Andre Castro: From Karts to Cars with Skip Barber Racing School

From October 26-28, I got a chance to compete in the Skip Barber Karts to Cars Shootout. Past winners of this always popular event include Ryan Hunter-Reay, A.J. Allmendinger, and most recently, Sage Karam, so I knew I had my work cut out for me going into this prestigious event.

To give myself the greatest chance possible to do win, I spent a few days before the event at Skip Barber's two-day advanced school and also their race weekend. I ended up spending 10 days down in New Orleans with only a couple of days off, with my busy schedule being made more complicated when I landed in the Louis Armstrong Airport with a 103 degree fever! I got some rest and was feeling 100% on my game for the second day of the two-day school.

During this time, I got to be acquainted with all of the instructors that would be teaching me and eventually judging me during the shootout. I was lucky to be able to go over some of my GoPro on-track footage with instructor Keith Watts, who went through my lap step by step and gave me numerous tidbits of advice that helped me gain a few more tenths out on track.

I then participated in my first racing weekend in a racecar, competing against all of the Skip Barber series regulars and earning my first podium as well! My dad and I had to wash my suit after the champagne shower, but that was all worth it for me.

Competing on a wet racetrack in rental karts with the series regulars capped off an awesome weekend for me. When the celebration ended, it was time to focus on the ultimate goal: winning the karting shootout. I knew there were many capable drivers I had met over the week that would be competitive in the event, and I knew I would have to be on top of my game to win.

The first day, above everything, was just... soggy. Consistent rain throughout the entire day made the weather miserable and the track soaking wet, but that did not stop the school and its drivers from gaining valuable experience. The program went on as planned, starting off with a lead-follow session behind a pace car, and ending in a non-scored practice session.

I must say that my first time on a soaking wet track in a car was both extremely exhilarating but also terrifying. There were times where I could not see the car in front of me because of the massive spray coming off of the train of cars, and other times where I could only tell where the car in front was because of the blinking rain light. Aquaplaning on the straightaway at 120mph was also one of the strangest and scariest things I've done in my racing career, but in the end I probably had more fun than I would have in the dry.

Day two came around and it was time for business. All sessions from this point forward would be scored toward the final total, counting fastest lap and average lap in each session. I began lapping well in the first session, but unfortunately the transponder did not pick up my two final laps, which were faster. I ended up with the fourth fastest and second-average lap time in my group, quite disappointed because I could have been first or second fastest.

After a great sim racing seminar hosted by Kelly Jones and his company, RaceCraft1, I was ready to keep pushing and put the last session behind me. The result was fastest lap by 8 tenths and best average by a second. After getting maximum points, I was put in the same session as the points leader, Bayley Mickler. I went fastest by three tenths and best average by four.

Going into the final session the next day, I was four points behind Bayley and four points in front of Sting Ray Robb. If I could keep up my pace in this session, I could take home the $40,000 scholarship.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. The pace just wasn't there, and though I started gaining time after switching cars midway through the session, I was third fastest and with fourth-best average time. In the end, this dropped me to third in the final standings.

Overall, the whole week was a huge learning experience for me, and I can't thank everyone at Skip Barber enough for giving me the opportunity to move forward in my career. The skills I learned in New Orleans will aid me in all my future car racing, and the $10,000 in Skippy bucks will help fund my racing next year. In the end, standing on the podium with two of my fellow competitors (BELOW -Ed.) and friends was a great feeling, and though it was disappointing not to win, I'm pleased that I was right in the fight all along.

Andre