It is the most populated series in the service and sometimes we are not fully aware about Skip Barber means.
John “Skip” Barber, a former race driver, started in 1975 a project to coach a few students in his beliefs that auto racing competency was trainable. He already had won a few SCCA and Formula Ford championships and this experience leaded him to create an small infrastructure and a race series a year after.
Since the beginning, a lot of Skip Barber drivers have won every major event in US, ranging from NASCAR to Formula One and Indy 500. In addition, Skip Barber alumni won every national championships.
In 2006 Mazda replaced Dodge as automotive partner and Skip Barber National became the initial race series in the MazdaSpeed development ladder. It is the first step for all these karting drivers that are looking for something else. Scholarships and credits for the school are among the awards for the best drivers to continue the current projected ladder:
- Karting
- Skip Barber National
- US F2000
- Pro Mazda
These Skip Barber National events are held with the Formula car, same as we use in iRacing, with the following specifications:
“Weighing just 1,250 lbs., the tubular space-frame Skip Barber Formula 2000 features a 150-horsepower, four-cylinder Dodge engine. This 2.0-liter, single-overhead-cam power plant is mated to a five-speed sequential gearbox. This power-to-weight ratio results in speeds of up to 135 mph, acceleration from a standstill to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and through 100 mph in less than 10 seconds.”
Every winter/summer season has at least 6 locations, 5 of them usually are base locations for the Skip Barber Racing School; Lime Rock Park, Road Atlanta, Road America, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Sebring International Raceway. Maybe even you should know Lime Rock Park is owned and operated by John Barber.
Also, since its partnership with Mazda, the school runs the entry MX-5 Cup.
Today, Skip Barber is one of the top racing schools in the world and we are lucky to be able to enjoy this collaborative effort in our sims. We hope we’ll continue to see how these links become stronger in the next years.
PS: Barber Motorsport Park name comes from its original builder, George Barber.
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