Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) honored Skip Barber with the PMH Trailblazer Award on Friday night time. The presentation occurred at Lime Rock Park throughout a dinner celebrating the SpeedTour All-Star Race weekend. The award acknowledges people who’ve made a major and lasting influence in motorsports.
“It’s an honor to acknowledge Skip Barber with the PMH Trailblazer Award,” mentioned Tony Parella, Founder and CEO of PMH. “We established this award final yr to acknowledge individuals who problem the established order whereas creating alternatives for others. Over his practically seven-decade profession, Skip has finished precisely that.”
Barber began his racing profession with the acquisition of a Bugeye Sprite and completion of an SCCA Drivers College at Marlboro Motor Raceway, situated simply exterior Washington, D.C. Racing quite a lot of equipment within the Sixties and Seventies, starting from sports activities vehicles to high-powered formulation vehicles, Barber delivered some shining moments whereas within the driver’s seat. Alongside the best way, he gained three SCCA Nationwide Championships, set 32 totally different lap information and earned the President’s Cup. In the end tapped to drive for the March manufacturing facility in Formulation 1 and Formulation 5000, Barber ran six Formulation 1 races from 1971-1972.
His racing profession was solely the start of Barber constructing an enduring legacy in motorsports. Believing that racing was a teachable sport, he shaped the Skip Barber Racing College in 1975, with 4 college students and a pair of borrowed Formulation Fords. Since then, over 400,000 college students have change into racers and champions. Skip Barber Racing College graduates have taken the rostrum in all sides of motorsport, together with NASCAR, IndyCar, SCCA, World Problem and IMSA. Not simply impacting racers, the Skip Barber Racing College saved numerous lives on the highway by means of secure driver coaching packages, in addition to coaching and creating a whole technology of mechanics, directors and advertising specialists, who usually handed by means of the college on their strategy to the higher ranges of motorsports. In 1999, Barber bought the college, however its legacy continues in the present day whereas nonetheless bearing his title.
In 1983, Barber led a bunch of traders to buy Lime Rock Park from then-owner Harry Theodoracopulous. Ultimately turning into the only proprietor, he bought the power in 2021 to a brand new group of traders, however stays a big shareholder, in addition to an energetic monitor administration staff member.
“I’ve nice respect for Tony Parella and what he has achieved,” mentioned Skip Barber. “That’s why I really feel so honored to obtain this award.”
PMH is again on monitor subsequent weekend, internet hosting two SpeedTour occasions on reverse ends of the nation. The New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour at New Jersey Motorsports Park, July 25-28, will function Formulation Regional Americas Championship, Formulation 4 United States Championship, Ligier JS F4 Sequence, Sportscar Classic Racing Affiliation (SVRA), Formulation Race Promotions and Shelby American Car Membership. On the West Coast, PMH will host the PIR SpeedTour at Portland Worldwide Raceway with the Trans Am Sequence introduced by Pirelli’s Western Championship, in addition to SVRA, Prototype Dash Sequence Affiliation and Optima Final Road Automobile, July 26-28.
