FR Americas and F4 US titles up for grabs at COTA

Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) and Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) pull into Circuit of The Americas (COTA) for their final three races of 2023. Each competing in Rounds 16-18 at the Mission Foods Austin SpeedTour, the championships will join Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), the Trans Am Series, Prototype Sprint Series Association and International GT, as all six series crown their champions in the final SpeedTour event of the season. With over 700 cars being showcased throughout the weekend between the on-track competition, Hagerty Cars and Caffeine Car Show, and Corvette Invasion, there is sure to be something for everyone.

Schedule:

FR Americas Championship Powered by Honda

Practice 1: Thursday, November 2 at 9:15 a.m. ET

Practice 2: Thursday, November 2 at 1:10 p.m. ET

Qualifying: Thursday, November 2 at 4:00 p.m. ET

Feature Race 1: Friday, November 3 at 9:15 a.m. ET

Feature Race 2: Friday, November 3 at 2:45 p.m. ET

Feature Race 3: Saturday, November 4 at 9:20 a.m. ET

F4 U.S. Championship Powered by Honda

Practice 1: Thursday, November 2 at 10:40 a.m. ET

Practice 2: Thursday, November 2 at 2:40 p.m. ET

Qualifying: Thursday, November 2 at 5:35 p.m. ET

Feature Race 1: Friday, November 3 at 12:00 p.m. ET

Feature Race 2: Friday, November 3 at 5:50 p.m. ET

Fan Walk: Saturday, November 4 at 12:00 p.m. ET

Feature Race 3: Saturday, November 4 at 12:45 p.m. ET

Fans will have an opportunity to meet the drivers from FR Americas and F4 U.S. during a special pre-race fan walk on Saturday afternoon. Join us on pit lane at 12 p.m. CT to get an up-close look at the F4 cars moments before they head out on track for their third and final race of the weekend. Meet drivers from both series, get free swag—including a complimentary FR Americas/F4 U.S. series poster—and collect autographs. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event!

You can watch the FR Americas and F4 U.S. races this weekend for free on social media with streaming available on the SpeedTourTV YouTube page (YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV). Live coverage on Friday and Saturday means that all three races will be streamed for each championship.

With 11 wins this season, including two in the series’ last outing at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR), Callum Hedge (No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) continues to lead the championship standings. However, the battle isn’t as cut and dry as it once appeared—in fact, Hedge failed to score any points in the series’ most recent race after being forced to retire early from Round 15. With three runner-up finishes at VIR, Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) kept his championship hopes alive, leaving Hedge with only a 51-point advantage going into COTA.

Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) was eliminated from championship contention at VIR, but the Oregonian still had a weekend to remember as he secured his first-career win in Round 15. The victory, paired with two third-place results, kept Becklin just 42 points behind Shehan. Oliver Westling (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F3) remains the fourth and final driver with a chance of finishing inside the top three in the point standings. The New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) Round 10 winner ranks fourth, just 57 points behind Becklin.

Jake Bonilla (No. 20 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) will join powerhouse Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport to make his FR Americas debut this weekend at COTA. Bonilla has been testing the Ligier JS F3 car with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport this year, and earned two podiums—including a win—in the car during a Formula Pro USA Western Championship event at Sonoma Raceway in September. Previously, the San Antonian competed in F4 U.S. during the 2020 and 2021 race seasons.

Manuel Roza (No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Cole Kleck (No. 11 Speed Factory Ligier JS F3) will both return to the FR Americas paddock just in time for the 2023 season finale. With neither driver having competed since Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in June, Roza will return to his traditional No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport entry, while Kleck joins Speed Factory for the final event of the year.

Austinite Ryan Shehan will join three fellow Texans racing at Circuit of The Americas this weekend. Cole Kleck and Jake Bonilla can carpool from their San Antonio homes, while Max Hewitt (No. 39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) will have the longest trip to make of the “local” drivers, with a 150-mile journey from Houston.

Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 22 Save22 Ligier JS F3) earned his first-career podium in the series’ most recent outing at VIR. A major accident during the closing laps at NJMP required Bowlsbey to rebuild his car during the 10-week break between events. With the help of his friends and family, both the driver and car were ready to race when the lights went out at VIR. Bowlsbey first entered F4 U.S. competition in 2019, and moved up to FR Americas with his family-owned IGY6 Motorsports in 2022. With 17 previous top 10s, Bowlsbey’s third-place result in Round 15 marked his first-career FR Americas podium—and the first podium finish for IGY6 Motorsports.

With 11 victories this season, Callum Hedge is currently tied with last year’s FR Americas champion, Raoul Hyman, for third on the all-time wins list. Another victory this weekend would break that tie and solidify Hedge’s standing as the third-winningest driver in FR Americas history. Kyle Kirkwood and Linus Lundqvist, both current competitors in INDYCAR, are tied for the most wins in FR Americas with 15 victories apiece.

FR Americas Scholarship on the line
The battle for the 2023 F4 U.S. drivers’ championship title is down to just three drivers. Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) currently leads the championship charge, while Michael Costello (No. 19 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) and Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) are tied for second, 66.5 points behind Woods-Toth. Alex Berg, who is currently ranked fourth in points, will miss this weekend’s event as he competes in England’s Formula Ford Festival with Team Canada. His absence leaves Jesse Lacey (No. 16 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4), hot off his first F4 U.S. win at VIR, to contend with Daniel Cará (No. 10 Tenuta Foppa & Ambrosi Ligier JS F4) and Augie Soto-Schirripa (No. 24 International Motorsport Ligier JS F4), who earned two wins during the VIR race weekend. All four drivers remain mathematically eligible to contend for a top-three finish in the final point standings.

At the conclusion of the season, the 2023 F4 U.S. champion will be given the opportunity to move to FR Americas in 2024 with support from Ligier Automotive, Hankook Tires and Parella Motorsports Holdings. In addition, the champion will also receive $25,000 from Honda Performance Development, along with several other prizes.

Five drivers will be making their F4 U.S. debut this weekend at Circuit of The Americas. Ariel Elkin (No. 18 International Motorsport Ligier JS F4) joins the field from the F4 Italian Championship where the Israeli driver competed earlier this year. American Barrett Wolfe (No. 13 Doran Motorsports Group Ligier JS F4) and Australian Daniel Quimby (No. 42 Doran Motorsports Group Ligier JS F4) both move to F4 U.S. after competing in the Formula Pro USA Championships earlier this year. Meanwhile, Zhanbin Jia (No. 6 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) will move to F4 U.S. after making his debut in the SpeedTour Formula Development Series just last month at VIR. Pablo Josè Benites (No. 8 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4) also used SpeedTour Formula Development to gain experience in his Ligier JS F4 this season and will move up to F4 U.S. competition at COTA.

Four drivers competing in this weekend’s event hail from the state of Texas. Daniel Cará will have the shortest drive to COTA, traveling 150 miles from his home in The Woodlands, Texas. Meanwhile, a trio of drivers will travel from their homes around the greater Dallas area to compete in this weekend’s event—Dallas-based Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4), Terrell, Texas’ Christopher Parrish (No. 83 Save22 Ligier JS F4), and Titus Sherlock from Prosper, Texas.

Several F4 U.S. competitors notched important career accomplishments during the series’ last round at VIR. Augie Soto-Schirripa earned the most points throughout the weekend with his two wins, while Jesse Lacey earned his first-career F4 U.S. victory. Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N.E. Where Transport Ligier JS F4) impressed with a weekend where he continued to better his record for career-best finish—first earning a fifth, then a third, and finally a second-place result. Hannah Greenemeier (No. 74 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) also recorded a career-best finish with her sixth-place result in Round 14. Luciano Martinez (No. 91 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4) earned his first-career pole to lead the field off the starting grid in Race 2 of the weekend.

