With a victory in Sunday’s second race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) swept the weekend in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas). The 19-year-old Texan entered the Mid-Ohio SpeedTour as the championship points leader, and extended his lead with two additional wins this weekend.
The race remained fairly calm, with drivers hitting their marks and logging laps until a full-course caution slowed the pace with 10 minutes left on the clock. Landan Matriano Lim (No. 73 739Racing Ligier JS F3) appeared poised to have one of the best finishes of his career, spending the majority of the day running in the fifth position, however, a spin in Turn 9 resulted in him getting stuck in the gravel and requiring a tow from safety crews. A quick retrieval allowed the race to resume with just over three minutes left on the clock, giving the drivers one last chance at mixing up the running order.
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Shehan timed his restart perfectly, keeping Ambiado in his mirrors. Woods-Toth stayed just off the Chilean’s rear wing, with just one second separating the top three drivers. By the time they reached the checkered flag, Shehan beat Ambiado across the line by just 0.452s, while Woods-Toth finished third.
“We’re on the racing line on the outside, so I think that helped quite a bit,” said Shehan from the top step of the podium. “I just got a good start and was able to hold it around the outside of Nico [Ambiado]. It was a good race after that, but it was pretty stressful. The track was pretty slick after the rain this morning, and the tires weren’t too happy. So, it was stressful, but I was able to hold on. I have to thank the whole Crosslink Kiwi team, my engineer, my mechanic, my parents and my sponsors.”
FR Americas is back on track next month at New Jersey Motorsports Park for the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour, July 25-28. Live timing and scoring for the event can be accessed on the Race Monitor app, and additional news and updates will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.