How does five red flags in a 45-minute span sound? That was what the second NTT IndyCar Series practice session had to offer Saturday morning at Road America as drivers flew off the track and crashed, spun, wiped out trackside banners, beached …
How does five red flags in a 45-minute span sound? That was what the second NTT IndyCar Series practice session had to offer Saturday morning at Road America as drivers flew off the track and crashed, spun, wiped out trackside banners, beached themselves in the gravel traps, stalled, and caused general mayhem on a constant basis as they prepared for this afternoon’s qualifying session.
Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, and Marcus Ericsson kept the Chip Ganassi Racing team busy with their respective issues and they were joined by Colton Herta, Simon Pagenaud, and more who kept IndyCar’s AMR Safety Team crew busy from start to finish.
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Amid the stoppages and meetings with the tire barriers, Alexander Rossi led his second straight session with the No. 7 Chevy, posting the fastest lap of the session with a 1m40.9112s tour. Rossi’s former teammate Herta was second in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda (1m41.0584s) and was bookended by Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 6 Chevy (1m41.2572s).
Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports’ David Malukas continued to show pace in the No. 18 Honda and ran fourth (1m41.3010s) ahead of Ganassi’s only unencumbered driver during the session, Marcus Armstrong, who was fifth in the No. 11 Honda (1m41.3488s). And an impressive Santino Ferrucci completed the top six in the No. 14 Chevy (1m41.3534s).
A clean opening day of NTT IndyCar Series action at Road America took a different turn Saturday morning as three contenders for pole position returned to pit lane with their cars dangling from tow trucks. The first to crash was Chip Ganassi Racing’s …
A clean opening day of NTT IndyCar Series action at Road America took a different turn Saturday morning as three contenders for pole position returned to pit lane with their cars dangling from tow trucks.
The first to crash was Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou, who flew off at Turn 14 and damaged the right side of the No. 10 Honda on his third lap. Although the damage was not excessive, the brief two-hour gap between the end of the second practice session and the start of qualifying is where the pressure to affect repairs in a timely manner was impossible to ignore.
The biggest crash, however, was reserved for Palou’s teammate Scott Dixon and Team Penske’s Will Power, who was hit by the No. 9 Honda on the way up the hill leaving Turn 12. With Dixon having spun, recovered, and while running slow on the right side of the track, the CGR driver waited for Romain Grosjean to clear him before turning left but didn’t appear to see the oncoming Power as he ventured directly into the path of the oncoming No. 12 Chevy.
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The ensuing crash did extensive damage to both machines, breaking suspensions and wings before the cars came to a stop on the grass. An enraged Power climbed from his car, flipped Dixon the middle finger with both hands — reminiscent of his “double birds” incident at the Loudon IndyCar race in 2011 — before charging down to Dixon’s car and pushing him before AMR Safety Team members restrained him.
Dixon, who took responsibility for the clash, didn’t attempt to parry Power’s advances, acknowledging his rival was “pretty fired up.”
New Ed Carpenter Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay and reigning USF2000 champion Michael D’Orlando join RACER’s Marshall Pruett for Friday’s trackside report from the IndyCar event at Road America. Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube. Presented by: …
New Ed Carpenter Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay and reigning USF2000 champion Michael D’Orlando join RACER’s Marshall Pruett for Friday’s trackside report from the IndyCar event at Road America.
RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report at Road America is presented by Skip Barber Racing School.
With multiple locations in the US, Skip Barber Racing School has developed more winning racers than any other school. Their alumni have taken the podium in all facets of motorsports including NASCAR, INDYCAR, SCCA, World Challenge and IMSA. Click to learn more.
The NTT IndyCar Series’ return to a newly-paved Road America produced an incredible display of speed led by Alexander Rossi who topped the 27-car field with a best lap of 1m41.7790s. With Dario Franchitti’s all-time IndyCar lap record of 1m39.866s …
The NTT IndyCar Series’ return to a newly-paved Road America produced an incredible display of speed led by Alexander Rossi who topped the 27-car field with a best lap of 1m41.7790s.
