Officially halfway through the 2011 season, the contention for the champion title remains open for the 2011 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National presented by Mazda. The next doubleheader event in the equal-car championship takes place this week at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. As with the previous event at Road America last month, the draft on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course will play a crucial role in adding to the strategic element to the on track action for Rounds 9 and 10.
With three wins and five podiums, 22-year-old Scott Anderson currently holds a two-point lead over 18-year-old Brandon Newey who currently has two wins and six podiums. Close behind and sitting comfortably third in the standings is MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver Trent Hindman who is the only driver to place in the top five for all eight rounds. This week, expect to see strong battles over the fourth through seventh spots in the standings, as Thomas McGregor, MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver Danilo Estrela, Sebastian Ordonez and Shelby Blackstock all sit within just 17 points of each other.
The Skip Barber National racers will be racing in conjunction with the Skip Barber Summer Formula Series and the MAZDASPEED Challenge. Session times will not be time certain, so keep up with all the action on twitter.com/skipbarbernatl.The first lapping session will take place Wednesday, July 20, and the first official practice session will be Thursday, July 21.