Hedge completes FR Americas sweep at Mid-Ohio

Callum Hedge had another perfect weekend in Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas), extending his win streak to seven races. Despite pressure from his Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport teammates, Hedge led the field from …

With the fastest lap in Race 2, Hedge (No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) secured the pole for the final race of the PERMCO Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio weekend. Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) put up a good fight, staying wheel to wheel with Hedge through Turn 1 and to the entrance of the Keyhole. Meanwhile, their teammate Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) lined up third, but was a bit slow off the starting block, giving Max Hewitt (No. 39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) an opportunity to pull to the outside and snag the position. However, just a few turns later, Becklin pulled to the outside of Hedge in Turn 4 to reclaim the position he had just lost.

One driver turning heads early in the race was Cole Kleck (No. 11 Velocity Racing Development Ligier JS F3), who lined up fifth for his third-career FR Americas start, but climbed up to fourth after just two laps. Just behind Kleck was Manuel Roza (No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 22 Save22 Ligier JS F3) and Austin Hill (No. 8 SoOhio Equip / Alum Trailers / Ferris Mowers / Big Tex Trailers / PJ Trailers / CM Truck JS F3) just waiting for the right time to pounce. With just over 20 minutes on the clock, pounce they did as they exited Turn 9 and headed toward Thunder Valley. Roza got around Kleck first, and Bowlsbey followed in the very next turn.

Corner workers spotted Hewitt’s car spraying some kind of vapor. Just as they called it in, Hewitt spun the car and landed in the gravel trap just past Turn 4, with smoke billowing from the machine. A safety car period ensued with safety workers retrieving both the driver and car.

The race restarted with just over 11 minutes left. Hedge once again got a solid jump, but Shehan stayed closely behind, rarely giving Hedge even a half-second gap. Despite that, Hedge, Shehan and Becklin remained nose to tail, without any of them able to make a move and complete a pass.

When they finally crossed the finish line after 35 minutes, Hedge led Shehan and Becklin, followed by Roza, who won the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of The Race. Hill, the hometown hero, rounded out the top five.

Race 3 Official Results

“Can’t really ask for much more than seven wins in a row,” Hedge said from the podium. “I have to give the credit to the Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport team. They’ve given me a really good car. Paul, Big Dill, thank you for making the car nice and fast. Without the team and those two engineers, we wouldn’t be able to achieve the success we have. So big credit to them, and let’s see if we can keep going.”

Notes of interest:
Manuel Roza was named the winner of the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race after a strong performance throughout the FR Americas weekend at Mid-Ohio.
With his Round 9 victory, Callum Hedge has extended his consecutive win streak to seven races. The record is eight-consecutive wins, set by Kyle Kirkwood in 2018, and later matched by Linus Lundqvist in 2020.
Ryan Shehan has extended his podium streak; he is the only driver to have finished on the podium in every FR Americas race this season.
Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport earned their seventh podium sweep of 2023.
FR Americas is back on track next month at New Jersey Motorsports Park, July 28-30. Follow the championship on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or watch Race Monitor for live timing and scoring. Tickets for the event are available at NJMP.com/SpeedTour.

WATCH THE STREAM Replay: FR Americas Race 3 from Mid-Ohio

Race 2:

Callum Hedge is up to six-straight victories with a win in Race 2 for Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday morning. The race was filled with tight competition throughout the field, with everyone fighting someone for position.

Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) earned his second pole of the year after recording the fastest lap in yesterday’s Race 1. Shehan’s teammate, Hedge (No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), lined up next to him to start the race second. When the lights went out, Hedge immediately stepped on the gas to pull even with Shehan as they entered the first turn. By the time they exited the corner, Hedge had claimed the point position.

Initially pulling away to a half-second lead, Hedge hit his marks while Shehan stalked him in his tracks. Meanwhile, their teammate Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) fell 2.5-seconds back while controlling the third position. Another 2.5-seconds back was a four-way battle for fourth as Oliver Westling (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F3), Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 22 Save22 Ligier JS F3), Manuel Roza (No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Cole Kleck (No. 11 Velocity Racing Development Ligier JS F3) jockeyed for the position. Just behind them, Austin Hill (No. 8 SoOhio Equip / Alum Trailers / Ferris Mowers / Big Tex Trailers / PJ Trailers / CM Truck Ligier JS F3) and Max Hewitt (No. 39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) raced nose to tail for the eighth position.

