MILLVILLE, N.J. - Brett Smrz is set for a busy few days of racing, as the rising American talent takes part in both Rounds Five and Six of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National and Rounds Three and Four of Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup this weekend (June 13-14) at New Jersey Motorsports Park. A title contender in both series, Smrz has already visited victory lane in Skip Barber competition and cracked the top-five twice in MX-5 Cup action this season.
Smrz competes in the Skip Barber National Series at VIR.
While Smrz is used to doing double duty, running both the
Skip Barber National series and Mazda MX-5 Cup full-time in 2009, the upcoming
event at New Jersey
Motorsports Park
will be a true test of stamina and skill. Not only will the Idaho native be
running both cars at the same event, but be on-track four times each day,
taking part in multiple practice and qualifying sessions prior to two races in
both series.
Behind the wheel of his Wagner Racing Products/In Touch
Physical Therapy backed Skip Barber car, Smrz enters the third event of the
season as one of the main drivers to beat. The left leg amputee, the result of
a freak trampoline accident in 2007, has steadily gotten quicker at each event,
advancing all the way to victory lane in Round Three at Virginia International
Raceway. When combined with a fourth place finish in Round Four, Smrz currently
lies third in the championship fight.
The talented 18 year-old has been just as successful in the
sports car ranks thus far in 2009. Piloting the Atlanta Motorsports Group
prepared No. 6 SurroundSounds.com Mazda MX-5 car, Smrz has been among the
leaders in virtually every session. While he has yet to score that elusive
victory, a pair of top-five finishes in the opening two rounds at Road Atlanta
and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has propelled the up-and-coming race pilot to
third in title chase.
"I am excited for this weekend,” said Smrz. “This will be a
true test as a driver for me, because I will be in both a sports car, and an
open-wheel car in the same day. I am mentally prepared for this weekend, and
ready for anything to be thrown at me. As I was born in New Jersey, I will have a bunch of local
family and friends out here this weekend, which gives me even more motivation
to do well!”
Official on-track action for Smrz commences on Friday (June
12), with two practice sessions in both the Skip Barber National and MX-5 Cup
cars. One day later, the morning will feature qualifying for race one of the
doubleheader for both series, followed by Round Three of the Playboy Mazda MX-5
Cup at 1:05 p.m. local time and Round Five of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber
National at 4:15 p.m. Sunday (June 14) will again witness Smrz qualifying in
the morning, before the second MX-5 Cup race at 1:05 p.m. and race two of the
Skip Barber doubleheader at 4:15 p.m.
As part of a newly announced television package, both
Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup races from New
Jersey Motorsports Park will be broadcast live on HDNet,
featuring veteran motorsports commentator Rick Benjamin and legendary race
driver Elliott Forbes-Robinson. Additionally, fans can watch live timing of the
Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup from Laguna Seca via the series website at
www.mx-5cup.com.
Additional information on Brett Smrz can be obtained via his
website at www.brettsmrz.com For direct contact, please contact Smrz at
brettsmrz@hotmail.com
About Brett Smrz:
A native of Coeur
d' Alene, Idaho, Smrz
commenced his motorsports career behind the wheel of a kart at the age of 12.
In three years of competition, the talented American won nine championships and
was named the Young Driver of the Year by industry leader eKartingNews.com in
2006. The following year, Smrz began racing cars, immediately showing continued
talent behind the wheel, winning his first-ever SCCA Club Racing Formula Ford
race and finishing on the podium in his second-ever SCCA Playboy MX-5 Cup race.
His life changed soon afterwards, however, when a freak non-racing accident
resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee. Showing the
determination and character of a true champion, Smrz did not give up on his
dream of racing cars professionally, and following 10 surgeries and months of
physical therapy he returned to the cockpit of a race car. Resuming where he
left off, he promptly won aIl three races of an SCCA Club Racing Formula Ford
tripleheader in his return to action. At the conclusion of the season, he was
presented the SCCA Regional Driver of the Year award. Last year, Smrz took part
in the inaugural Jim Russell Championship Series season utilizing F3-equivalnt
cars, winning a series-high six times en route to the series title. A focus on
becoming a professional race car driver is his primary life goal.
