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Skip Barber Instructor Directory
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  Peter Argetsinger Left click: open entry/Right click: save entry

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-Number of years racing: my first full season was 1974 -- yikes 32 years ago -- but i did a little dirt track racing before that as a teenager in a Plymouth Hemi at Dundee Speedrome near Watkins Glen where i grew up --you know wanting to get into racing but no way to do it -- there was no Skip Barber yet and for sure no Red Bull or any such scholarships


-Number of years with Skip Barber: I joined Skip in Autumn of 1988 -- i had moved back from Europe to set up Brands Hatch Racing School USA in Hollywood FL. for Brands Hatch Circuits as Vice President when owner John Fulston was killed testing an Indy car at Silverstone and his widow cancelled the program -- running a racing school is a tough business and i bumped into Skip at a race somewhere and he said come work for me-- it was an easy decsion-- i had already been instructing for 11 years in England -- i love what i do == Skip was a racer first and he amassed an incredible staff of great people -- all racers all like minded -- we had a great time together as a family of racers and the business just boomed -- there was really nothing quite like it -- lot of smart people just didnt get it an had no idea of what Skip brought to the table -- but our customers got it--

-What you did before racing and instructing? Really spent my youth trying to figure out how to go racing --attended high school in Watkins Glen --captain high school football--wrestling--track teams --attended and graduated Gettysburg College BA Political Science

-Favorite tracks? (In order of preference) Nurburgring i did two 24 hr races and a round of European FF series there on old 14+ mile Nordschliffe--Spa --Watkins Glen -- Mosport -- old Bridgehampton -- Brands Hatch ( i clinched a championship there ) Hockeinheim i did my first formula car race there and set a lap record later--Oulton Park i won my first race in England there--Road Atlanta i won Petit Le Mans there in GT -- Road America -- Monaco i drove Brabham F3 car and always thought id get to come back in a more competitive effort --those are my favourites-- i love a lot of other tracks

-Favorite track moments and/or achievements as a racer? As a personal achievement winning at Watkins Glen in a Grand Am Motorola Cup race was big --id led the 24hrs at the Glen and led a Pro Mazda Star race there but both had ended badly with wheel hub and cut tire failures--winning British Formula Ford Chanpionship and helping my factory team(Royale) win European title and defeat my good friend and rival at Van Dieman-Roberto Moreno--Roberto is a great racer and person and we had some great battles on the track, but he was always clean and we trusted each other--he won at Hockenheimring when i set the lap record and finished 2nd, but the week before i beat him at the Nurburgring where we literally traded places in every corner and recieved a standing ovation from the crowd who had been bored by a pretty tame F2 race--the first person to congratulate me was Ralph Firman the creator of Van Dieman and then our engineer at Royale Pat Symonds ( Pat was such a great person to work with i am not at all surprised with his well deserved success with Alonso at Renault ) i learned so much from those guys--some other achievements --Driver of the Year Award England after competing in 66 races in one season working as my own mechanic truck driver etc and living gyspy style in my converted Dutch bread van--winning German Rookie of the Year Award my first season.

-What series and or types of cars have you raced and when? I did literally hundreds of races in Formula Ford in an era when 90 entrants was common with three heats and a final and the FF Festival at Brands Hatch boasted 260 entrants with 8 heats 4 quarter finals two semis and to just make the final 26 was everything!--my best finish was 7th in my final Festival but wed had car problems and only sussed it just before the race --i started 26th and made it to 7th in the 15 lap feature with lap times in the 50 sec range--the year before id won my heat and 1/4 final only to be crashed out of 2nd by Thierry Boutson --the entry list read like a whos who of the time--i raced Lotus 61- Eldon Mk10- Crossle 30 &32-factory driver at Hawkes with James Weaver -factory driver with Royale RP 26--- FF2000 Dulon ---in Formula Three i did three races in a Brabham BT 41 an older car i tried sticking a modern 2 liter motor in which proved too much for the weaker gearbox as i found out after qualifying 11th from 80 entrants for 24 start spots at Monaco--i had no back up parts and didnt race --my crew consisted of me and my wife Sjoukje--i did 1/2 season in 1982 in Ralt RT 3 - 12 races with year old car with some 5th place finishes against the likes of Senna ,even qualified 3rd in the rain @ Silverstone British GP support race and my sponsor was poised to buy a new car before company was bought out by a German firm with no interest in racing--drove 85 IMSA Camel GTPL series in a Lola T616 for my team/employer with AMOCO Chemical backing best finish 3rd at Lime Rock that was followed by an Indy car testing contract but team ran into problems and disbanded--it was shortly after that career diappointment that i accepted the job of setting up Brands Hatch USA School and after moving back here picked up rides with paying customers in IMSA and Grand Am races-- Porsche GT3 qualified and running 3rd at 97 Sebring 12hour behind factory BMWs - when i got back in after my 3 team mates stints, i had 2 hours in night to come back from 16th to 5th-- but later won in same car 98 Petit LeMans with my good friend and Skippy student Richard Polidori--drove GT3 Mazda 24 h Daytona 6hr Glen --GT3 Ferrari 12h Sebring with Skippy student Ryan Hunter-Reay and A Montermini --got to drive several Grand AM Prototypes including 4 Ferrari 333 and race three different Riley & Scott- raced Group C Spice Cosworth and driven 1200 hp Porsche 962 --won Glen in 2000 in Pontiac Firebird for Grand Am Cup and put same car on pole with new track record at Homestead in 2003 --raced a Daytona Prototype this year at VIR sitting in car first time at start of race and bringing Picchio BMW from 25th to 11th during my 1&1/2 hr stint -the best showing ever for that infamous car--thats all you can do ever is give your best

