Skip Barber

John "Skip" Barber III (born November 16, 1936) is an American retired racecar driver who is most famous for previously owning and founding the Skip Barber Racing Schools.

Driving career Barber started racing in 1958 while studying at Harvard University, where he earned a degree in English.

In the mid-1960s, Barber won three SCCA national championships in a row and finished third in the 1967 United States Road Racing Championship. Later, Barber won consecutive Formula Ford National Championships (1969 and 1970), a record tied only recently.

At the start of the 1971 season, Barber purchased a March 711, which he planned to take back to the United States and race in the U.S. Formula 5000 series. Before he did so, he took part in the Monaco Grand Prix, Dutch Grand Prix, United States Grand Prix, and Canadian Grand Prix in a privately funded March. He returned to the U.S. and Canadian races in 1972. After that, he raced GT cars.

Retirement leads to Skip Barber Racing When his racing career ended, Barber's belief that auto racing was "coachable" in the same manner as any other sport—at the time, a distinctly minority position—led him to create the eponymously named racing school, and a year later the equal-car race series.

In 1975, with two borrowed Lola Formula Fords and four students, Barber started the Skip Barber School of High Performance Driving. In 1976 it was renamed the "Skip Barber Racing School", and that same year he created the Skip Barber Race Series. Barber divested from the racing school in 1999.

Barber was the owner and operator of Lime Rock Park, a road-racing venue in Connecticut. In April 2021 he sold the facility to Lime Rock Group, LLC. He maintains a minority stake. He lives in the nearby town of Sharon, Connecticut with wife Judy.

Barber was inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame on March 2, 2013.

Barber was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2025.

Racing record

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status 1969 Daytona Caldwell D9 Ford Kent Formula Ford 1 20 Running 1970 Road Atlanta Tecno Ford Kent Formula Ford 1 4 Running 1971 Road Atlanta Tecno Ford Formula B 1 3 Running

Complete Formula One results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 WDC Points 1971 Gene Mason Racing March 711 Cosworth V8 RSA ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA NC 0 1972 Gene Mason Racing March 711 Cosworth V8 ARG RSA ESP MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA NC 0

American open-wheel (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) USAC Championship Car USAC Championship Car results Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pts 1974 Crower Engineering Eagle Chevrolet ONT ONT ONT PHX TRE INDY MIL POC MCH MIL MCH TRE TRE PHX NC 0