Junior Open Wheel Talent

Danilo Estrela (58) battles Jack Mitchell, Jr. (75) during Round 5 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Photo by Kelly Brouillet | Skip Barber)

Danilo Estrela didn’t open the 2012 Skip Barber Winter Series season the way he had hoped.

Far from it.

Uncharacteristic mistakes during early rounds put the young Brazilian behind in the championship . This past weekend, however, he proved the early miscues were indeed uncharacteristic and earned two wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway for a clean sweep of Rounds 5 and 6.

In Round 5 Nicholas Latifi set the fastest qualifying lap with a 1:33.206. Estrela started second and Jack Mitchell Jr. lined up third. Following an early battle with Mitchell Jr., Estrela escaped the competition for his first win of the season.

Jake Eidson finished runner-up with rookie points leader Nick Neri in third. Neri was later relegated to fifth following a 20-second post-race penalty for avoidable contact with Mitchell. Series’ newcomer Leonardo Jafet filled the final podium spot.

With restored confidence following the Round 5 win, Estrela dominated the weekend’s second race after starting from pole position. At the checkered, he led Mitchell by eight seconds. But, Mitchell put on a clinic of his own by driving from 15to to 2nd during the race. Additionally, he clocked a 1:33.693 for the fastest lap. Mitchell’s weekend also included this.

Jafet capped off a solid weekend by finishing third for his second straight podium. Neri was forced to retire while battling near the front on Lap 3 when his rear wing came off. In the end, he was classified 19th.

Thanks to a second-place and a fourth-place finish, Eidson took over the points lead with 174 points. Neri trails by 11 and Mitchell Jr. is 14 points back.

The Skip Barber Winter Series returns to action February 18-19 at Sebring International Raceway for Rounds 7-8 of the championship.

For up-to-date news and views on karting and junior formula racing follow @JOWT on Twitter or follow on Facebook.

The title of the video really says it all.

Jump onboard for a ride with Jack Mitchell Jr. in the Skip Barber Winter Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Take special notice of Mitchell’s threshold braking at the 54 second mark of the video where he advances from sixth to first in the final corner.  Enjoy.

Sebastian Ordonez (86) and Trent Hindman (36) bring the field to the green flag for Round 13 of the 2011 National Championship at Autobahn County Club in Joliet, Ill. (Photo: Kelly Brouillet)

Skip Barber Racing released its 2012 Formula Skip Barber Summer Series schedule today. The calendar features 10 doubleheader race weekends at eight venues.

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Danilo Estrela (4) leads Nick Neri (7), Jake Eidson (46) and the rest of the field through the Corkscrew on his way to victory in Round 3 at Mazda Raceway. (Photo: Debbie Ebalobo, courtesy of Skip Barber)

Several drivers have been honing their skills this off-season in the Skip Barber Winter Series and will continue to do so over the coming months.

Thankfully, the dreadful non-racing months are no longer wholly encompassed with bench racing. Drivers are actively prepping for 2012. The following is a brief update on the Skip Barber Winter Series.

Round 1-2

The Series opened midway through November with two races at Road Atlanta. Two extremely talented up-and-coming drivers earned a trip to victory lane despite fierce competition from other junior open-wheel talent.

Nick Neri — runner-up in the 2011 Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout — picked up his first career open-wheel win on the 12-turn, 2.5-mile undulating Georgia circuit. Neri passed pole-sitter Danilo Estrela under hard-braking into Turn 10a on Lap 8. The two would trade the point five times until Estrela suffered an off in the closing laps. Jake Eidson clocked the fastest lap of the race en route to second place at the checkered flag. Azim Gandhi worked his way from 18th to sixth-place, improving 12 spots.

The second race of the weekend presented onlookers with an equally competitive battle for supremacy. After running at the front and then suffering an untimely demise from the opening race (due to a mechanical issue), Jack Mitchell Jr. proved he belongs at the sharp-end of the field by surviving a multi-car battle for the race win. Mitchell Jr., Estrela (2nd), Eidson (3rd), and Neri (4th) all took their turn at the front before the checkered flag waved. Estrela picked up seven spots in his charge to second-place.

Round 3-4

On Dec. 10-11 the drivers traveled West to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2011-12 Winter Series. Estrela dominated the opening race by snaring pole and later leading every lap of Round 4 on the prestigious 11-turn circuit. Finishing second was newcomer Adrian Starrantino, who proved his mettle by edging Neri and Mitchell Jr. at the stripe. Starrantino clocked the fastest lap of the 16-lap race (140.510) under cloudy skies.

In Round 4, Mitchell Jr. returned to the top-spot after repeatedly swapping the lead with Neri. Eidson was third with Starrantino fifth. Thanks to his consistency, Neri leads the drivers’ championship with 125 points after four races. Eidson is second, trailing by 11 points with Jack Mitchell Jr. (-13) in third.

The drivers return to action for Rounds 5 and 6 on Jan. 21-22 and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

For up-to-date news and views on karting and junior formula racing follow @JOWT on Twitter, or follow on Facebook.

2012 Skip Barber Shootout Particpants at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo: Kelly Brouillet - Skip Barber Racing)

Editor’s Note: I’m trying something new this week. Prior to this year’s Skip Barber Karting Scholarship I asked friend and driver coach Steve Welk if he was heading to the shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and if he would be interested in writing a guest post on JuniorOpenWheelTalent.com. He gladly accepted the invitation and you can read his submission below. His piece starts out with a day-by-day description of the shootout and ends with some interesting thoughts on a few of the competitors. It should be noted that while Steve coached for Skip Barber Racing, he was not working for Skip Barber last weekend but was coaching eventual winner Tristan DeGrand and Andrew Hobbs — which he is up front about in his intro. Enjoy.

