Building on the momentum of a successful 2009 season that featured several at full capacity Race Weekends in both the Skip Barber Race Series and Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Challenge and a down-to-the-wire championship in the latter, the 2009-2010 Skip Barber Southern and Western F2000 Race Series and the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Challenge South and West seasons begin in October.

“With the economy where it was at the beginning of the year, we weren't surprised that both summer series got off to a slow start,” said Todd Snyder, Vice President of Competition at Skip Barber. “But by Watkins Glen in late May things began to pick up, with the F2000 weekend at Mont Tremblant in July, Road America in August and Lime Rock next weekend ultimately being sellouts. That trend looks to continue for the South and West this year.”

The Southern F2000 Race Series and MAZDASPEED Challenge South open at Carolina Motorsports Park the weekend of October 24-25 and end the weekend of April 9-10 at Sebring International Raceway. The Western F2000 Race Series and MAZDASPEED Challenge West kick off October 31-November 1 and end April 2-3 back at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The two series meet for a pair of combined weekends during the season; the South hoststhe West January 23-24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway while the West hosts the South March 13-14 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

With exception of the two “cross-over” weekends and the traditional Big Weekend in February at Sebring, the Southern and Western will run the popular “condensed” Race Weekend format, with Lapping on Friday, Practice and Qualifying on Saturday, and two races on Sunday.Now beginning its 35th year, the Skip Barber Race Series is the largest and oldest continuously operating open-wheel “arrive and drive” amateur championship in North America. Each year, hundreds of drivers take part in exciting, fun and hassle-free racing in the identically-prepared open-wheel Skip Barber Formula 2000 cars of the Skip Barber F2000 Race Series and/or the Mazda Miata-based MX-5 Cup sports cars of the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Challenge.

For more information on the upcoming season, please visit www.skipbarber.com/raceseries, or call (800) 221-1131.