With Dario Franchitti’s all-time IndyCar lap record of 1m39.866s from the CART IndyCar Series in 2000 with his Reynard-Honda as the standard to challenge, Rossi was closest in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevy as the group bolted on Firestone’s faster alternate tires to complete their running with qualifying simulations. Rossi’s 2022 pole lap of 1m44.8656s gave a good indicator of how much speed the new tarmac and Firestone’s new tires produced as the American knocked more than three seconds off his most impressive lap prior to the repave.
“It was interesting for us, having tested here last week, to understand the differences between the tires we used last week and the tire that Firestone brought for this weekend, because no one that tested here last week had that tire,” Rossi said. “Understanding how those offset and then trying the Firestone Reds for the first time was important. It was an interesting session and there’s definitely a lot to digest overnight.”
Behind Rossi was Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports’ David Malukas in second with a 1m41.8652s produced in the No. 18 Honda and in third, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou weighed in with a 1m41.9486s lap in the No. 10 Honda.
Palou’s CGR teammate Scott Dixon nearly matched him with a 1m41.9544s in the No. 9 Honda to claim fourth, and closing out the top six, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward registered a 1m41.9778s in the No. 5 Chevy and CGR’s Marcus Ericsson conjured a 1m42.0426s tour in the No. 8 Honda.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which made a few engineering and mechanical changes coming into a Road America, showed promise with Christian Lundgaard (P7) and Graham Rahal (P11), and of the surprises, Team Penske’s recent test at the track did not deliver the pace it was expecting as its fastest driver was Scott McLaughlin (P15).
Elsewhere, Ryan Hunter-Reay’s debut for Ed Carpenter Racing went better than expected (P22) in his first IndyCar road racing outing in 18 months. He and teammate Rinus VeeKay (P26) have plenty of work to do with the team before Saturday as the group looks to solve some of its season-long issues in the speed department.
Firestone’s Cara Krstolic tells RACER about the herculean effort by her team to make new tires to match Road America’s fresh track surface in record time. Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube Presented by: RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report at Road …
Firestone’s Cara Krstolic tells RACER about the herculean effort by her team to make new tires to match Road America’s fresh track surface in record time.
RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report at Road America is presented by Skip Barber Racing School.
With multiple locations in the US, Skip Barber Racing School has developed more winning racers than any other school. Their alumni have taken the podium in all facets of motorsports including NASCAR, INDYCAR, SCCA, World Challenge and IMSA. Click to learn more.
Road America’s John Ewert joins RACER’s Marshall Pruett to discuss the brand-new track surface being put to use this weekend at the NTT IndyCar Series event. Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube Presented by: RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report at Road …
Road America’s John Ewert joins RACER’s Marshall Pruett to discuss the brand-new track surface being put to use this weekend at the NTT IndyCar Series event.
RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report at Road America is presented by Skip Barber Racing School.
With multiple locations in the US, Skip Barber Racing School has developed more winning racers than any other school. Their alumni have taken the podium in all facets of motorsports including NASCAR, INDYCAR, SCCA, World Challenge and IMSA. Click to learn more.
What: Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America / Race 8 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Where: Natural-terrain road course at Elkhart Lake, Wis. When: Sunday, June 18, 1:00pm ET (green flag 1:15pm ET) From the near-flat and often flat-out turns of …
What: Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America / Race 8 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series
Where: Natural-terrain road course at Elkhart Lake, Wis.
When: Sunday, June 18, 1:00pm ET (green flag 1:15pm ET)
From the near-flat and often flat-out turns of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to the first and second-gear point ’n’ squirt, bump ’n’ grind street course in Detroit, to the hold-your-breath open sweepers and technical medium-speed turns at Road America this weekend. There’s no sequence in the 17-race NTT IndyCar Series schedule where the series more obviously demands its drivers to be the most versatile racers on earth.
