SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 DAKOTA DOMINATES AT VIR, COMES HOME WITH 2 WINS, 3RD, 4TH, TWO POLES, AND TWO FASTEST LAPS. MOVES INTO 2ND IN THE DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP.

Round 11 & 12 of the Skip Barber Formula 2000 Summer Series traveled to the East Coast to the iconic VIR motorsports complex. Dakota entered this round of the series third in the drivers championship with only two more rounds in the series. In an effort to gain ground Dakota opted to double up on races which is allowed two times a season to replace results from prior races. This would bring on added pressure because the declaration is done prior to race day and if the results are worse, you can’t switch between them after the fact. In preparation for VIR Dakota invested over thirty hours of simulation using iRacing and flew out to Race Craft1. The result was a dominating performance which put Dakota back into 2nd in the drivers championship.

SEPTEMBER 5 , 2015 - SIX FINALISTS IMPRESS DURING SHOOTOUT AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. – A half-dozen talented young American race car drivers yesterday completed an intense two-day assessment at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., comprising a variety of activities both on and off the race track. Two of the six will be selected to travel to England and represent the Team USA Scholarship, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2015, in the traditional Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford event at Silverstone in late October/early November.
The six finalists were chosen from a group of 12 candidates who attended an interview process during the recent IMSA Road Racing Showcase event at Road America (from l. to r.):

• Michai Stephens, 23, Evanston, Ill., F1600 Championship Series
• Tommy McCarthy, 16, Fremont, Calif., SCCA Spec Miata/USAC midgets
• Austin McCusker, 17, Glen Head, NY, F2000 Championship Series
• Timo Reger, 18, Houston, Texas, Skip Barber Racing Series
• Dakota Dickerson, 18, San Diego, Calif., Skip Barber Racing Series/Spec Miata
• Ben Auriemma, 17, Manhasset, N.Y., F1600 Championship Series

Read More...

AUGUST 25, 2015 - SKIP BARBER SUMMER SERIES AT MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

Dakota stands on the podium for the 6th time this season. Day 1 of the Summer Series at Laguna Seca started with an uphill battle with Dakota making the most of his equipment but only managing to qualify in P5. The race was hard fought with the top 7 competitors in the driver championship grouped into one session. By the end of the race Dakota had managed to move up into P3 and set the 4th fastest lap of the race. This resulted in Dakota's 6 podiums out of 9 races this season. For the race on day 2 the grid position was set via your fastest lap from race 1. This meant that Dakota slotted into P4 for his second race on Sunday. By lap 6 Dakota had moved his way up to P3 and by lap 10 he was all the way up into P2 and closing quickly on the race leader. On lap 12 Dakota had a mechanical failure as the CV bolts in the rear of his car failed going up the hill after turn 5. Dakota had to pull the car off the track. Because the failure happened within less than 90% of the race completion he will have a make up race at either Mid-Ohio or VIR where the points can be made up.

AUGUST 10, 2015 - DAKOTA IS SELECTED TO THE FIRST ROUND OF INTERVIEWS FOR THE TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP.

Elkhart Lake, Wis. (August 7, 2015) – A dozen young American drivers representing a variety of junior categories have been chosen as candidates for this year’s prestigious Team USA Scholarships. The selection process will continue during this weekend’s IMSA Continental Tire Road Racing Showcase event at Road America where each of the contenders will have an opportunity to meet and by interviewed by influential personalities from the auto racing industry. Six finalists will progress to a shootout in early September at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana,Calif., hosted by Allen Berg Racing Schools and Cooper Tire.

Ultimately, two winners will be invited to represent the scholarship and their nation at the traditional end-of-season Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone in England. Last year’s Walter Hayes event (named after the founder of Formula Ford which, in its 48th year, remains as the most productive feeder category of all) attracted almost 120 drivers from around the world. The Team USA Scholarship, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015, is made possible by contributions from a broad spectrum of companies and individuals

AUGUST 10, 2015 - SKIP BARBER SUMMER SERIES AT MIAMI HOMESTEAD

Dakota scores two poles and two fastest laps at Miami Homestead to retrain his 3rd place in the drivers championship.

The schedule for Miami Homestead was compacted and hectic due to the requirement that Dakota had to leave early to make the trip the Road America for the Team USA interviews. Homestead presented some major challenges as it used 1/2 of the NASCAR oval which lead to the need for a drafting partner and a car with the horsepower to pull you around the high banked oval. Dakota would find himself qualifying and racing all in one day. Dakota was able to find clean air and put his car on pole for both races but quickly found himself running alone in the race which relegated him to a 4th place in both main events. Three (3) bonus points for both pole and fastest lap added 12 points to maintain his third place position in the drivers championship.