Skip Barber Racing School has announced that this year's 17th Annual Karting Scholarship Shootout will be held Oct. 15-18 at Virginia International Raceway.

For an entry fee of $3,000, the next generation of racecar drivers will have the opportunity  to learn about racing open-wheel formula cars, what it takes to be a complete driver and to compete for scholarships for the 2013 Skip Barber Racing School race season. Observed by a panel of motorsports experts, 50 karters will be coached as they go through a series of tests both on and off the racetrack.

The expert panel will evaluate each driver on:
  • On-track performance
  • Off-track presentation and business plan
  • Effective listening and ability to apply feedback
Participants will also take part in the following seminars:
  • Media Training
  • Driver Development
  • Sponsorship
  • Physical Fitness
Competitors will also gain exposure from the event, with constant media coverage of the shootout.

The Karting Scholarship Shootout is exclusively for karters with no professional auto racing experience and no Skip Barber Racing School race event experience. Racers who do not meet the requirements, explained in detail in the chart below, can elect to participate in the Skip Barber Racing School Summer or Winter Race Series to qualify for the Championship Shootout, which will be held at Road Atlanta on Dec. 14-16.

By limiting the field to strictly karters, Skip Barber Racing School returns to the core commitment of providing scholarship opportunities for karters to advance to professional racing via the Skip Barber Racing School ladder and also the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development ladder. An integral part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development ladder and the Mazda Road to Indy, Skip Barber Racing School allows racers to  advance through its system of race schools and race series with the possibility  of earning scholarships to move up to the next level at the conclusion of each championship.

The winner of the Karting Scholarship Shootout will receive a full scholarship to compete in the full 2013 Skip Barber Race Series of their choice. The other top four drivers will receive scholarship funds to compete in 2013 Skip Barber Race Series events.

At the end of the year, competitors of the Race Series will have the opportunity to participate in the Skip Barber Race Series Championship Shootout, with the grand prize being a scholarship to compete in the full USF2000 race season funded by Mazda. The Skip Barber Race Series Championship Shootout is also open to all racers who have taken part in four Skip Barber Racing School race weekends in the calendar year leading up to the shootout. The cost of entry is $8,500.

Karting Scholarship Shootout Awards:

1st place: Full Season in the Skip Barber Racing School Mazda 2012-2013 Winter or 2013 Summer Series
2nd place: $25,000 Race Series Scholarship
3rd place: $20,000 Race Series Scholarship
4th place: $15,000 Race Series Scholarship
5th place: $10,000 Race Series Scholarship

All scholarships funds are spread out over each race event throughout the course of the 2013 season, and cannot be applied to only a few select events. Prizes are non-transferrable and the awards are subject to event rules, available at skipbarber.com.