People — drivers and fans alike — wax lyrical about Road America, calling it the United States’ greatest road course, with frequent comparisons to Formula 1’s Spa-Francorchamps. And with good reason, too: huge elevation changes, varied track surfaces, and unforgiving corners. Even where there’s runoff it can be hard to return to the asphalt without damaging the car; and where there is runoff, it’s often a gravel trap. Road America has barely changed since the year it was opened in 1955 — certainly its 4.048-mile configuration remains as it was, with only the curbing and the amount of asphalt and grass on either side of it shifting over the decades.
This venue is a mecca for campers, who are spoiled for choice as far as sightlines are concerned. Stay for the full three days, and you can move around the track and capture hugely different views for all five of the IndyCar sessions.
At Road America, race engineers who’ve seen their cars qualify badly tend to look gloomy on Saturday evening as they contemplate the chances of getting their car back up front through strategy. The length of the course means the race is only 55 laps long, which makes it a fairly obvious three-stop strategy, especially given the yawningly long pitlane. The scope for strategic variations is naturally limited.
Yet, time after time, we’ve seen that it takes just a single yellow in any of the three stints to allow the drivers to turn up the fuel mixture and let fly. And a driver who’s struggling on fuel strategy or who’s burned off their Firestone alternate-compound tires too soon cannot indefinitely fend off a close pursuer, for the track is wide, making for obvious passing opportunities at Turns 1, 3, 5, 6 and 10.
Last year at Road America, the top four teams looked very evenly balanced in terms of pace, with the top 10 on the grid containing three cars from Andretti Autosport and Chip Ganassi Racing, and two from Team Penske and Arrow McLaren. Andretti’s Alexander Rossi took his first pole for three years, putting himself in frame to score his first win over the same period.
Fellow front-row starter Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Penske crew scotched that idea at the first round of stops, when he emerged from pit lane ahead of Rossi — as did Ganassi’s Marcus Ericsson when he stopped a lap later, although Rossi got past him when the Swede ran wide at Turn 7.
Through the second and third stints, Rossi kept nibbling at Newgarden’s lead, and a late caution gave him a last chance to get fully on terms. Instead, he turned from hunter to hunted, with Ericsson slipping past him to claim second, 3.3710s behind winner Newgarden (below). Still Rossi headed a 3-4-5 for the Andretti team, followed home by Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta.
You can follow all the practice and qualifying action on Peacock on Friday, June 16, and Saturday, June 17, and the warmup on the morning of Sunday, June 18. Then the 55-lap/220.55-mile race will be carried on the USA Network as well as Peacock. And to get even closer to it all, grab the best seat in the house with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA and its 14 race day live onboard cameras.
TUNE IN
Friday, June 16 / 4:00pm – 5:15pm ET – Practice 1 – Peacock
Saturday, June 17 / 10:55am – 11:55am ET – Practice 2 – Peacock
Saturday, June 17 / 1:55pm – 3:25pm ET – Qualifying – Peacock
Sunday, June 18 / 10:15am – 10:45am ET – Warmup – Peacock
Sunday, June 18 / 1:15pm – 3:45pm ET – RACE – USA Network, Peacock
• All sessions and the race are also available as audio commentary on SiriusXM and INDYCAR Radio.
Ride along with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA
Taking you inside the action, 14 drivers will be carrying in-car cameras. During the race, you can live-stream every one of them with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. You choose who you ride along with, and you can switch drivers at any time. The App’s free to download for fans worldwide and you can find out more HERE. If you’re not already onboard, take your viewing experience to a whole new level HERE.
Bringing you the onboard action from the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America are…
Alexander Rossi / No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Rossi deserves to be excited about this race, for it’s the scene of his most recent pole position, in 2022, and the seventh of his eight NTT IndyCar Series wins, in 2019. The high-commitment corners are his forté and his willingness to get the throttle down early and clamber over curbs can produce considerable rewards on Road America’s medium-speed turns. He’s still seeking his first win for the Arrow McLaren team, after seven years with Andretti Autosport, and currently lies sixth in the championship.