As the clock ticked down, both Shehan and Becklin closed in on Hedge. With 10 laps compete, Shehan was just 0.272-seconds behind Hedge. At the same time, Becklin was also closing in, pulling within a second of the leaders with less than 20 minutes left in the race.

In fact, the battles were tightening up all throughout the field. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Hedge, Shehan and Becklin were all within less than a second of each other. Meanwhile, Westling, Bowlsbey, Roza and Kleck, who is competing in his first FR Americas race weekend, were all within two seconds. At the same time, Hill and Hewitt were separated by just two-tenths.

With less than three minutes on the clock, Shehan looked to the inside of Hedge as they entered Turn 4. Unable to pull off the pass, Becklin started to look to Shehan’s outside as they entered Turn 5. The trio used every bit of their Hankook tires as they looked for the right opportunity within the final laps with less than four-tenths gapping the three drivers as they worked toward the white flag. Shehan took one last look to the inside of Hedge as they raced through Thunder Valley, and stayed on the New Zealander’s gearbox as they raced through the Carousel and toward the checkered flag.
When they crossed the line, Hedge held a 0.289-second advantage over Shehan, with Becklin just 0.717-second behind in third.

“That was a bit more challenging this morning,” said Hedge. “Ryan had a lot of speed, so kudos to him. Hopefully, he’s used his tires up a little bit for the last race today. But he was very quick; props to him. I’m looking forward to going for another battle again later on today.”

Notes of interest:
Today’s 0.289-second margin of victory marked the closest finish of the season in FR Americas.
With today’s victory, Callum Hedge has extended his consecutive win streak to six races.
Ryan Shehan has extended his podium streak; he is the only driver to have finished on the podium in every FR Americas race this season.
Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport earned their sixth podium sweep of 2023.
WATCH THE STREAM REPLAY: FR Americas Race 2 from Mid-Ohio

Shehan and Hedge take FR Americas wins at NOLA

Shehan takes two in a row at NOLA; Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport sweeps podium in Race 2 Ryan Shehan has back-to-back wins in his first two Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) starts, as he took the win in Race 2 at …

Shehan takes two in a row at NOLA; Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport sweeps podium in Race 2

Ryan Shehan has back-to-back wins in his first two Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) starts, as he took the win in Race 2 at NOLA Motorsports Park on Sunday morning. Keeping his No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3 at the front of the field from lights to checkered, Shehan won the race in dominating fashion.

“That definitely wasn’t easy,” said Shehan from the podium. “Nick was right behind me the whole first half; then I saw him just pull over—I’m not sure what happened. From there, it was just me and Cooper [Becklin]. I just did my best to maintain the gap to Cooper, and was able to get away with the win. I have to thank Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport; sweeping the podium just shows how strong of a team they are.”

Nick Persing (No. 29 OPI Commercial Builders Inc. Ligier JS F3) applied pressure to Shehan during the early laps of the race, not allowing Shehan to pull more than a half-second gap on the field. However, while working the seventh lap of the race, Persing suffered a mechanical issue that forced him to pull off the track and into a safe location, which allowed the field to avoid a caution.

With Persing’s misfortune, Shehan automatically doubled his lead over second place as he raced nearly a full second ahead of Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), who advanced to the second position. Becklin started the race in the third position and quietly hit his marks every lap to hold position.

Teammates Bryson Morris (No. 39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Callum Hedge (No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) were left to battle it out for the third and final position on the podium. Morris initially held the advantage, but a pass by Hedge in Turn 4 with just over three minutes left on the clock ultimately left Morris on the outside looking in.

Shehan crossed the line first on his Hankook tires, followed by Becklin and Hedge, marking the first team sweep of the season with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport claiming the top four finishing positions.

SEE MORE: Race 2 Official Results

Follow FR Americas on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or use Race Monitor to track live timing and scoring. This weekend’s races are streaming free at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV.

