Photo: TGR NZ

Formula Regional Oceania organiser Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand has announced the championship will change its sustainable fuel supplier for the 2026 season.

It adopted sustainable fuel in 2024 through supplier P1 Fuels, which also had a contract with the World Rally Championship for all teams to use its product but the company went into administration this March.

Next year there now will be biofuel in FRegional Oceania provided by synthetic liquids company FU3L. Its products are “synthesised from second-generation biomass feedstocks, primarily derived from agricultural and forestry residues”.

The sustainability element is enhanced since the waste-based material used is independent of food and feed supply chains.

“We have been focussed on thriving towards a carbon neutral and sustainable motorsport programme for some time now,” said TGR NZ’s motorsport manager Nicolas Caillol.

“That in itself is not news, but the switch to FU3L synthetic biofuels for our premier championship is highly significant as we believe this is the best solution available in global motorsport today.”

“Our goal is carbon neutrality with all three of our domestic racing categories and to set new standards for environmentally conscious motorsport not just in New Zealand, but throughout the motorsport world.”

Last week the latest addition to the 2026 FRegional Oceania grid was announced, with Cooper Shipman joining Kiwi Motorsport.

The American raced for the team this year in United States Formula 4, where he took the title with nine victories. He also cameoed in FRegional Americas, making the podium on his debut. Last year Shipman raced wingless cars in the F1600 Championship Series.

“Competing in FR Oceania will be the biggest challenge of my racing career,” said the 17-year-old. “I’m not only moving from F4 to FRegional, but also stepping onto a global stage against some of the world’s top emerging talent.”

The post FRegional Oceania brings in new fuel firm after old supplier goes bust appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Bruce Jenkins

Yevan David, Kanato Le and Sebastian Manson have become the latest drivers to be announced as racing in Formula Regional Oceania next year.

Kiwi Motorsport has signed David, Le will race for incoming team Hitech GP and Manson will reunite with M2 Competition.

Sri Lankan racer David steps down to FRegional after being runner-up this year in Euroformula, in which he won six races, and ahead of being part of AIX Racing’s 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship line-up.

“I’m very excited to be racing in this championship,” David said of competing in New Zealand.

“It’s going to be such a new experience and there will be many new things to learn. But I’m also excited to compete, to work with a new team and to achieve as much as possible.

“Learning as much as possible will mean trying all the time to be better than the day before. I will focus on making improvements on myself, improvements to how I work with the team and achieving the maximum possible. Whether that’s the championship or not doesn’t really concern me, as long as we fulfil everything within our control.”

The Mark Blundell-managed Le is also FIA F3-bound, with ART Grand Prix, after two years of FRegional experience.

He came 18th in the European championship with one podium and 22nd in FRegional Middle East as a part-timer in 2024, then took one win en route to eighth in the FRME standings, finished 11th in the Macau Grand Prix, was a race-winning 14th in GB3 as a part-timer and was 14th in the FRegional European Championship in 2025.

“I’m really looking forward to racing in New Zealand for the first time,” said Le. “To be able to race against top drivers before the main season starts will be very valuable and of course I’ll be focusing on trying to win the championship with Hitech.”

Manson is a local talent, and will be embarking on his third FRegional Oceania season. He did two rounds of the championship in 2024 with Giles Motorsport, taking a best finish of eighth, then came sixth with M2 this year in a campaign which included two wins. In 2026, FRegional Oceania switches to being an FIA Regional Trophy rather than a championship.

‘I’m definitely excited to be back for a second full season,” said the 17-year-old.

“It was really cool last time around and I’m aiming higher for 2026. I want to build on those results and use the championship as a launch pad for an even stronger 2026 season.”

Manson is yet to announce where his career is headed next away from home soil. He was FRegional Japanese Championship runner-up in 2024, and was 12th in USF Pro 2000 this year.

The post David, Le and Manson join 2026 FRegional Oceania grid appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: US F4

United States Formula 4 champion Cooper Shipman will make an immediate step up to Formula Regional Americas this weekend.

The Kiwi Motorsport driver wrapped up the US F4 title last time out at Virginia International Raceway, and rather than remain in the support paddock for the finale at Barber Motorsports Park he will join the FRegional Americas grid.

It will be that championship’s final round too, and Shipman will be part of Kiwi’s line-up.

“Thank you to Kiwi Motorsport and the Chip Ganassi Racing driver development programme for believing in me and making the whole year possible,” said Shipman. “Excited to get on track and learn as much as possible in the new car.”

Earlier this month the 2026 FRegional Americas, US F4 and Ligier Junior Formula Championship calendars were released.

They will collectively host their pre-season testing at NOLA Motorsports Park on March 23/24, and kick off their seasons there on April 9-12 with three races each.