Colton Herta / No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda
Herta has endured a difficult year so far, with his highest finish a fourth at Long Beach, but reassuringly he knows that Andretti Autosport has good road course setups and he can be exceedingly quick around Road America. In his rookie season of Indy NXT — then called Indy Lights — he took pole position and a podium finish here, while in IndyCar, he took his first-ever pole here in 2019. He used up his tires a tad too enthusiastically come race day, but he learned, and has since delivered top 5s each time, including a runner-up finish in 2021.
Pato O’Ward / No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
After finishing runner-up in three of the first five races, O’Ward knows that DNFs at Indy and Detroit (below) have been a setback in his championship quest. As well as his outright pace, the spectacular Mexican is also very smart, and has a genius race engineer in Will Anderson. He occasionally lets his emotions steer his racing instincts, but nowhere near as often as his critics suggest. He took pole and finished second at Road America in his first full IndyCar season in 2020; he has every right to believe he can take the “W” this weekend.
Will Power / No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
Since Road America reappeared on the IndyCar calendar in 2016, Penske’s reigning and two-time champion Power has shown pretty well here, notching up a pole, a win, two seconds, a third, a fifth, and a couple more less satisfying results. The Aussie, like all the aforementioned drivers, is seeking his first win of 2023 but as last year proved, he has a resolute calmness to simply get the best out of any given day, whatever fate throws at him. Is he a potential winner? Always.
Romain Grosjean / No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda
Statistics suggest he’s going to finish on the podium this weekend. The former F1 driver took fifth at Road America in his rookie year of 2021 with Dale Coyne Racing and he backed this up with fourth in his first year with Andretti Autosport. Now? Well, his pole position at Barber Motorsports Park this year suggested he and engineer Olivier Boisson have made the breakthrough required for road courses, where Grosjean needs the front end of the car to feel positive and planted. After six podium finishes, this weekend could see Grosjean’s first open-wheel win in a dozen years,
Felix Rosenqvist / No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
If you want to see how keen Rosenqvist is to remain in IndyCar next year, regardless of decisions made by McLaren CEO Zak Brown, just watch the final 20 laps of the Detroit Grand Prix in which he finished third. Then savor the prospect of the Swede trying to beat his teammates O’Ward and Rossi this weekend. Road America is of course the site of the Swede’s sole win at this level, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing back in 2020, when he outdueled none other than Pato to snatch victory.
Scott McLaughlin / No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
With four wins and three seasons under his belt, McLaughlin should feel comfortable pretty much everywhere, but never more than on road courses. An immensely strong addition to the Penske stable, he doesn’t merely scoop up the remains when his teammates have bad days; the Kiwi is a bona fide star. He led Power and Newgarden at Barber, the most recent undulating road course on the calendar, to take his first win of the season, and could grab a second on Sunday.
Kyle Kirkwood / No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda
Two wins in USF2000 for Cape Motorsports, two wins in Indy Pro 2000 for RP Motorsport, and one win in Indy Lights for Andretti Autosport. Safe to say that the 2021 Indy Lights champ Kirkwood knows how to be a contender around the varied turns presented by Road America. The American’s pole and victory at Long Beach displayed his composure, but Detroit was arguably a bigger test. His crash in qualifying was his fault, his lap 1/ Turn 1 tangle emphatically not, but he stormed from last to sixth after that, and was the most impressive driver of the weekend aside from winner Alex Palou and Power.
Graham Rahal / No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
If you want to know what frustration looks like, watch Graham Rahal interviewed on TV or follow him on Twitter. Yet we know there’s a talented driver trying to shake off the shackles of recalcitrant cars, self-inflicted snafus, and uncertainty when heading into a race weekend. A buildup of all three can certainly sap the confidence. Yet Rahal, like Rossi, always drives with a certain sense of liberation at Road America, unafraid to make bold passing attempts, and this is a track that can reward such self-belief.
