SBRS: 2006 purse announced

Skip Barber National Announces New Cash Purse for `06
Season openers are at A1GP March 10-12

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (Feb.9) The Skip Barber National Presented by RACER will award more than $150,000 in prize money for the upcoming 2006 season, which begins March 10-12 supporting the inaugural A1GP race weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The $100,000 bonus for the series champion remains, but new this year are cash awards for second-through-fifth in the final points standings. Second overall wins $20,000, third place $15,000, fourth $10,000 and fifth, $5,000.

Series Director Todd Snyder says, ``This is the best prize package in the nine-year history of the National, especially when you consider that a full seven-weekend, 14-race season still costs a driver and his/her sponsors well under $50,000.''

Rick Ratajczak, one of the series officials, commented on the A1GP opener: ``Not only is it a high-profile start to the year, it's the first of four major road racing weekends that we're supporting this year.'' (The others are VIR with Grand-Am Rolex, Trois-Rivieres with Pro Star Mazda/Grand-Am Cup, and Road America with Champ Car.)

Ratajczak continues, ``At Laguna, we have 90 minutes of track time prior to the first qualifying session, so we're attracting drivers to the event that haven't even competed in the R/T 2000 race car.''

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