Another triple-header for all three follows at Road America (May 14-17), then in the next event at Mid-Ohio (June 11-14) only LFJC will pack three races into the schedule as the other two championships host double-headers.

FRegional Americas heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on its own a week later, with three races on its road course.

The three championships reunite for triple-headers at New Jersey Motorsports Park (July 31-August 2), before LJFC is left behind for the sole event in Canada. That takes place at Mosport on September 3-6, and is a triple-header for the two FIA-certified championships.

FRegional Americas raced exclusively in the USA from its creation in 2018 through to last year when Mosport first featured on the calendar. It appeared in the 2025 season too.

Double-header rounds at Virginia (September 17-20) and Barber (October 16-18) conclude 2026 for FRegional Americas, US F4 and LJFC.

The post US F4 champion Cooper Shipman steps up to FRegional Americas appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: US F4

Kiwi Motorsport’s Cooper Shipman became United States Formula 4 champion after winning both races at Virginia International Raceway on September 20/21.

Alex Popow pipped him to top spot in practice by 0.194 seconds, with Caleb Campbell 1.492s off the pace in third.

Shipman set the pace in qualifying by 0.519s over Popow, and Campbell stayed third but was now 1.687s behind. Kekai Hauanio and Demitri Nolan were marginally slower than him.

Shipman was unchallenged through race one. Hauanio squeezed into second on lap one, but Popow got back past at turn six on lap two. Shipman built a five-second lead before the pace car was called on lap 13 of 15 and the finishing order was all but settled.

Nolan and Clemente Huerta spent most of the race trading a very distant fifth place, and on lap 13 Huerta got past into turn one but spun out. Nolan was then penalised 30s for causing a collision, handing Oliver Savoie fifth.

Shipman’s fastest lap earned him race two pole, and Hauanio started lasted due to a parc ferme infringement. Campbell had an airborne incident by driving over the rear of Savoie’s car on the formation lap, so failed to start.

Hauanio ended up lining up sixth, but got a five-second penalty for weaving at the start, and dived down the inside into turn one for second place.

On lap two, Hauanio spun at turn 10 and Popow went off in avoidance. It promoted Luke Powers to second, but he trailed Shipman by 3.8s, and Hauanio ended the lap in fourth.

He reclaimed third as lap three began, but then Popow and Nolan overtook him on lap four. By the time Popow overtook Powers on lap six, Shipman was 10s clear and he continued to pull away for a dominant ninth win of 2025.

Powers held off Nolan until turn 14 on lap 10, then got back past and held off five more overtaking attempts until Nolan got him into Roller Coaster on the penultimate lap.

In the Ligier Junior Formula Championship for first-generation F4 cars, Harbir Dass was the practice pacesetter then Roman Felber was on top (and eighth overall) in qualifying before his laptimes were deleted due to a technical violation.

That made Drew Szuch fastest, with Alex Berg also losing all of his laps to a technical violation so Beckham Jacir was second on race one’s grid and 0.205s off pole. Three drivers copped grid penalties.

A standing start was used, and Jacir darted into the lead off the line. Szuch reclaimed first place in sector one, but Jacir passed again ending lap one.

A caution period began late in lap three due to Ronan Bray crashing out, and after racing resumed on lap six it was three-wide up front then the lead swapped hands repeatedly between Szuch and title rival Gaston Irazu. Felber got involved too, but when Szuch had an off under pressure it was Berg who emerged in second.

He pursued Irazu and took the lead into turn one on lap 11, but Szuch then led by Roller Coaster and held it thereon. Berg lost second to a 30s penalty for impeding, and Irazu had an off that dropped him to sixth before a five-second penalty for jumping the start then demoted him another spot.

Berg took pole for race two, which began with drama. Irazu sharged down the inside at turn one to take the lead, but was back to third by turn three and then spun by Szuch at turn four. Three other drivers piled into them, with one going airborne, and red flags waved.

Irazu was the only one not to retire and took the restart from last place. The field headed back out behind the pace car for a formation lap, then one race lap before green flags waved.

Jacir tried taking the lead from Berg then, and when Berg went wide at turn 12 it became a three-wide fight. Max Mokarem was briefly second before Berg reclaimed it, then returned to the lead at the end of lap four as Jacir served a drive-through penalty. Irazu also headed to the pits, to retire.

Felber took the lead in the esses on lap five, with Mokarem claiming second there on lap seven. Berg descended further, and retired in the pits at the end of the lap.

The top two positions were decided then, while Dass and Ava Hanssen traded third until the finish where Dass prevailed by 0.031s.

