01/15/2007

Kart Mini driver Jordan Taylor Wins $25,000 Scholarship in
Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-Out

Apopka, Florida -  Fifteen-year-old Kart Mini driver Jordan Taylor, youngest son of sports car champion Wayne Taylor, has now thrown his helmet in the ring in the automobile racing world. This past weekend Jordan was runner-up in the 10th Annual Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout and Sebring International Raceway, earning himself a cool $25,000 scholarship.

Jordan, who has been racing go-karts since he was ten years old, only has a few car races and tests under his belt to date. This weekend’s shootout was only his second major auto competition, including last year’s Skip Barber Scholarship Shootout event.

I am really happy about getting the Skip Barber scholarship, said Jordan, a high school sophomore in Orlando, Florida. It really helps me with my racing career and sponsorship search.

Taylor competed against nearly 50 drivers from all over North America, all vying for a piece of the more than $100,000 total in Skip Barber sponsorship awarded to those showing the most talent and aptitude. After four days of testing and assessment by a panel of hand-selected Skip Barber instructors, the winning drivers were awarded scholarships to compete in one of four Skip Barber Regional Race Series and/or the Skip Barber National. The Skip Barber National Series is considering one of the leading pro development series, noted for sending dozens of current racing stars up the motorsports ladder, including Marco Andretti, Scott Speed, A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Hunter-Reay and others.

Taylor and his fellow competitors all drove identical Skip Barber Formula 2000 wings-and-slicks race cars, rotating between different cars throughout the four Shootout days.

Jordan added: “I am proud to have been a Kart Mini driver and have Oswaldo Negri (Ozz) as a great driver coach. Ozz coached me all throughout my karting career, helping me make a better name for myself in the motorsport industry.  I am hoping to be able to keep a good relationship with Kart Mini throughout the rest of my career, and hopefully be able to pay them back for what they have done for me by possibly doing some testing for them.”