-Of the cars you’ve raced, what’s your favorite and why? I loved many of them -certainly the Crossle the Lola the Brabham the Riley for being so beautifully balanced--but my favourite was driving the Riley Lasano Ford in the Daytona 24 hour -it was just one of those cool deals -i was coaching at the track when the owner offered me the drive -- the car was literally in pieces and i said yes as long as youll hire my friend Brian Nott to prep it and i drive with those two guys--standing next to me and sniffing around were fellow Skippy colleagues and friends Todd Snyder and Nick Longhi--Todd for anyone who doesnt know is blindingly quick and aptly nicknamed 11 --somehow we all thrashed to get it together and it was just a great adventure- my first lap in the car was 1 hour into the race and i remmeber running flat on the banking on slicks in the rain because the other end of the circuit was dry-- alas it turned out to have a sprint motor which gave out exactly when it was supposed to after 4 hrs.

-Racers who inspired you when you were coming up and racers who inspire you now? My hero as a kid was Jochen Rindt and later as an instructor at Brands Hatch i got to work with Jackie Stewart who was terribly kind to me and acted as a mentor--after one day of giving hot laps around the track i had a XR4 Cosworth that rotated particularly well and Sir Jackie asked if he could take the car out -- i asked to ride along which was agreeable but then Derek Bell also asked to come along and i could tell by the twinkle in Stewarts eyes that we were in for a special ride -- we probably had no helmets or roll bars and Jackie proceeded to wring everything and some out of this car with Derek yelling i hate these bloody sedans-as he backed the the screaming thing through Paddock Hill Bend Jackie winked at me and said doesnt it correct nicely Peter -- today i am inspired by many of the fine young racers i have the pleasure of working with and coaching--for example recently worked with Ryan Briscoe and his team where we finished 3rd at the Glen in the IRL race

-Students who have impressed you most as you watched them grow as drivers? --Damon Hill --Juan Pablo Montoya -- Ryan Hunter-Reay -- Ashton Lewis--John Edwards to name only a few

-The best thing about being a Skip Barber instructor? ---the colleagues i work with -- and mostly the customers who are great people and friends -- people like Richard Polidori - Bud an Fran Risser --Murray an Michelle Marden just great friends making an extended family

-The funniest and/or dumbest thing you’ve seen a student do? (Don’t limit yourself to one if several apply :-). --- wow some great stories over the years many i better not commit to ink -- but if we were enjoying a nice bottle of wine--- i do have a vivid memory of a certain Earl i coached at Brands Hatch for the Grand Prix support race for House of Lords vs House of Commons and track workers standing back from painting kerbs with paint brushes in hand whilst his lordship did his private practice laps

-If you hadn’t become a racer and instructor what would you have done? --there was never anything else i wanted to do but race -- i knew this at age 5 when i drove my first car sitting on my fathers lap - even before i knew what racing was i knew i needed to be driving

-Anything else you'd like us to know about you? --my father Cameron Argetsinger was instrumental in creating organizing and racing in the inaugural Watkins Glen Grand Prix on the 6.6 mile road course he mapped out in 1948 -- the community later purchased the current grounds and my father acted as executive director bringing the US Grand Prix there in 1961-- the track was designed by my father and his racing friend and Cornell Aeronautical engineer Bill Milikan -- my father had nine children and when he realized i was afflicted by the racing disease advised me to figure out a way to get paid to do it -- my brother Michael who is a passionate racer helped me get started as he was living in Germany and saw a sponsorship opportunity -- we created and organized the German FF Championship for sponsors American Express and later Phillip Morris which in turn provided funding for our racing---alot of work but provided a means to an end

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