By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer
Many drivers in motorsport are looking to move up the racing ladder. In this article series, we’ll take a look at several drivers that we believe should be in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires.
Skylar Robinson has racing in his blood. The son of Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring winner Chip Robinson, Skylar has competed in the SCCA’s F2000 and F1600 championships and the F4 US Championship, winning races in all three. Let’s take a look at the younger Robinson’s rise in racing so far.
The Georgia native ran in the 2014 F2000 championship for Eric Langbein Racing and nearly won the championship, losing to Tim Minor by two points. In his 2014 season, Robinson had four wins and five second place finishes but two DNFs and an 11th hurt his championship hopes.
In 2015 he ran in the F1600 series and finished second in that championship as well, scoring three wins and beating future Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda drivers Jordan Cane, Robert Megennis, Cameron Das and Michai Stephens.
For 2016, Robinson ran in the F4 United State Championship where he placed fifth in the standings. This was an impressive feat given that he ran only 12 of the 15 races, was disqualified from one race because of a small mistake and finished two races outside of the points.
While Robinson’s 2017 plans are currently unknown, he indicated via email that his preference for 2017 would be IMSA GT3 Cup given his dad’s sports car background.
However, it might not be a bad idea for the younger Robinson to consider single seaters.
Chip Robinson won the 1986 CART Rookie of the Year award after finishing seventh in the final race of the season at Tamiami Park in Miami. That finish gave the elder Robinson six points, which doubled the total of the two co-rookies of the year that would have won the award in Mike Nish and Dominic Dobson.
The next year, Robinson finished sixth at Long Beach in his best CART World Series finish.
Perhaps soon, we could see the son follow in his father’s footsteps and look towards the Mazda Road to Indy and a chance to have the family name represented in the top open wheel series in North America once again.
