Skip Barber instructors are the finest teaching professionals in the industry today.  Many are former or current racers whose collective experience spans all types of racing and driving situations.  Scroll through the list below to learn about our instructors, their careers, and how their knowledge can be put to work for you. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8   Roy Albertalli Hometown: Berkeley Heights, N.J. Background: Roy, who joined Skip Barber in 2006, races a Spec Racer Ford in SCCA and successfully raced a 2.5-litre 911 in vintage racing. Roy is also a mentor instructor for Porsche Club of America. In addition to instructing for various car clubs, Roy’s done work for auto publications including Road & Track. Oh, and his best racing experience? a podium finish on his wedding anniversary. Peter Argetsinger Hometown: Sebring, Fla. Background: Pete was chief instructor at the Brands Hatch Racing School in England for 11 years. A one-time British Formula Ford champion, as a factory FFord driver for Royale he set a lap record at Hockenheimring in the European championship and won the ‘‘Kentagon’’ FF title based at Brands Hatch… In the U.S., Pete won the IMSA Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in a Porsche, and in Grand-Am set a track record at Homestead and won at Watkins Glen... In 2007, he's entered into the Grand-Am Koni Challenge series with Regional Race Series stand-out Tim George, Jr. ... Pete’s father Cameron Argetsinger was founder of road racing at Watkins Glen (1948) and first brought the U.S.G.P. there in 1961. Bruce Ashman Hometown: Lawrenceville, Ga. Background: Bruce grew up in Indianapolis and got the bug for automobile racing as a result of his father’s involvement in the Indy 500 every year, working for the ‘‘Indianapolis Star.’’ That’s right, the smell of race fuel and the excitement of racing got him to pursue racing himself as a teenager, starting in karting and then sprint cars in the Midwest. Realizing that an education and a career wer, um, ‘‘necessities,’’ he focused on a 25-year sales and marketing career in the pharmaceutical industry, although never losing the passion for motorsports and racing. In 1998, Bruce once again pursued his passion for motorsports and started road racing. He never turned back and currently competes in BMWCCA and PBOC Club Racing programs… Bruce has been instructing for almost a decade at Road Atlanta and Sebring International Raceway for Panoz and now Skip Barber. In addition, he’s team managed for Hyper Sport Racing Team in the ALMS, Grand-Am Rolex and the Koni Challenge series. Paul Balich Hometown: Chatham, N.Y. Background: Pronounced "BALE-itch"… Currently vintage racing a '59 Turner, but Paul’s racing life started in 1972 when, in his first-ever autocross, he spanked a bunch of hot shoes in Datsun 510s – with his 1964 VW Beetle… In 1974, Paul was the Eastern Motor Racing Association (EMRA) Formula Vee Championship runner-up -- and was also EMRA's chief instructor for four years... Paul's been a car-club track day instructor since 2000. Stephan Bastrzycki Hometown: Barkhamsted, Conn. Background: Pronounced "STEFF-on ba-STRICK-ee"… A Skip Barber instructor since 1995, Stephan’s also taught for Saab, Bentley, Volvo, Chevy, Jaguar, BMW, the Alfa Owner’s Club and Ford… Like many of our instructors, he’s done a bunch of TV and film work: Stunt driver for Nickelodeon television shows and NESN’s Wait 'Til This Year movie about the Red Sox… From 2000 to 2003 Stephan raced in SCCA World Challenge and was noted as the fastest qualifier of all the Honda drivers. Before that he was a race winner and two-time championship runner-up in SCCA IT and S Showroom Stock. Rich Beam Hometown: North Port, Fla. Background: Rich has been racing successfully since 1983 and won the GT4 championship in SCCA Regional competition twice in three years. Also raced professionally for two years in what’s now called the SPEED World Challenge. Jonathan Bomarito Hometown: Monterey, Calif. Background: 'Jonathan was winning in karts as a young pup, including the IKF Junior Sportsman title and the IKF Formula Y championship, both in the late 1990s. In 2000, because he won the