Christian Lundgaard / No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Like teammate Rahal, Lundgaard seems very at home around Road America, and in his rookie season last year he qualified 13th and finished 10th. While this has been a very trying year for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan squad, the Dane should be heading into this weekend with some confidence, given his performance on natural road courses in the recent past. In 2022, he qualified fourth at Portland and finished fifth at Laguna Seca; this year he qualified and finished sixth at Barber and took pole and finished fourth at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Simon Pagenaud / No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
The 2016 NTT IndyCar Series champion has never looked completely comfortable at Road America, despite three top 10s in 2017-19. Thing is, Pagenaud likes a stable rear end to his car in order to commit and show his fabulous precision, and this course’s long straights require the removal of drag-inducing downforce. That said, he remains an impeccably smooth driver and should it rain this weekend, he could even be contending for his 16th career IndyCar win and his first for Meyer Shank Racing.
Jack Harvey / No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Harvey qualified on the front row at Road America in 2020, and was third on the grid in ’21, but in ’23 he’s struggling to show his form, especially in the RLL team, which is suffering the same paroxysms of competitiveness and recalcitrance. On his best days, the Brit (below) remains a force to be reckoned with, and this track is more likely than most to bring out his best.
Agustin Canapino / No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
One of the most talented touring car drivers of the current era continues to prove he’s one of the most surprisingly adept open-wheel converts. Three times in seven races this year, rookie Canapino has finished in the top 15 from a field of 27 cars, and how many so-called experts would have predicted that pre-season? The 33-year-old Argentinian can also enjoy a confidence boost knowing that his teammate, Callum Ilott, qualified 12th and finished 11th last year.
Ryan Hunter-Reay / No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
The 2012 champion and 2014 Indy 500 winner was far from a spent force when he was cut loose by Andretti Autosport at the tail end of ’21. Now Hunter-Reay, at the age of 42, gets to make his comeback as replacement for Conor Daly at ECR. Despite his impressive outing for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at the Indianapolis 500, this weekend will be a challenge for Ryan after 18 months away from an IndyCar cockpit on a road course. But he’s a highly motivated former champ and has a fine reference point in teammate Rinus VeeKay.
The INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA is free to download and access, so don’t miss out – CLICK HERE to get started.
All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Thursday, June 15 COTA 7:00-8:00pm (D) Nurburgring 24 Hours 8:00-9:00pm (D) Oschersleben 9:00-10:00pm (D) Friday, June 16 Montreal practice 1 1:25-2:30pm Montreal practice 1 1:25-2:30pm Road America …
All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.
Thursday, June 15
COTA
7:00-8:00pm
(D)
Nurburgring
24 Hours
8:00-9:00pm
(D)
Oschersleben
9:00-10:00pm
(D)
Friday, June 16
Montreal
practice 1
1:25-2:30pm
Montreal
practice 1
1:25-2:30pm
Road America
practice 1
4:00-5:15pm
Montreal
practice 2
4:30-6:00pm
Montreal
practice 2
4:30-6:00pm
Saturday, June 17
Road America
practice 2
10:55-
11:55am
Indianapolis
TA
11:00am-
12:15pm
Montreal
practice 3
12:25-1:30pm
Montreal
practice 3
12:25-
1:30pm
Mt. Morris
1:00pm
Road America
qualifying
1:55-3:25pm
Montreal
qualifying
3:55-5:00pm
Montreal
qualifying
3:55-5:00pm
Michigan
8:00-10:00pm
Sunday, June 18
Road America
warmup
10:10-10:45am
Road America
11:10am-
12:10pm
Sonoma
11:30am-
12:30pm (D)
Canadian
GP
12:30-
2:00pm
pre-race
2:00-4:00pm
race
Canadian
GP
12:30-
2:00pm
pre-race
2:00-4:00pm
race
Buriram
1:00-2:00pm
(D)
Road America
1:00-1:30pm
pre-race
1:30-3:30pm
race
Germany
1:30-3:00pm
(SDD)
Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Repeat/Replay
A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:
The Trans Am Series airs in 60-minute highlight shows in primetime on the MAVTV Network. For those wishing to tune in live, the entire lineup of SpeedTour events will stream for free on the SpeedTour TV YouTube page. SpeedTour TV will also air non-stop activity on Saturday and Sunday (SVRA, IGT and Trans Am). You can also watch all Trans Am event activity on the Trans Am YouTube page and Facebook page.
