MARCH 3, 2006

A big chance for British youngsters

There is an exciting new opportunity for a young British racing driver to race in the United States thanks to the efforts of GT racer Tim Sugden. Sugden currently runs the www.bearacingdriver.com website, aiming to help youngsters on their road to the top. He has now negotiated a bearacingdriver.com Scholarship for 2006 and 2007 which will allow the winner to compete in the prestigious Skip Barber Eastern Regional race series, at some of America's most famous tracks. The winner will also receive two days of instruction at Skip Barber's advanced racing course at either Sebring International Raceway in Florida or Laguna Seca in California.

The bearacingdriver.com Scholarship was conceived by Sugden in 1996 and launched Rob Huff, now a works Chevrolet driver in the World Touring Car Championship, in his racing career.

"The winner of the bearacingdriver.com Scholarship has the opportunity of a lifetime," says Sugden. "To go and race in America, at some of the most prestigious tracks in the world, for the best racing school in the world, is something worth fighting for."

Sugden will be promoting the activities of Skip Barber Racing School in the UK and Europe. The school, which has nurtured the talents of Michael Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon, is hoping to attract more European racers to its schools in the United States as it is currently offering more opportunity than the structure in Europe, which relies heavily on youngsters bringing money for every drive.

The final of the 2005-2006 www.bearacingdriver.com scholarship takes place at Croft on March 10 with the winner heading for the US in April to prepare for the opening of the Skip Barber Eastern Regional Series at Virginia International Raceway on May 6.