Results round-up
US F4
Race 1 (15 laps)
1 Cooper Shipman Kiwi Motorsport 31m25.587s
2 Alex Popow MLT Motorsports +1.025s
3 Kekai Hauanio Crosslink Competition +1.672s
4 Caleb Campbell LC Racing Academy +2.190s
5 Oliver Savoie Kiwi Motorsport +3.484s
6 Luke Powers Toney Driver Development +3.864s
7 Jonathan Cottrill RASE Motorsports +4.747s
8 Demitri Nolan Crosslink Competition +32.830s
9 Clemente Huerta Kiwi Motorsport +3 laps
Pole: Shipman, 1m52.691s
Fastest lap: Shipman, 1m52.860s

Race 2 (16 laps)
1 Shipman 30m26.433s
2 Popow +15.453s
3 Nolan +28.648s
4 Powers +29.018s
5 Hauanio +51.103s
6 Savoie +1m58.017s
Ret Cottrill
DNS Campbell
DNS Huerta
FL: Shipman, 1m53.009s

Championship standings
1 Shipman 298.5   2 Hauanio 226.5   3 Popow 216   4 Campbell 139   5 Huerta 128.5   6 Nolan 110   7 Ty Arbogast 53.5   8 Powers 53   9 Savoie 32   10 Conor Grant 14

Ligier JFC
Race 1 (13 laps)
1 Drew Szuch Berg Racing 31m01.273s
2 Roman Felber Champagne Racing +1.886s
3 Cash Felber Champagne Racing +4.747s
4 Max Mokarem Momentum Motorsports +4.787s
5 Harbir Dass Berg Racing +8.863s
6 Beckham Jacir LC Racing Academy +9.288s
7 Gaston Irazu Champagne Racing +12.808s
8 Ava Hanssen Ava Hanssen Racing +15.986s
9 Luca Day Momentum Motorsports +21.345s
10 Michael Fatutta Champagne Racing +21.355s
Pole: Szuch, 1m57.093s
Fastest lap: Alex Berg, 1m57.009s

Race 2 (10 laps)
1 R Felber 30m02.330s
2 Mokarem +1.699s
3 Dass +7.852s
4 Hanssen +7.883s
5 Day +22.564s
6 William Rohan Crosslink Competition +23.077s
7 Jacir +25.926s
8 Ronan Bray Berg Racing +35.853s
Ret Alex Berg Berg Racing
Ret Irazu
FL: Jacir, 1m57.704s

Championship standings
1 Irazu 196   2 Szuch 173   3 Dass 130.5   4 Daniel Cara 126.5   5 C Felber 126.5   6 R Felber 100   7 Mokarem 87   8 Jacir 79   9 Hanssen 69   10 Pablo Benites 55

The post Cooper Shipman crowned US F4 champion with double Virginia win appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: US F4

Cooper Shipman extended his unbeaten run in United States Formula 4 during its trip to Mosport in Canada last weekend.

The Kiwi Motorsport driver was a second faster than anyone in practice, and still had a 0.677-second advantage in qualifying. MLT Motorsports’ Alex Popow was second, and Kiwi’s Oliver Savoie was third despite being 1.9s off the pace.

Only five drivers on the eight-car entry list set flying laps, and three picked up five-place grid penalties including debutant Savoie.

Popow drove around the outside of Shipman at the opening corner of race one, and Kekai Hauanio had risen from sixth to third after going down Clemente Huerta’s inside at turn three. A huge crash for Savoie at turn eight that ripped off the rear of his car then neutralised racing, with drivers waiting until lap six for the restart.

A one-second gap was built by Popow within a lap of racing, but Shipman closed back in. He was alongside at the end of the back straight on lap nine, then went around the outside of him there on lap 11 to reclaim the lead. After that he pulled away to win by 4.264s, while the battle for third heated up.

Huerta began pressuring Hauanio on lap 14 of 19, getting very close on the Mario Andretti straight, and tried passing on the inside into lap eight a lap later but could not pull off the move. He was alongside again on lap 17, and this time passed before the corner. Shortly after, Hauanio went off on the pit straight and dropped back.

Having set the fastest lap, Huerta got to start race two from pole ahead of Shipman, Popow and Hauanio.

After a confusing first lap, Huerta had a gap to Huanaio, Popow and Shipman. Savoie went off on lap three, as Demitri Nolan tried passing Luke Powers for sixth.

The lead group compressed on lap four, and Shipman got to the inside of Popow and ahead before the esses.

Hauanio snuck ahead of Huerta a lap later, and Shipman was able to slipstream past too. Popow was next to clear Huerta on lap six, and Shipman took the lead on the outside down the back straight.