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By: Steve Welk – President of Linear Sport Motorsports Management

A little background on myself / disclaimer, I have been involved in motorsport since the age of eight which puts me at the 20-year mark this year.  In 2003 I began instructing with the Skip Barber Racing School then formed Linear Sport in 2005. I decided to end my own driving career in 2008 to focus solely on driver development.  I work individually with drivers from karting through the upper levels of junior formula car racing and coached drivers Tristan DeGrand and Andrew Hobbs at this year’s Shootout.

The 2011 edition of the Skip Barber Scholarship Shootout was another very well run event that should be on any driver’s agenda if they plan on making the transition from karts to cars.  Regardless if a driver comes away with a scholarship (sometimes even more so if you don’t), the knowledge gained about the realities of motorsport is invaluable.

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Scholarship winners with Skip Barber Racing School CEO Michael Culver
(Photo: Kelly Brouillet)

Skip Barber Racing announced its 2011 scholarships Monday morning, following the 15th Annual Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. For those who asked about prize specifics, here they are:

Related Reading:

• 2011 Skip Barber Scholarship Shootout Entry List
• Tristan DeGrand and Danilo Estrela win Skip Barber Scholarship Shootout

For up-to-date news and views on junior formula racing follow @JOWT on Twitter or follow on Facebook.

Drivers were introduced to the Skip Barber formula car on an infield autocross course prior to pedaling their way around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the 2011 Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout.
(Photo: Kelly Brouillet)

Tristan DeGrand topped 22 other karters to win the 2011 Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout and Danilo Estrela bested the Skip Barber Race Champions at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

After four days of seminars and observation — both in and out of the car — the drivers gathered in the Laguna Seca infield for the announcement.

The judges’ decision didn’t come quickly with several participants sparking their own Twitter trend by hashtagging #NerveRacking as they awaited the big announcement.

While only two were chosen for the top-prize in their respective competition, several other drivers qualified for a scholarship. Per the Skip Barber organization, 17 of the 30 participants will leave Montery with a scholarship.

DeGrand, 15, and Estrela, 18, are both guaranteed a funded season in a Skip Barber Race Series for 2012. The specifics on the remaining prizes will be released in an official statement by Skip Barber Racing tomorrow.

For up-to-date news and views on junior formula racing follow @JOWT on Twitter or follow on Facebook.

Skip Barber Racing released its 2011 Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout and Race Champions Shootout entry list yesterday. The Karting Shootout has 22 entries, while the Champions Shootout has nine.

The scholarship competition will take place on Nov. 3-6, 2011, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The entrants will be competing for $245,200 worth of seat time in various Skip Barber Racing Series.

The average age of entrants in the Karting Shootout is 15.91 years with the Race Champions averaging 16.22 years of age.

Three years ago, I wrote a piece about the number of drivers who are 15 years of age or younger and competing for the prestigious Skip Barber Karting Scholarship.

Here is a closer look at some actual numbers…

Percentage of Drivers Age 15 or Younger

2011- 50% (11 drivers) with the youngest being 13 years of age.
2010- 39.47% (15 drivers) with the youngest being 14 years of age.
2009- 35.14% (13 drivers) with the youngest being 13 years of age.
2008- 20.00% (10 drivers) with the youngest being 13 years of age.
2007- 29.41% (15 drivers) with the youngest being 12 years of age.
2006- 24.49% (12 drivers) with the youngest being 13 years of age.
2005- 17.02% (8 drivers) with the youngest being 13 years of age.

Make the jump to see the full 2011 Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout and Race Champions entry list…

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Scott Anderson pilots the No. 59 car around the Autobahn Country Club earlier this season.
(Photo: Jim Altemus)

In March, Scott Anderson opened his Skip Barber National season with a pole and a fourth-place finish at Sebring. This past weekend, while racing at Lime Rock Park, he switched things up from the season-opener; starting fourth and finishing first in the Series’ season-finale.

It was the perfect end to a championship-winning season for the 22-year-old Colorado native. Scott Anderson is the 2011 Skip Barber National Champion and will now look to move up the motorsports ladder. He finished his sophomore campaign with six victories, four pole positions and 12 podium finishes.

As a reward for his performance, Anderson will receive a scholarship to compete in the 2012 USF2000 National Championship as well as a test with Bryan Herta’s Indy Lights team.

Earlier in the weekend, 35-year-old Gerardo Bonilla proved he still has the ability to pilot a race car fast. Incredibly fast. Bonilla, who serves as a junior formula driver coach, topped Danilo Estrela (+0.986 seconds) and Sebastian Ordonez (+1.299) to win Round 15. Anderson and Franco Aragones rounded out the fast five. Estrela was credited with the National win as Bonilla is a Skip Barber Cup driver.

In the season-finale, Round 16, Anderson had to fight his way up to the front from fourth. Ordonez didn’t make it easy for the champion, trading the top-spot lap-after-lap. When the checkered flag waved, however, it was Anderson followed by Trent Hindman (who started from pole in Round 15) and Ordonez (pole sitter for Round 16). Bonilla was fourth with Brandon Newey completing the top-five.

Following the completion of the 16-race season, the drivers gathered for the annual awards ceremony.

For up-to-date news and views on junior formula racing follow @JOWT on Twitter or follow on Facebook.

Sebastian Ordonez (86) and Trent Hindman (36) bring the field to the green flag for Round 13 of the 2011 National Championship at Autobahn County Club in Joliet, Ill.
(Photo: Kelly Brouillet, Courtesy of Skip Barber Racing School)

Trent Hindman found victory lane in Round 13 after starting second and Sebastian Ordonez did the same on Sunday in Round 14 at Autobahn County Club in Joliet, Illinois.

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