Ever wanted to drive a Honda Civic race car? Lucky for you, Skip Barber is partnering with Honda Performance Development to offer students a chance to hone their skills behind the wheel of a Civic Si racer. Participants can also earn a racing license that will allow them to race in an actual touring car series.
Better yet, Skip Barber will run both Civic Si TCA and Civic Type R TC cars in the 2020 SRO TC America Series under the Skip Barber Racing Team banner.
As turnkey race cars sold by HPD, both the Civic TCA and TC cars are competitive and easy-to-access machines that can "compete successfully in a wide variety of touring car race series in the U.S. and around the world, fitting a variety of different budgets."
In addition to functioning as an instructional tool, the Civic Si race car will also be available to "motorsports enthusiasts" looking to experience the car for themselves.
For more information, visit Skip Barber's website or read the full press release below:
Monterey, CA. (September 3, 2020) – Honda Performance Development (HPD) is pleased to partner with the Skip Barber Racing School (SBRS) to include the HPD Civic Si and the HPD TC Type R race cars in their racing school and track day programs. The racing school programs allow students to polish their competition skills and ultimately earn a racing license that will permit them to compete in touring car series. To complement this training, SBRS plans to field the Skip Barber Race Team during the 2020 season of the SRO TC America series.
“At SBRS, we are really excited to partner with HPD,” said Anthony DeMonte, CEO of the Skip Barber Racing School. “The rich and extensive racing history of both organizations will provide a superior experience for our performance driving program customers, and will offer racers the opportunity to compete on a high level in the SRO TC America series with our race team.”
The Skip Barber Racing School has a storied legacy of producing top tier drivers over the past four decades, including Alexander Rossi, Juan Pablo Montoya, AJ Allmendinger, Jeff Gordon and many more. Founded in 1975, SBRS has a national footprint and has taught over 350,000 people. With a fully integrated system of driving schools, racing schools, race series and corporate events at tracks like WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Lime Rock Park and Circuit of the Americas, SBRS is an integral part of motorsports in North America.
Through this partnership, SBRS will use the HPD Civic Race cars to train new drivers to obtain a provisional racing license and experienced drivers looking to hone their skills with expert instruction from the Skip Barber instructor corps. In addition, the cars will be used in retail Skip Barber Racing School programs offering motorsports enthusiasts an opportunity to experience the Race cars.
“This partnership will be a great head start opportunity for racers to hone their front-wheel drive racing skills and earn a competition license in the car that competes in the TC Americas series,” noted John Whiteman, Manager, HPD Commercial Motorsports. “Our HPD Civic racing line-up is a proven way to move up through the Touring Car levels, and has proven performance at every level.”
HPD currently offers a clear “ladder” of turn-key touring car solutions, from entry-level TCA, to the Type R TC, and the pinnacle TCR series. While all three vehicles are based on showroom-stock counterparts, they also feature distinct modifications to allow them to compete successfully in a wide variety of touring car race series in the U.S. and around the world, fitting a variety of different budgets.
The SBRS program will feature two of these vehicles, the Civic Si TCA and the Civic Type R TC race cars.
Both the SBRS and HPD are enthusiastic about providing more opportunities for racers who want to gain the experience and skills needed to be competitive in Touring Car racing. With the combined strengths of both partners, racers and enthusiasts can experience exhilarating vehicle performance combined with unparalleled instruction and programs that to build confidence and maximize the opportunity for success on track.
About Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development, Inc., (HPD) has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since 1993. From pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA Sports Cars to commercial racing programs, HPD powers the dreams of professional and amateur racers from age 4 to 40+. HPD is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and leads all of Honda and Acura’s high-performance racing programs in North America. HPD specializes in the design and development of race engines, turn-key race cars, chassis and performance parts, as well as technical and race support, from karting and Quarter Midgets to the highest levels of pro racing.
For more information about HPD and the company's racing product lines, please visit: http://hpd.honda.com.
About Skip Barber Racing School
Skip Barber Racing School is the premier racing school in North America, conducting racing schools, race series, driving schools and corporate team building events at road racing tracks across the country including Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, CA, New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX and Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, FL. Since 1975, the Skip Barber Racing School has trained over one-third of all Indy 500 competitors and one-quarter of the NASCAR Cup competitors. Skip Barber Racing alumni have won every major U.S. auto racing championship.
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