Next Step In Educating Self

INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 10, 2008)–Michael Self is a 17-year-old junior at Park City High School in Park City, Utah, and this weekend he will be doing something very important to further his education.

In this case, the education pertains to a career in auto racing and the classroom will be the 2.238-mile road course at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where Self will compete in this weekend’s Skip Barber West Regional Series. Self earned the right to run in the races after being named recipient of the 2007 Champ Car ROTAX Career Enhancement Scholarship after his electrifying run from 31st starting position to a sixth-place finish at the Grand Nationals event in Centennial, Colorado, last August.

The selection was made by a panel of judges, including Champ Car driver Justin Wilson who witnessed his amazing display of driving at Centennial. While, the panel of judges were impressed with Self’s driving throughout the Grand National competition, it was his desire, tenacity and commitment, both on the track and off, that distinguished him from more than 60 other competitors in his class.

In the competitive world of development series racing, there is much at stake for Self. However, the teen racer is taking a rather sensible approach.

“Really, my expectations are to go in, try hard and do my best,” he said. “Sure, I’d love to win, but I’d be happy being in the top three.”

The schedule includes practice on Friday and main-event races on Saturday and Sunday. Self hasn’t driven at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca before, but he has done some serious pre-race prep.

“I haven’t driven at Laguna Seca before, so I have studied the track through a video game,” he explained. “You get a pretty good idea of what the course is like.”

New racetrack notwithstanding, Self feels the real challenge will be the transition from go-kart to proper racing car.

“The biggest difference in going from a go-kart to a regular racing car is the weight,” Self said. “You’re comparing a 200-pound go-kart to a 1,200-pound racing car. That’s quite a difference.”

Fortunately, he has had track time in one of the Formula Skip Barber 2000s, like the one he will be racing this weekend.

“This will not be my first time in one of their cars,” Self explained. “I actually did a three-day Skip Barber school at Miller Motorsport Park (near Salt Lake City) in June. In addition to the training sessions for the school, they had two races. I won the first race and then went from last place on the grid to finish third in the second race so it went very well.”

Self’s scholarship at the Skip Barber Regional Series level put him one step closer to the first echelon in the Mazda Ladder System and will allow him to compete in the largest open-wheel amateur championship in North America.

In addition to the first two races, Self will also compete in pair of races a Homestead, Jan. 26-27 (which are part of the Skip Barber Southern Regional Series schedule); in a four-race weekend at Sebring, Feb. 16-17; in two races at Las Vegas, March 8-9; and two final races at Laguna Seca,April 5-6.

The Champ Car ROTAX Kart Challenge program consists of more than 200 events held through approximately 32 regional challenge series in the United States. Champ Car ROTAX invites the very best drivers from each local series to compete at the ROTAX Grand National. From the ROTAX Grand National, Champions from the Jr., Sr., DD2 and Master classes will then be chosen to represent ROTAX America’s Team presented by Mazda at the ROTAX Grand Finals near the end of the year where they will compete against 60 other nations involved in the worldwide ROTAX Karting program.

champcarworldseries.com

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