very first Stars of Karting race, ‘‘Bomber’’ earned a Skip Barber Three Day as his award… In 2001 and 2002, he was racing and winning in Grand-Am Cup as well as winning regional SCCA races in Formula Ford 2000. Jonathan also won the Stars of Karting championship in 2002… In 2003, as a rookie, Jonathan won the U.S. Formula Ford Zetec championship on the strength of five victories and a total of nine podium finishes in 12 races (plus three poles). He did a few Atlantic races in 2004 (including a podium at Portland), some Star Mazda races in 2005 then a full season of Atlantic in 2006. Bomber won a race (Road America), had a second and a third and finished sixth overall in the championship. In 2007, Bomarito finished fifth in the final Atlantic standings and in 2008, he's led the standings most of the year. Gerardo Bonilla Hometown: Orlando, Fla. Background: 'Driving professionally since 1998, Gerardo started in autocross in the late 1980s, and by the mid-1990s he had won two overall and six class championships. He was also a star karter… Going open-wheel in 1994, in a driver talent-search in Canada in 1994 and 1995, Gerardo finished fourth out of 94 and fifth out of 105, respectively… He was racing and winning in the Skip Barber Regional Race Series by 2000 and by 2004 he had funding for a full season of Skip Barber National, one of the toughest entry level pro series in the world. That year he won the most races (four) but was edged by 9 points for the title by Marco Andretti, who won once. In 2005 Gerardo came back even stronger, again winning four times and this time taking the championship… That 2005 SBN title and its $100,000 launched his career into Star Mazda, where in 2006 Gerardo won once and finished sixth in the championship. In 2008, Gerardo was named lead driver for B-K Motorsports' BP Lola B07/46 Mazda in the ALMS championship. Gregg Borland Hometown: Elkhart Lake, Wis. Background: Gregg started racing in 1989 in Skip Barber Regional, scoring six podiums in his first season (at this time he also started wrenching for the Racing School)… By 1992 he was instructing for us as well as entering the occasional Barber Dodge race… In 1995 Gregg established ArmsUp Motorsports, now a race-winning FF2000 and Continental team… Gregg scored points in four of eight races in Barber Dodge in 1998, the first year of the carbon-fiber Reynard 98E… His talents as an engineer saw him become the data acquisition specialist for Skip Barber in 2003. Paul Brand Hometown: Stanchfield, Minn. Background: Paul left the family audio-visual business to work for Group 44 (the famous IMSA team owned by Bob Tullius) in Falls Church, Va., in 1974. He first started instructing for Skip Barber in 1984 (just one month after Skippy stalwart Terry Earwood, by the way!). For a while Paul ran his own driving school, teaching law enforcement performance driving… Paul started racing well before Skip Barber started the school, but knew him (he had met Skip through Tullius and Group 44)… He was the lead instructor for Jeff Gordon's Three Day at Road America in 1990. Paul's Eval of Gordon: "It's all there, could use a bit more brake. Oh, we should offer this kid a Pro Series test day." ... Paul won a state (Maryland) karting championship in 1976, and later (1980) was the SCCA National Champion in an E-Production MGB (an ex-Group 44 machine)… He went pro racing and some of those highlights include finishing second in the IMSA GTO race at Brainerd (formerly the notorious ‘‘Donnybrooke’’) in an ex-IROC Camaro; a fourth at the Daytona 24 in IMSA GTU in a Datsun 280Z; and winning the 24-hour endurance races at both Mosport and Nelson Ledges in an Archer Brothers Eagle Talon… Paul’s very first race was at Summit Point, in a 1969 Bug-Eye Sprite... Paul – “PB” to friends and fellow instructors – is also an automotive journalist, having hosted “AutoTalk,” Saturdays and Sundays on KSTP AM1500 in Minneapolis-St. Paul for 25 years. His weekly column, “Motoring,” has appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for 23 years, and he recently authored “How to Repair Your Car” published by Motorbooks International. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8