Written by:
Michael Skeen
09/30/2008
Charlotte, N.C.
Mike Skeen will take to the track this weekend at VIR in the Freedom Autosport Mazda. (Photo: Mike Skeen)
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What a year! The Grand-Am KONI Challenge series has seen some epic battles between multiple manufacturers in each class with some of North America’s best talent in the garages and on the track. From the sunny beaches of Daytona to mile-high Tooele, Utah, this travelling road show has put on great events every time.
For yours truly, the season-ending dual six hour event at Virginia International Raceway will be a chance to cap off what has been an excellent 2008 season and a time to look forward to new opportunities at a higher level in 2009. Those of you that caught season two of Setup back in February already know what great exposure that series was for me. Coming off years of karting and one season of SpecE30 racing with NASA, it was a great tool for getting a foothold in motorsports at the professional level. It offered an enormous boost to my career, but it was no golden ticket to a factory ride despite being the driver with the best record.
In the months that followed the airing of the show, I worked hard to find more opportunities to race while continuing my own racing at the club level. In doing so, I built up valuable seat time and experience, winning nearly three quarters of my races in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions and taking home the 2008 NASA SpecE30 National Championship.
The show also provided for some excellent networking, which has lead me to where I am today, preparing for the season-ending KONI Challenge Street Tuner race. The relationship I have built with SPEED and Atlantic Retail Construction as a direct result of the show lead to this pairing with Freedom Autosport, where I will be matched with Jon Miller and Brian Smith in the #147 Mazda MX-5.