All NTT IndyCar Series stream live on Peacock Premium.
Michael Costello was declared the race two winner in Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) competition at Road America. The driver of the No. 19 Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier …
Michael Costello was declared the race two winner in Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) competition at Road America. The driver of the No. 19 Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4 was awarded the win following a stewards’ decision that determined that Frankie Mossman (No. 6 JHDD / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4)—who had crossed the finish line first—had actually jumped the initial start. Costello’s victory was the first of his F4 U.S. career.
Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) started on the pole after winning Race 1 yesterday. However, Mossman (No. 6 JHDD / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) kept it side-by-side and went wide to take command of the race by the time the field reached Turn 1. With Woods-Toth in hot pursuit, the No. 27 was able to retake the lead between Turns 4 and 5, holding the position through the next several turns until contact deeper in the field brought out a full-course caution.
With the field regrouped, Mossman found himself with another chance at the point position as the race returned to green a few laps later. As they crossed the line to restart the race, Mossman peeked to the left of Woods-Toth, looking for the right opportunity to retake the top position. Racing through Turn 1 side-by-side on Hankook tires, Mossman emerged as the leader. But with the top five all within five car lengths, Woods-Toth immediately started to feel pressure from behind with Michael Costello (No. 19 JHDD / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4), Jesse Lacey (No. 16 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) and Alex Berg (No. 08 MySim.ca/Rhode & Liesenfeld/Easy Drift/Penn Elcom Online/Dae Systems Ligier JS F4) all looking for their chance to move up the running order. Costello was able to pull side-by-side with Woods-Toth and completed the pass as they drove toward Turn 3. Then, it was Lacey applying pressure to his teammate Woods-Toth. By the time they reached Turn 5, Costello had settled into second and Lacey took the third position—remaining in those same positions until the checkered flag waved.
Following the race, the stewards reviewed a report of Mossman already rolling as the lights went out. With a false start determined, they issued a 10-second penalty, which dropped Mossman from the top step of the podium to 10th in the running order.
On the final results, Costello took the win, followed by teammate Lacey, and Berg in third. Mossman was officially scored 10th, finishing 9.701s behind the leader.
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Patrick Woods-Toth took his second win of the weekend at Road America in Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) competition. With five podiums in the first six races of 2023, Woods-Toth left Road America with the championship points lead.
With a solid start, Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) took the point position immediately at lights out. Meanwhile, Frankie Mossman (No. 6 Jay Howard Driver Development Ligier JS F4) and Jesse Lacey (No. 16 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) battled it out side-by-side for the second position after starting second and third, respectively. Lacey won the battle, and the three drivers—Woods-Toth, Lacey and Mossman—settled into position, in that order, as the laps ticked by. After a multi-car incident in Turn 12 while working lap four, the field went under a full-course yellow.
The field restarted the race with nearly 11:30 left on the clock. While Woods-Toth held his position solidly out front and Lacey followed in second, the battle was on for third with Mossman, Alex Berg (No. 08 MySim.ca/Rhode & Liesenfeld/Easy Drift/Penn Elcom Online/Dae Systems Ligier JS F4), Carl Bennett (No. 9 Gonella Racing Ligier JS F4) and Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) all fighting for the position. Mossman won the battle and set his sights on Lacey for second. While working lap 7, Mossman made his move in Turn 12 to overtake Lacey and secure the second position.
