Giebler, Hand Earn Team USA Scholarships

Oct 27, 2000
Silverstone, England — California karting standouts Phil Giebler and Joey Hand will contest the four-race Euro Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series in England next month. The pair of former karting standouts earned the prize by virtue of winning coveted Valvoline Team USA Scholarships during a six-driver shootout held in rainy conditions earlier today at the world-renowned Silverstone race track.
Giebler and Hand emerged on top in terms of both the fastest outright lap times and the best average time during a 10-lap final stint in the 300-horsepower Audi turbo-powered Van Diemens. Today’s judging panel consisted of Formula Palmer Audi (FPA) Series founder and ex-Formula 1 racer Jonathan Palmer, last year’s Team USA Scholarship winner Paul Edwards (who won the 1999 FPA Winter Series) and fellow American Paul Anthony, who has carved a niche as one of the top Formula 3 race engineers with Alan Docking Racing.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” said Giebler, 21, from Oxnard, Calif. “Even just to drive these cars has been fun. It’s a good feeling to know people give you a chance to show what you can do, and it’s nice to able to take advantage of that opportunity.”

Added Hand, also 21, from Sacramento, Calif.: “I made the trip here last year for the shootout and got humbled. You need to be humbled. I came back this year a better driver. I’ve never driven in the rain before, so I had no experience. I just drove the thing. I’m glad I was able to prove to everyone who supports the scholarship what I thought I could prove last year.”

Giebler and Hand will return to England for the race series, which begins with a pair of races at Snetterton on Nov. 12 and continues with two more races one week later at Brands Hatch.

The scholarship, which began in 1990, is supported by a variety of companies within the American auto racing industry including Valvoline, Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc., Tasman Motorsports (owned by former Indy Lights and Champ Car entrants Steve and Christine Horne), Mitel Semiconductor, Mercedes-Benz of North America, PacWest Racing Group, Klein Tools, Skip Barber Racing School, and RACER and Champ Car magazines.