Moon Wins Skip Barber Karting Scholarship
SEBRING, Fla. (Jan. 5) - Benny Moon, 19, of Shingle Springs, Calif., took home the top prize --
a fully paid 2004 14-race season in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge National Championship
Presented by RACER -- after the panel of judges unanimously voted him the best following the
two-day Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship Runoff at Sebring International Raceway. The
award is worth $38,150, the cost for practice, qualifying and the race for all 14 events. The
FDNC series is the Official National Amateur Championship of Champ Car.
Earning runners-up prizes of $19,075 each -- a half-season of FDNC -- were Jason Bowles, 21,
Ontario, Calif.; Mark Burt, 18, Debary, Fla.; Billy Johnson, 17, San Clemente, Calif.; Lorenzo
Mandarino, 17, Burnaby, B.C., Canada; and Ron White, 24, San Jose, Calif.
This was the largest field of karters ever assembled in the seven year history of the Barber-
Champ Car Karting Scholarship Runoff; 35 of the best young karters from the United States and
Canada each spent the bulk of two days in a Formula Dodge R/T 2000. The majority of the
drivers in the Karting Scholarship Runoff come from the ranks of the Champ Car Stars of
Tomorrow series and the World Karting Association (WKA).
Previous scholarship winners of the Skip Barber karting runoff include Ryan Hunter-Reay,
Michael Valiante, Patrick Long and A.J. Allmendinger.
The judging panel was comprised of eight noted coaches and drivers: Divina Galica, the
managing director of FDNC as well as the four Regional Skip Barber Race Series, plus Bryan
Herta, Kelly Collins, Jim Pace, Barry Waddell, Gregg Borland, Rich Beam and R.B. Steiwing.