As another competitor further back in the field made contact with the tire barrier in Canada corner, the clean-up crew ran out of time to restart the race, leaving the drivers to settle for the positions they were in. As such, Woods-Toth led the field to the checkered flag, with Mossman finishing second and Lacey in third.
“It was awesome,” said Woods-Toth after climbing from his car. “Another good race; it sucks that we finished under caution, but we had good speed when it was green. I think a well-deserved win; I’m happy. It’s awesome to be back in Victory Lane.”
Woods-Toth was named the winner of the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race for his successful weekend, earning his first F4 U.S. win in the first race of the weekend and again returning to Victory Circle in the third and final race. For the award, Woods-Toth was presented with a bespoke Omologato timepiece engraved with F4 U.S. branding.
F4 U.S. returns to action for Rounds 7-9 of their 2023 season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the PERMCO Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, a SpeedTour event, June 22-25.
Callum Hedge had a perfect weekend at the Road America SpeedTour, racing with Formula Regional Americas Powered by Honda (FR Americas) at the 4.048-mile Wisconsin circuit. The New Zealander started every race from the pole position and led every lap …
Callum Hedge had a perfect weekend at the Road America SpeedTour, racing with Formula Regional Americas Powered by Honda (FR Americas) at the 4.048-mile Wisconsin circuit. The New Zealander started every race from the pole position and led every lap en route to a trio of race wins. With 75 points added to his total, Hedge left Road America with the championship point lead.
“I didn’t come here expecting to have the perfect weekend,” said Hedge after the race. “The guys that I’m racing against are very, very good. I raced Ryan (Shehan) back in New Zealand and he was pretty competitive. It’s really cool to come away with a perfect weekend—fastest in all the sessions and all the races, and I also got the championship lead. I can’t complain about that.”
When the lights went out, the field got off to a clean start with Hedge in the point position. Nick Persing (No. 39 OPI Commercial Builders Ligier JS F3) started from the second position, but found himself under attack before the field reached Turn 3. With Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) driving by, Bryson Morris (No. 39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) pulled to the inside of Persing as they entered Turn 5 and emerged ahead of the No. 29. Just one turn later, Persing was under fire from Manuel Roza (No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), who drove by to take over the fourth position.
At the same time, Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) was working to climb back through the field after falling as low as the sixth position. On a charge, Becklin raced side-by-side, slowly ticking off the fifth and fourth positions before a full-course caution slowed the field. With a quick off while exiting Turn 12 just before the halfway point, Becklin once again fell in the running order leaving him to fight back through the field.
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While Becklin continued his climb, Oliver Westling (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F3) worked his way up to the third position, passing Morris with 15 minutes left on the clock. As the clock ticked down to eight minutes, Westling had an off in Turn 12, allowing Becklin to get by and move into the third and final podium spot.
Drivers had one more dash to try picking up track position as the field was shown the green and white flags simultaneously with just two minutes left on the clock. Hedge led the field toward the checkered flag, with Shehan and Becklin in tow. Meanwhile, Roza recorded his best finish of the season in fourth, and Max Hewitt (No. 22 Save22 Ligier JS F3) recorded his first-career top five in FR Americas competition after spending the last four years running only sim races.
“My goal from the start was the championship to try to win the SUPER FORMULA prize,” Hedge explained when asked if his focus will turn to solely the championship, or if he’ll continue to focus on each race at a time. “That’s been the goal since Day 1, so we will be pushing hard, but I’ve got a couple Porsche races in between that I’ve got to put my eyes to now.”
At the conclusion of the race, Hedge was awarded the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race for his perfect weekend. As part of the award, he was presented with a bespoke Omologato timepiece.
FR Americas is back on track June 22-25 for the PERMCO Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, a SpeedTour event, where they will contest rounds seven-nine of their 2023 season.