He then pulled away, leaving a three-way fight for second. Huerta looked to reclaim third on lap 13, and the trio ended lap 15 side-by-side. Popow got ahead, and Huerta then attacked Hauanio until crashing out at turn one on lap 18. That triggered a caution period that ran to the end, and guaranteeing victory for Shipman.

Huerta missed race three, which Shipman led lights-to-flag after a frantic first lap. Popow was side-by-side with him for a bit but ran out of room to get ahead, then Hauanio overtook him at Moss Corner.

Popow reclaimed second at the end of the back straight, but lost it again on lap 14.

Nolan took fourth from Powers in the esses on lap four, then Campbell harassed him until a wide moment at turn three meant he eased past on lap six.

Campbell then hunted down Nolan, passing him into turn one on lap 11, while Powers retired in the pits.

Results round-up
Race 1 (19 laps)
1 Cooper Shipman Kiwi Motorsport 30m33.362s
2 Alex Popow MLT Motorsports +4.264s
3 Clemente Huerta Kiwi Motorsport +4.884s
4 Kekai Hauanio Crosslink Competition +6.439s
5 Caleb Campbell LC Racing Academy +11.409s
6 Demitri Nolan Crosslink Competition +30.722s
7 Luke Powers Toney Driver Development +40.354s
Ret Oliver Savoie Kiwi Motorsport
Pole: Shipman, 1m19.708s
Fastest lap: Huerta, 1m20.623s

Race 2 (19 laps)
1 Shipman 27m57.575s
2 Popow +0.206s
3 Hauanio +1.085s
4 Powers +1.697s
5 Nolan +2.834s
6 Campbell +3.579s
7 Savoie +4.800s
8 Huerta +2 laps
FL: Shipman, 1m20.692s

Race 3 (22 laps)
1 Shipman 30m03.429s
2 Hauanio +4.359s
3 Popow +6.555s
4 Campbell +15.294s
5 Nolan +29.309s
6 Savoie +48.322s
Ret Powers
DNS Huerta
FL: Shipman, 1m20.710s

Championship standings
1 Shipman 248.5   2 Hauanio 201.5   3 Popow 180   4 Campbell 127   5 Huerta 126.5   6 Nolan 91   7 Ty Arbogast 53.5   8 Powers 33   9 Conor Grant 14   10 Savoie 14

The post Cooper Shipman extends US F4 unbeaten run in trip to Canada appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Bruno Ribeiro extended his Formula Regional Americas lead in a shortened round five at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

His Kiwi Motorsport team-mate Jett Bowling set the pace in practice, pipping Nicolas Ambiado by 0.085 seconds, with Crosslink Competition’s Titus Sherlock just 0.001s ahead of Ribeiro and 0.137s behind Bowling.

Bowling was quickest again in qualifying, setting a 1m13.274s to deny Ribeiro pole by 0.019s. Sherlock and Ambiado were 0.152s and 0.215s behind, then Crosslink’s Jake Pollack was best of the rest 0.687s behind in fifth.

The poleman successfully defended his lead into turn one, then a few corners later Ambiado made contact with Ribeiro that allowed him and Sherlock to get through.

There was 0.87s between the top two at the end of lap one, which Ambiado brought down to 0.325s before Bowling slowed with a mechanical issue on lap 10. While he lost two laps in the pits, Ambiado moved to the front with a 2.47s lead.

But he got a drive-through penalty for his earlier contact, converted into a 30s post-race penalty, which proved costly as Crosslink’s Barrett Wolfe crahsed out on lap 12 and caused a caution period.

Racing did not resume until lap 16, and on the restart Toney Driver Development’s Brady Golan immediately had an incident in which he went airborne and came to a stop alongside the pit straight.

Another caution period was triggered, and race control decided to end the race early at the end of the lap. That meant Ribeiro won, as Ambiado’s penalty demoted him to being the last driver on the lead lap in fifth.

Ambiado set the race’s fastest lap, so the next day got to start race two from pole.

Bowling made the best start but got boxed in on the inside of turn one in second place. Racing was paused before lap one ended as Momentum Motorsports’ Anthony Autiello failed to get off the grid and it took until lap five for his car to be cleared and for racing to resume.

This time Bowling messed up turn one and Riberio went past him, and Ambiado had a 1.3s lead. It was quickly brought down to 0.6s, a gap which was maintained almost every lap thereon.

Wolfe left the pits sans engine cover mid-race after a pitstop that put him a lap down, and Pollack crashed on the final lap.

Race three was cancelled due to scheduling issues at the track.

