Skip Barber Racing news 2010-02-26

Skip Barber Racing School and Bryan Herta Autosport announce partnership

Lakeville, Conn. (Feb.26): Today Skip Barber Racing School announced that it has partnered with Bryan Herta Autosport to promote the Skip Barber National series and help identify and develop talented young racing drivers.

Throughout the upcoming Firestone Indy Lights season, Bryan Herta Autosport will host drivers from the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda, giving them inside access to the team and its drivers at Indy Light race events. At the end of the season, the Skip Barber National Champion will earn a test in one of the team's Indy Lights cars at a date and location to be announced.

"Bryan Herta is a prime example of a driver who started in the Skip Barber Racing School system and worked his way up to the highest levels of motorsport. Now that he is a team owner he hasn't forgotten his roots as an up and coming driver," noted Michael Culver, Chairman and CEO for Skip Barber Racing School.

Todd Snyder, VP of Competition at Skip Barber Racing School, added "We want to thank Bryan and Steve for enabling our drivers to be embedded into their team and thus accelerate their learning and maturation."

"Having started the car chapter of my racing career with Skip Barber Racing School in 1989, I know the program works; it helped launch me," said team owner Bryan Herta. "Steve Newey, me and the rest of the race team are excited to assist Indycar's future drivers and give them a taste of racing on this level." The 2010 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda begins at Homestead-Miami Speedway the weekend of March 6-7 where it will support the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The Firestone Indy Lights season kicks off March 28th at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with the IZOD Indycar Series.

About Bryan Herta Autosport
Founded by veteran driver Bryan Herta and noted race engineer Steve Newey, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) debuted in Firestone Indy Lights competition in 2009. Herta, an accomplished racer, garnered Skip Barber Formula Ford, Barber Saab and Firestone Indy Lights championship titles prior to graduating to IndyCar competition in 1994. Amongst his career highlights is a third-place finish in the 2005 Indianapolis 500. Newey's racing career spans over 20 years and includes design and race engineering positions in Formula One and winning the 1992 Champ Car World Series title as the race engineer for Bobby Rahal. He was also instrumental in assembling both the Patrick Racing and Mo Nunn Racing teams.

About Skip Barber Racing School
For 35 years, Skip Barber Racing School LLC has operated a fully integrated system of racing schools, driving schools, racing championships, corporate events and OEM events across North America. The Skip Barber Racing School is offered at more than 20 of the most prestigious race tracks in North America, while the Skip Barber Driving School, utilizing Mazda's performance sedans and sports cars, operates at five world-famous tracks in destination locations. The Skip Barber Race Series is collectively six separate, arrive and drive equalized-car racing championships the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Challenge; two regional race series featuring race prepared Mazda MX-5 Cup race cars, three regional open-wheel amateur series in Formula Skip Barber cars, and the first rung on the Mazda open-wheel ladder system; the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda. All the series are part of Mazda's unique MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development ladder system. For 35 years we have trained many of the best racing drivers in the world. Skip Barber is THE WAY to FAST.

-source: skip barber racing