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Barber Series - Skip Barber National Wrap Up


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Lakeville, May. 31, 2011: Rounds 5 and 6 of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National presented by Mazda were held at Lime Rock Park on Memorial Day weekend, a weekend that was incredibly successful for MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver Trent Hindman. Hindman not only won both California Scents Pole Awards, but also finished race two of the weekend by an impressive 16.075 second gap. Scott Anderson clinched his second win of the season by winning race one, and went on to place second in race two. Anderson is the new championship points leader, with a 10-point lead over Brandon Newey.

Race 1, Round 5 of 16

The fifth round of the championship was the third opportunity for the drivers of the Skip Barber National Series to showcase their talents in front of a large crowed of spectators, and more importantly, professional race teams. The young racers made the most of this opportunity by getting through turn one clean, with not so much as one wheel put off the racetrack. 15-year-old pole-sitter and MAZDASPEED Development driver Trent Hindman got off to an early lead, stretching a small gap after a couple laps.

The draft on the front straightaway proved an important strategic element to the race, allowing the entire field to catch Hindman and race for the lead. Through some close and clean three-wide racing, the lead began to shuffle between Hindman, Scott Anderson, and Shelby Blackstock who made a great start from fourth on the grid.

The racing was clean until lap 13, when the two cars of 17-year-old MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver Danilo Estrela and 19-year-old Thomas McGregor made contact in turn one, leaving McGregor’s car without it’s nose and Estrela’s car un-drivable. The ensuing caution made for a very exciting re-start with more three-wide racing into turn one, and the lead once again traded between Blackstock, Anderson, and Hindman.

As the race came to a close, the lead pack of Blackstock, Anderson, Hindman, and 17-year-old Ridgefield, Connecticut native Scott Heckert were all capable of taking the win. On the final lap, Hindman led the pack into the fast and challenging Downhill corner. However, second place Blackstock and third place Anderson had a great run off the final corner. Again, the draft proved to be the crucial strategic element in the race, with Scott Anderson executing a perfect double-draft maneuver to take the win ahead of Blackstock and Hindman, finishing second and third, respectively.

Race 2, Round 6 of 16

Although the early morning rain ceased before the start of race two of the weekend, Lime Rock Park was still damp by the time Trent Hindman led Shelby Blackstock and the field to the green flag. The field went four wide into turn one, with Trent exiting the turn still holding the lead with Blackstock close behind. Thomas McGregor gained six positions in the first turn, starting from eleventh.

Shelby Blackstock held second position for the first half of the race, and even took the lead from Hindman for several turns before being moved back to second. He suffered from an unfortunate spin in lap 14, moving him to the rear of the field, and allowing Scott Anderson to advance to second. Contrary to the previous race, the draft played little effect on Hindman’s race. In the previous race, the draft allowed for the other racers to catch up to Hindman, however race two was a different story. Drivers were so busy battling over third and fourth position, that Hindman and Anderson were able to pull away and each gain a sizeable lead from the competition.

Other MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver Danilo Estrela stayed in the top five, battling with Brandon Newey and McGregor over position until lap 15 when an unfortunate mistake put him at the end of the field. Devin Jones and Sebastian Ordonez were involved in an exciting four lap battle over sixth position until Ordonez went four wheels off course into turn three and retired early. Scott Heckert impressively worked his way up to third position in lap 20, but ultimately Brandon Newey made the pass for the final podium position. Scott Heckert impressively finished in the top five for both races, which happened to be his only Skip Barber National races all season.

Hindman crossed the finish line with no competition in sight, bringing the Memorial Day race fans at Lime Rock Park to their feet in celebration for the first-time race winner. Scott Anderson finished in second with an almost 10-second lead over Brandon Newey. Thomas McGregor worked his way up six positions to finish in fourth. Devin Jones completed race two with a career best 6th place finish, ahead of Peter Ludwig.