Results round-up
Race 1 (16 laps)
1 Bruno Ribeiro Kiwi Motorsport 26m37.134s
2 Jake Pollack Crosslink Competition +0.652s
3 Titus Sherlock Crosslink Competition +0.999s
4 James Lawley Atlantic Racing Team +2.304s
5 Nicolas Ambiado Kiwi Motorsport +28.940s
6 Connor Roberts Atlantic w/ Team Roberts +1 lap
7 Brady Golan Toney Driver Development +1 lap
8 Anthony Autiello Momentum Motorsports +1 lap
9 Jett Bowling Kiwi Motorsport +2 laps
Ret Barrett Wolfe Crosslink Competition
Pole: Bowling, 1m13.274s
Fastest lap: Ambiado, 1m13.855s

Race 2 (20 laps)
1 Ambiado 30m36.181s
2 Ribeiro +0.518s
3 Bowling +3.852s
4 Sherlock +4.826s
5 Golan +11.772s
6 Roberts +18.184s
7 Lawley +6.921s
8 Pollack +1 lap
9 Wolfe +1 lap
Ret Autiello
FL: Ribeiro, 1m14.765s

Championship standings
1 Ribeiro 209   2 Ambiado 198   3 Sherlock 153   4 Bowling 153   5 Golan 112   6 Nicolas Stati 82   7 Roberts 64.5   8 Lawley 59.5   9 Daniel Quimby 40   10 Pollack 34

The post Bruno Ribeiro wins at New Jersey to grow FRegional Americas lead appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

United States Formula 4 and Ligier Junior Formula Championship were in action at Mid-Ohio last weekend for round three of their seasons.

Qualifying was super close, with Cooper Shipman setting a 1m24.491s to claim pole by 0.186 seconds over Alex Popow Jr. Kekai Hauanio was 0.016s slower than Popow in third, and 0.024s ahead of Caleb Campbell.

A 1m26.595s made Beckham Jacir the quickest LJFC driver, but only by 0.088s. Pablo Benites was next up, and he had a 0.589s pace advantage over Drew Szuch in third. Gaston Irazu was 0.73s off LJFC pole in fourth, and 0.132s ahead of Cash Felber.

In US F4 race one, Hauanio was already leading after the opening corner. Shipman got his car back ahead at turn four but went deep and Hauanio led again exiting turn six. The lead returned to Shipman at turn four on lap two, and Hauanio had no response.

Popow overtook Hauanio into turn one on lap 13, then a wobble later in the lap meant the former leader dropped back even further. Campbell had caught up with him by lap 18, and made two attempts to pass. The same occurred on lap 19, then he tried through the esses on the last lap but could not get past, while up front Shipman romped to victory by 6.207s.

Popow set the fastest lap so got race two pole. A rolling start made it easier for him to hold the lead, and he had a gap of a second after lap one.

Campbell used the outside line at turn four to overtake Shipman and then Hauanio in the first two laps. Shipman demoted Hauanio to fourth at turn one on lap five, then attacked Campbell through turns four to six on lap seven.

He almost pushed Campbell on lap eight, but the battle meant Hauanio could get his nose in too. Shipman tried again at the penultimate corner on lap 10, as a lock-up by Popow reduced his lead from 1.6s to 1.2s.

It soon became a four-way fight, and Campbell went side-by-side with Popow from turns two to four on lap 12. Shipman then forced an error from him in the esses, and Campbell dropped to fourth.

Campbell reclaimed third with a great move a lap later, and the lap after made it to second as Shipman went around the outside of Popow at turn four and Campbell passed him in the esses.

It got frantic again on lap 18 as the top two went side-by-side and Clemente Huerta overtook Huanaio. Campbell went off at turn four on lap 19 when attempting a move, and he was soon behind Popow as Shipman sprinted away.

Hauanio passed Huerta on the inside at turn four on the penultimate lap, then slid at turn eight and fell behind again. Going into The Keyhole for the final time he made a pass stick, but Huerta dived back past at turn four as both slid into the corner.

Ligier JFC had 15 cars for its races, but Jacir, Benites and Szuch got excluded from qualifying so Irazu started race one from pole.

Felber overtook him immediately, and Zach Fourie and Harbir Dass were third and fifth until they went off at turn four. Two spinners meant the pace car was called, pausing Szuch’s charge from 14th once he was in fifth place.

The restart was on lap five, and Szuch swiftly took fourth. Benites passed him on lap six, then they swappled places again starting lap nine. A few corners later, Szuch overtook Daniel Cara for third.

Benites and Jacir made light work of Cara too to keep up with Szuch, but once they began fighting each other Szuch drove away.

Irazu got alongside Felber a few times on lap eight, then took the the lead on the inside of The Keyhole on lap 10. He concded it at the start of lap 15, then spun down the order at turn five.

The drama ramped up again on the penultimate lap, as Jacir went around the outside of Benites at turn two and Szuch took the lead around the outside at turn four.