RACE 2 STREAM: FR Americas YouTube

Callum Hedge, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, winner, checkered flag

Callum Hedge victorious in NOLA finale for FR Americas

New Zealander Callum Hedge took his first win in the Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda on Sunday afternoon in the final race of the weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park. Making his FR Americas debut, the driver steadily improved throughout the weekend with a sixth-place finish in Race 1 and third-place finish in Race 2 before finally climbing atop the podium in Race 3.

Hedge (No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) lined up side-by-side with teammate Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), who was in the point position, on the starting grid. It was clear that everyone was there to win, as both Hedge and third-place Nick Persing (No. 29 OPI Commercial Builders Inc. Ligier JS F3) got a clean jump on the start and immediately went three-wide racing down the front stretch. Hedge pulled ahead to take the lead as the group entered Turn 1 and never looked back.

Meanwhile, Persing, who was competing in his sixth race of the weekend across both FR Americas and Radical Cup North America competition, settled into second.

The real action surrounded the battle for third, where with just 10 minutes remaining in the race, a matter of car lengths separated Becklin, Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), Bryson Morris (No. 39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Manuel Roza (No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3). Becklin led the train for most of the battle, but a mechanical issue heading into Turn 2 with just over three minutes remaining in the race allowed Shehan to pull around.

As the checkered flag waved, Hedge crossed the line first on his Hankook tires, with Persing in second and Shehan claiming third.

READ MORE: Race 3 Official Results

At the conclusion of the race, Shehan was named the winner of the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race for his consistent performance throughout the weekend, with two wins and three podium finishes. As part of the award, he was presented with a bespoke Omologato timepiece.

FR Americas is back on May 19-21 for the Road America SpeedTour where they will contest Rounds 4-6 of their 2023 season. Tickets for the event in Elkhart Lake, Wis., are available now at RoadAmerica.com. For updates before our next event, follow FR Americas on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

RACE 3 STREAM: SpeedTourTV YouTube

Shehan wins season-opening FR Americas race at NOLA

Ryan Shehan won the Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) season opener at NOLA Motorsports Park on Saturday afternoon. The 18-year-old returned to America just a few weeks ago after spending the winter in New Zealand …

With a strong weekend so far, Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) paced opening practice before taking the pole position in Saturday morning’s qualifying session. A quick jump at lights out placed him in control of the race before the field even reached Turn 1.

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Nick Persing (No. 29 OPI Commercial Builders Inc. Ligier JS F3) held the pressure during the early laps of the race, but fatigue started to kick in for the driver who had already completed three track sessions in the 80-degree temperatures, including two Radical Cup North America races. By lap 8, Shehan finally opened up a 1.117-second lead, which he steadily grew lap after lap.

Meanwhile, as the laps ticked down, Persing found himself feeling the pressure of a closing Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3). Once separated by over a second, Becklin had closed the gap to just a few car lengths with less than three minutes left in the race. In an intense battle, both drivers took turns locking their brakes before Becklin finally pulled side-by-side with Persing heading into Turn 1 while racing toward the white flag. With Persing in the better line, Becklin was unable to complete the pass, leaving Persing to claim the second position.

As they crossed the line, it was Shehan, followed by Persing, and then Becklin, to each claim their first podium finish of the 2023 season.

“I saw Nick in my mirrors for a good chunk of the race and then he just kind of disappeared,” said Shehan from the podium. “I couldn’t tell how close he was, so I just kept going. I knew that if I backed off there was a chance that he could catch back up. I kept pushing until I took the white flag, and I’m just so thankful to take this win. I have to thank the whole team at Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport. The fact that we can come out here and be competitive in our first race shows how good of a team they are, and how good their preparation is.”

READ MORE: Race 1 Provisional Results

FR Americas returns to the track tomorrow for Race 2 at 10:55 a.m. CT, followed by Race 3 at 2:45 p.m. CT. Follow the championship on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or watch Race Monitor for live timing and scoring. This weekend’s races are streaming free at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV.

WATCH THE STREAM: FR Americas Race 1