Kadlečík, Caruana, and Hawkin set to compete in 2026 Skip Barber Formula Car Shootout at VIR
September 29th, 2026 by Justin Melillo
Back in July, the 2026 Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series concluded its season with Martin Kadlečík from the Czech Republic taking the virtual championship over the United Kingdom’s Matt Caruana—the 2025 series champion—and Canada’s Brandon Hawkin, competing in his second season of the competition, but his first since the 2023 campaign.
This week, those three sim competitors will head to VIRginia International Raceway in the United States for a three-day Formula Car Shootout. They’ll be competing against one another for a full-season seat in the Skip Barber Formula Race Series, last year won by Aaron Vazquez. Caruana will be making his second attempt in the Shootout, while Kadlečík and Hawkin will both attempt it for the first time.
These three are no strangers to real-world racing, making all three of their current sim-to-reality stories more of a continuation rather than a beginning. Caruana has competed in the Peugeot 206 Production Cup since last year’s Shootout, scoring three podiums in four races. Hawkin comes in with tons of karting experience, plus a stint in the Racing Prodigy – Prodigy 3 series, another sim-to-reality program, where he earned a podium in eight races there.
As for Kadlečík, he might have the most background behind him, and the most diverse as well, having competed in Autocross at five-years-old, moving to circuit racing at the age of 18, competing in the Twingo Cup, Clio Cup, and in Touring Cars.
The 3-day program that this trio is set to embark on will not only test their skills on the track, but will also evaluate their marketability, media skills, and other non-racing aspects of being a racecar driver. Excitement and nerves aplenty, all three hope that they can be the one to stand out amongst the group. Only one will earn the full-season seat for the 2027 campaign. In any case, it will be a learning experience like no other.
“Since it is my first time visiting the Skip Barber Racing School, I am not quite sure what to expect, but I am sure that there will be lots of track time and fun driving a racecar, which is what I am looking forward to the most,” said Kadlečík. “I think it’s going to be a great learning experience, and I can’t wait to get started.”
“I’m coming in to next week as relaxed as possible, of course I’m hoping and believing in myself that I can go for the win this time, but I’m going in to it with a positive mindset, using everything I’ve learnt from last year speaking with the guys at Skip Barber to hopefully come out with the main prize,” said Caruana. “I’m expecting it to be just as hard, if not harder than last year, although I’ve been there before I still need to put maximum effort in to prove to the guys at Skip Barber why they should choose me.”
To learn more about the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series, visit https://www.skipbarber.com/iracing-series/.
For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.
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