Skip Barber professional development series publishes 2007 schedule

LAKEVILLE, Conn. The Skip Barber National has released its 2007 schedule, a seven-weekend, 14-race championship that opens mid-March at the Mobil 1 12-Hours of Sebring. Six of the seven National events – there are two 30-minute races per weekend – are in support of big spectator shows: one with Champ Car, two with Grand-Am, one with ALMS, a NASCAR Busch East round and one with the emergent NASA street stock series.

Also, as part of the just-announced long term partnership between Skip Barber Racing and Mazda North American Operations, the 2007 champion of the Skip Barber National will be awarded a full season in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Â- a significant increase in value from the $100,000 Career Enhancement Award of years past. And arguably the single most valuable reward offered by any development series in the world.

Todd Snyder, vice president of racing for Skip Barber, said, “The National already has a solid reputation for introducing and developing star talent to the racing world," citing A.J. Allmendinger, Scott Speed and Marco Andretti as the most recent proof. “Drivers succeeding on the Mazda ladder that now starts with Skip Barber, stepping up to Star Mazda and then the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, is an incredibly efficient, not to mention exciting, system for developing the next generation of racing stars."

In addition, for the first time in the National’s nine-year history, there will be a separately scored Masters championship for drivers 40 and older (similar to the Star Mazda system). Details on the Masters Division prize fund will be published soon.

2007 Skip Barber National schedule Seven double-race weekends

Rounds 1 & 2, March 14-16, Sebring International Raceway with ALMS
Rounds 3 & 4, April 26-29, Virginia International Raceway with Grand-Am
Rounds 5 & 6, June 22-24, Cleveland Grand Prix with Champ Car World Series
Rounds 7 & 8, August 3-5, Road America with NASA
Rounds 9 & 10, August 16-18, Lime Rock Park with NASCAR Busch East
Rounds 11 & 12, September 14-16, Miller Motorsports Park with Grand-Am
Rounds 13 & 14, TBA