 67-points over Sunday's first-time race winner, Dominic Scheer.

Skerlong's weekend began with learning the substantial 4.486-mile full- course configuration at the all-new Miller Motorsports Park just outside Salt Lake City. Quickly up to speed in his Odyssey Motorsports Formula Renault 2.0, the reigning Formula TR 1600 Champion parked himself at the top of the timesheets in Round 7 qualifying on Saturday morning with a lap time 1.6 seconds faster than his fellow front-row starter Dustin Welch.

Victory in Round 7 was far from a fore-gone conclusion as the race started with a frantic sprint down Miller's 3500-foot main-straight. Skerlong dropped down to fifth as the pack funneled through the first turn but he skillfully picked off the opposition to climb back to second by the end of the opening lap. Lap four finally saw Carl make his move on race-leader Dustin Welch having calmly reeled him in. A brief off by Welch allowed Skerlong his chance and he duly seized it to take the lead and subsequently the victory.

Sunday proved to be less fruitful for Carl with a third place effort in Round 8 qualifying marking the first time this season he failed to capture pole position and the accompanying two bonus points. Pole-sitter Dominic Scheer would go on to convert his start line advantage into his first win while behind him, an uncharacteristic error from Skerlong resulted in a spin allowing John Knudsen to pass for second place. Forced to settle for third at the end of the 10-lap run, Carl picked up fastest lap for the second day running while his weekend's efforts ensured he maintains a significant lead over second-place Scheer in the points battle.

Reflecting on events on-track in Utah Carl remarked:

"I made bad starts in both races but was able to get back up into the thick of things including Saturday's win. The second race was looking close between Dominic and me but I just drove it in too hard at one turn and lost the rear end which forced the spin. I still finished on the podium and I'm pleased with the points picked up at Miller Motorsports Park."

Carl returns to action next month in Rounds 9 and 10 of the Formula TR 2000 Series at the Reno-Fernley Raceway, in Nevada, June 24th-25th - www.formulatr.com

-www.cskerlong.com (Coming Soon)