Szuch won by 1.42s, Benited held off Cara at the finish and Irazu came 11th.

Irazu had a chance at redemption in race two, as the race one fastest lap had put him on pole. He did not waste it, as he won another battle-filled encounter.

Cara was chasing at first, with Benites jumping from sixth to third on lap one. After an early caution period, Irazu made an error at turn five and Cara went through. Benites relegated him to third a lap later, but they continued racing as a group and Irazu came out on top of a three-wide moment later on with the lead.

Another caution period eradicated the gap he then built, and in the final lap restart Benites beat Cara to second.

Jacir overtook Irazu for the lead at the start of race three, but had jumped the start so got a 10s penalty, and the poleman ended lap one in fourth.

Benites overtook Cara for second at The Keyhole on lap two, while Szuch languished in eighth.

Cara dropped to sixth on lap three, behind Irazu, Roman Felber and brother Cash. They traded places at turn four on lap seven, and gained a spot when points leader Irazu spun there a lap later.

A caution was called on lap 10, which the race ended behind. Benites inherited victory ahead of Cash Felber and Szuch, with Irazu ninth, Roman down in 13th due a five-second penalty for forcing a driver off and Jacir in 14th.

Results round-up
US F4
Race 1 (21 laps)
1 Cooper Shipman Kiwi Motorsport 30m07.114s
2 Alex Popow Jr MLT Motorsports +6.207s
3 Kekai Hauanio Crosslink Competition +11.358s
4 Caleb Campbell LC Racing Academy +11.799s
5 Demitri Nolan Crosslink Competition +19.656s
6 Clemente Huerta Raab Kiwi Motorsport +38.954s
Pole: Shipman, 1m24.491s
Fastest lap: Popow, 1m24.783s

Race 2 (21 laps)
1 Shipman 30m15.314s
2 Popow +4.622s
3 Campbell +5.344s
4 Huerta +8.443s
5 Hauanio +13.143s
Ret Nolan
FL: Campbell, 1m25.146s

Championship standings
1 Shipman 136   2 Hauanio 129.5   3 Popow 117   4 Campbell 91   5 Huerta 85   6 Nolan 55   7 Ty Arbogast 61   8 Conor Grant 14   9 Luke Powers 0

Ligier JFC
Race 1 (18 laps)
1 Cash Felber Champagne Racing 30m40.473s
2 Beckham Jacir LC Racing Academy +1.092s
3 Drew Szuch Berg Racing +3.598s
4 Pablo Benites Scuderia Buell +3.645s
5 Daniel Cara Cara Origin Motorsports +3.816s
6 Zach Fourie Kiwi Motorsport +9.035s
7 Harbir Dass Berg Racing +9.168s
8 Ava Hanssen Ava Hanssen Racing +14.006s
9 Max Mokarem Momentum Motorsports +23.112s
10 Michael Fatutta Champagne Racing +34.115s
P: Gaston Irazu, 1m27.325s
FL: Irazu, 1m27.010s

Race 2 (15 laps)
1 Irazu Champagne Racing 28m12.703s
2 Benites +0.478s
3 Cara +0.855s
4 Jacir +1.132s
5 C Felber +1.536s
6 Roman Felber Champagne Racing +1.926s
7 Szuch +2.443s
8 Fourie +2.899s
9 Dass +3.898s
10 Mokarem +4.127s
FL: Irazu, 1m27.835s

Race 3 (12 laps)
1 Benites 20m45.120s
2 C Felber +0.336s
3 Szuch +0.768s
4 Dass +1.007s
5 Hanssen +2.062s
6 Cara +2.252s
7 Fourie +2.630s
8 Mokarem +3.387s
9 Irazu +3.930s
10 Fatutta +4.242s
FL: Jacir, 1m28.352s

Championship standings
1 Irazu 140   2 Szuch 123   3 Cara 90   4 C Felber 93.5   5 Dass 91   6 Jacir 57   7 Benites 55   8 Mokarem 43   9 Hanssen 41   10 Augusto Paschetta 42

The post F4 racers put on entertaining battles at Mid-Ohio in cars old and new appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Bruno Ribeiro seized the Formula Regional Americas points lead after taking his first two wins at Mid-Ohio last weekend.

Toney Driver Development’s Brady Golan started the event on top, setting a 1m18.909s to lead Kiwi Motorsport’s Ribeiro by 0.167 seconds in practice.

Ribeiro moved ahead in qualifying, pipping team-mate Nicolas Ambiado to pole by 0.087s after posting a 1m18.638s laptime. Golan was 0.175s off pole in third, and Crosslink Competition’s Titus Sherlock trailed by 0.238s in fourth.

