SALINAS, Calif. -- The 15th Annual Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout kicked off yesterday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Twenty two karters came together at the legendary facility for a day dedicated to safety, courtesy of the FIA Motorsports Safety Development Fund. Drivers participated in a series of modules including sliding recoveries on the skid pad, highway safety discussion, and an auto cross session. Through these sessions, karters were able to not only improve on their everyday driving skills but also learn new, safer driving techniques.

Motorsports legend Derek Daly held a seminar, coaching the young racers on what it takes to be the overall champion, both on and off the track. “The seminar was really interesting,” said karter Parker Nicklin. “It really makes you think about all the types of drivers. It gave me a whole new perspective.”

With communicative skills also being taken into consideration, each karter had a mock interview with Bob Varsha and Jeremy Shaw, two incredibly well-known figures in motorsports communications. “Bob Varsha may be the most well-known and well recognized personality in motorsports,” said karter Nova Brown, “and he’s the nicest guy in the world. I felt relaxed, I felt comfortable. My answers were serious but to the point and concise.”

Karters finished the day with a session on the Skip Barber Racing School super autocross in the Formula Skip Barber 2000 race car—the first time in the car for many of the karters. The clouds came and it started to rain as the session came to a close.

Today, the karters will attend seminars by Bob Varsha and Jeremy Shaw, MAZDASPEED Motorsports Communications Officer Dean Case, and Skip Barber alumni and ALMS driver Gerardo Bonilla. The afternoon will be spent on track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the Formula Skip Barber 2000. Joining the competition will be nine Skip Barber Racing School racers, competing in the Race Series Champion Shootout, with prizes to compete in another season in the Skip Barber Race Series.

About Skip Barber Racing School
For 36 years, Skip Barber Racing School LLC, has been the leader in training motorsport legends of the future through entry-level, equal car championships. The athletes are given media exposure, expert coaching, on-track arrive-and-drive experience, financial awards and motorsport scholarships. Skip Barber Racing School launched the auto racing careers of Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Scott Speed, Jeff Gordon, A.J. Allmendinger, Raphael Matos, Conor Daly, Spencer Pigot and many more.

Follow the action all season long on twitter.com/SkipBarberNatl and on skipbarber.com.