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| July 18, 2012 |
| Skip Barber: DeGrand Earns First Summer Series Win in Back-to-Back Events at Road America and Lime Rock Park |
 | Tristan DeGrand continued his Skip Barber Summer Series run of form with a podium finish at Road America and win at Lime Rock Park
(Photo: Tristan DeGrand Racing) |
EUREKA, MO. (July 17, 2012) – While most American teenagers are spending the early stages of the summer relaxing and enjoying the hot weather, Tristan DeGrand has been busy establishing his name as an up-and-coming driver worth watching in the North American junior formula car ranks. The Missouri native's fine run of form in the 2012 Skip Barber presents the Mazda Summer Series Formula Skip Barber 2000 continued recently at both Road America (June 30-July 1) and Lime Rock Park (July 13-14), with DeGrand earning a third place result in Wisconsin, before securing a third consecutive pole position and standing on the top step of the podium in his first visit to the high-speed road course in Connecticut.
DeGrand, having secured a pair of podium finishes in his return to Skip Barber Summer Series action at Mont Tremblant back in mid-June, was excited to build on that momentum when the series traveled to the highly regarded Road America facility in late June. The former multiple karting champion did not disappoint, proving to be the man to beat in qualifying, earning his second series pole position of the season. The 16 year-old DeGrand remained the driver to beat in race one, leading the talented field to the checkered flag. Unfortunately, post-race the Skip Barber Stewards ruled he was guilty of a blocking infraction, relegating DeGrand to seventh in the final results.
Showing the maturity and professionalism of racer with a great deal more experience, DeGrand promptly put the incident behind him and focused on the next task on hand, race two in Wisconsin. In what was a race of drafting and numerous passes for position, characteristic to the 4.0-mile track, the MAZDASPEED/Skip Barber/Pro Am Golf/ProAmGolfUSA.com/Sparco USA-backed racer showcased his race craft skills lap after lap. In the end, DeGrand added another well-deserved podium finish to his ever-growing racing resume with a third place finish.
The Summer series title chase continued for DeGrand and the rest of the Skip Barber racers two weeks later with a visit to the spiritual home of the organization...Lime Rock Park. Unlike the majority of the field, DeGrand entered the fifth event on the championship calendar having never competed at the high-speed 1.53-mile road course, which only has one left-hand turn. With a new BFGoodrich slick as also introduced for the races, DeGrand spent the opening day getting acclimated to the new track and tire. Not surprisingly, the 2011 Skip Barber Racing School Karting Scholarship Shootout winner was quickly up to speed, ending the day among the top-three.
After securing his third pole position in a row in qualifying, DeGrand was poised to make another run for a place on the post-race podium. Unfortunately for the Skip Barber Winter Series race winner, the start to race one proved to be a chaotic affair. DeGrand while battling for position was squeezed by two other cars, subsequently resulting in the loss of his race car nose cone. Forced to pit for repairs, any chances at a top finish was eliminated. DeGrand, however, made the most of the new racing scenario to work on fine tuning his race craft and tire management skills. In what was a strong recovery drive, the high school student emerged with a seventh place finish.
When DeGrand returned to the cockpit of his Skip Barber racing steed for race two, he was focused on moving forward. Setting the stage for what would be a highlight filled race, DeGrand got a superb launch when the green flag waved, rapidly joining the top-five. From that point forward he executed some bold outside braking/passing maneuvers in the famed Big Bend corner (turn one), joining the fight for the win. Thanks to a final pass for the lead in turn one, which also witnessed the former leader spinning and just missing DeGrand, the rising junior formula car racer scored his first win of the Summer Series campaign.
"At Lime Rock I was finally able to drive the Skip Barber car on slick tires," stated DeGrand. "The track and the tires came very naturally to me, so I was fast right out of the gate. After my third straight pole of the season, I knew that it was time to convert a pole into a win. Some bad luck at the start of race one forced us to pit due to contact, which was unfortunate, but that's racing. Race two was a hard fought battle, fortunately I was able to come out on top to claim my first Skip Barber Summer Series race win, which was a great feeling. I really want to thank Mazda USA, MAZDASPEED, the Skip Barber Racing School, Sparco, Pro Am Golf, and my family for their continued support this year."
DeGrand continues his quest Skip Barber presents the Mazda Summer Series Formula Skip Barber 2000 top honors on August 4-5, with a pair of races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in northern California.
Learn more about Tristan DeGrand at http://www.DeGrandRacing.com and follow the teenager racer on Facebook @ TristanDeGrandRacing
A native of Eureka, Mo., Tristan DeGrand is a 16 year-old up-and coming racer. DeGrand first got behind the wheel in 2003, racing karts locally in the St. Louis area. Within one year he had captured his first championship title, becoming the J1 Speed Regional Series Champion. Making the move up to regional and national competition, DeGrand won numerous races before winning the Florida Winter Tour Cadet title and a World Karting Grand National title in the Cadet class in 2007. Continued success in 2008 resulted in the Stars of Karting Junior Rookie of the Year award. 2009 proved to be breakout year for DeGrand, winning the Florida Winter Tour KF3 title and the KF3 National Championship. The youngster also began racing internationally, earning the FKS England Award exchange KF3 award, before becoming the first American podium finisher in WSK KF3 competition in 2010. Late last year, after winning the 15th annual Skip Barber Racing School Karting Scholarship Shootout, DeGrand made the transition to car competition via the Skip Barber Winter Series, winning once and standing on the podium three times in four races. In 2012, DeGrand is competing in the Skip Barber Summer Series with support from MAZDASPEED, Skip Barber, Pro Am Golf, ProAmGolfUSA.com, and Sparco USA. |
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