Race one was a lights-to-flag success for Ribeiro. He managed a small gap at first, then grew it to 1.6s in the race’s second half. Sherlock, who had overtaken Golan on lap one, began filling Ambiado’s mirrors with two laps to go and then on the last lap Ambiado attacked Ribeiro and finished just 0.2s behind.

Golan kept Kiwi’s Jett Bowling and Nicolas Stati behind until lap 12, when Bowling made a move under braking into turn four. Stati did the same on lap 15, having failed to get through at The Keyhole, and once ahead they both could show their true pace. Bowling cut his gap to the leader down from nine seconds to 3.3s by the finish, with Stati a further 4.3s back and Golan another 9.2s behind.

Setting the fastest lap put Ribeiro on pole for race two, but lost the lead to Ambiado straight away. They were side-by-side again until a caution was called as they reached turn four due to Crosslink’s Hayden Bowlsbey being stuck on the grid.

Racing resumed on lap three, and Ribeiro had to defend from sherlock. That helped Ambiado build a gap, but Ribeiro drew him back in. On lap 14 he tried moves at turns two and four, then they made contact on lap 15.

Ribeiro hassled Ambiado again on the last lap but came 0.247s short of victory.

Sherlock was dropped early on, and had Bowling and Stati were pressuring him by mid-race. Stati eventually lost pace after so long spent in Bowling’s aerowash, and Bowling finally made his move on Sherlock at The Keyhole on the penultimate lap.

Ribeiro’s suprerior pace meant he started on pole for race three too, but he was late to react to the start. Amabiado led into turn one, and Ribeiro tried going past on the outside at turn four as Sherlock attempted the same on Bowling for third.

While Ribeiro tucked back in, Sherlock flew off the the road but did not lose any places. Ribeiro looked to the inside of turn four on lap two, had another go on lap nine then got it done on lap 12.

Their battling initially helped Bowling close in, as he had managed his pace after Sherlock and Stati retired with car issues behind.

Ambiado struggled for pace later on, and Bowling got closer to him again. A wobble exiting turn one on the final lap cost Ambiado second, with Ribeiro 4.3s up the road.

Pre-event it was announced that Bowling has joined the Brabham Group to be managed and mentored by its owner, Le Mans 24 Hours winner David Brabham. Bowling was signed as a Chip Ganassi Racing junior driver too earlier this year.

Results round-up
Race 1 (23 laps)
1 Bruno Ribeiro Kiwi Motorsport 30m44.599s
2 Nicolas Ambiado Kiwi Motorsport +0.201s
3 Titus Sherlock Crosslink Competition +0.779s
4 Jett Bowling Kiwi Motorsport +3.304s
5 Nicolas Stati Kiwi Motorsport +7.635s
6 Brady Golan Toney Driver Development +16.802s
7 Hayden Bowlsbey Crosslink Competition +37.874s
8 James Lawley Atlantic Racing Team +38.475s
9 Connor Roberts Atlantic w/ Team Roberts +39.208s
10 Jake Pollack Crosslink Competition +44.269s
Pole: Ribeiro, 1m18.638s
Fastest lap: Ribeiro, 1m19.137s

Race 2 (21 laps)
1 Ambiado 30m00.284s
2 Ribeiro +0.247s
3 Bowling +2.971s
4 Sherlock +7.506s
5 Stati +11.677s
6 Roberts +17.824s
7 Lawley +20.669s
8 Golan +21.580s
9 Pollack +34.379s
10 Barrett Wolfe Crosslink Competition +46.094s
FL: Ribeiro, 1m19.135s

Race 3 (22 laps)
1 Ribeiro 29m36.351s
2 Bowling +4.365s
3 Ambiado +5.160s
4 Golan +29.455s
5 Roberts +29.835s
6 Lawley +36.061s
7 Bowlsbey +37.158s
8 Pollack +37.548s
9 Wolfe +1m03.878s
10 Kevin Janzen Kiwi Motorsport +1 lap
FL: Ribeiro, 1m19.974s

Championship standings
1 Ribeiro 166   2 Ambiado 163   3 Bowling 136   4 Sherlock 126   5 Golan 96   6 Stati 82   7 Roberts 48.5   8 Lawley 41.5   9 Daniel Quimby 40   10 Alex Benavitz 29

The post Ribeiro takes FRegional Americas lead, Bowling gets Brabham backing appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Nicolas Ambiado reclaimed the Formula Regional Americas points lead in round three on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.

Atlantic Racing Team’s Daniel Quimby and Toney Driver Development’s Lincoln Day were absent, but series veteran Hayden Bowlsbey returned with Crosslink Competition and Le Mans 24 Hours class winner and USF Pro 2000 podium finisher Bijoy Garg took over Day’s car to complete a 14-car grid.

Rain on Friday led to practice being cancelled, but qualifying did take place and Toney’s Brady Golan took pole by 0.183 seconds over Jett Bowling. His Kiwi Motorsport team-mate Nicolas Ambiado was a further 0.043s behind, and Crosslink’s pre-event points leader Titus Sherlock was fourth. Garg was seventh, 1.018s off pole, on his first single-seater return.

Bad weather also inflicted Saturday, and race one was postponed to Sunday. As a result, race three got moved to this week’s Mid-Ohio round.

Race one was dry, and the top three went side-by-side straight away. Bowling seized the lead into turn one on the outside, and Kiwi’s Bruno Ribeiro took third from Ambiado at turn three.

At the end of the back straight, Golan and Ribeiro had huge lock-ups, with Golan going off and falling down the field.

Sherlock concluded lap one in second, but retired on lap two. Ambiado inherited second, and was two seconds behind Bowling by lap three, while Golan was 10th. The gap decreased, then a caution period began on lap five due to Crosslink’s Barrett Wolfe getting beached.

Racing resumed on lap eight, and Ambiado attempted a switchback move on Bowling at turn two. That was the only pressure Bowling would come under, but he did not pull away until the final laps as he took his maiden win.

Ambiado locked up at turn seven on lap 17 of 20, Ribeiro and Stati slipstreamed past him as lap 18 began, and he dropped back by 10s before the finish.

Crosslink’s Alex Benavitz held fifth at the restart, and was passed by Atlantic’s Connor Roberts on lap 10. He regained the position when Roberts ended his race in the pits with three laps to go.

There was a race-long battle behind, which Bowlsbey came out on top of after he and Atlantic’s Lawley passed Garg on the last lap. Golan had recovered to seventh by lap 12, but fell back down the order a few laps later then came to a halt on the last lap.

Ambiado set the fastest lap so got race two pole ahead of Ribeiro, Bowling, Stati and Garg. Bowling took the lead at the opening corner, and almost hit Ambiado when he locked up on the run to turn one a lap later.

On lap five, Ambiado went around the outside of Bowling at turn one then gradually pulled away to win.

Sherlock, with a tyre life advantage due to his earlier retirement, passed Stati for fourth on lap 18 while Garg held off Golan for sixth until a turn seven lock-up on lap 20 of 22.

Results round-up
Race 1 (20 laps)
1 Jett Bowling Kiwi Motorsport 31m04.831s
2 Bruno Ribeiro Kiwi Motorsport +3.066s
3 Nicolas Stati Kiwi Motorsport +4.067s
4 Nicolas Ambiado Kiwi Motorsport +13.287s
5 Alex Benavitz Crosslink Competition +15.581s
6 Hayden Bowlsbey Crosslink Competition +22.437s
7 James Lawley Atlantic Racing Team +22.856s
8 Bijoy Garg Toney Driver Development +24.535s
9 Brady Golan Toney Driver Development +1 lap
10 Connor Roberts Atlantic w/ Team Roberts +3 laps
Pole: Golan, 1m22.227s
Fastest lap: Ambiado, 1m22.611s

Race 2 (22 laps)
1 Ambiado 30m46.876s
2 Bowling +1.572s
3 Ribeiro +2.088s
4 Titus Sherlock Crosslink Competition +6.836s
5 Stati +9.926s
6 Golan +12.800s
7 Garg +15.152s
8 Roberts +24.654s
9 Benavitz +34.504s
10 Lawley +36.014s
FL: Ambiado, 1m22.958s

Chamionship standings
1 Ambiado 105   2 Sherlock 99   3 Ribeiro 98   4 Bowling 91   5 Golan 72   6 Stati 62   7 Daniel Quimby 40   8 Benavitz 29   9 Roberts 28.5   10 Lawley 23.5

The post Ambiado reclaims FRegional Americas lead on Indianapolis road course appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FRegional Americas

Formula Regional Americas’ season began at NOLA Motorsports Park with three different race winners.

Jett Bowling led a Kiwi Motorsport 1-2-3-4 in practice, and Atlantic Racing Team’s Daniel Quimby was best of the rest, half a second off the pace.

Bowling then became Kiwi’s slowest driver in qualifying, as Nicolas Ambiado moved to the top. He set a 1m32.658s to take pole by 0.147 seconds over Bruno Ribeiro, with Nicolas Stati trailing by 0.27s and Bowling by 0.308s.

Toney Driver Development’s Brady Golan was fifth and Crosslink Competition’s Titus Sherlock was the last driver within a second of pole in sixth.

The track was wet for race one, and with a mix of slick and wet tyres being chosen across the field, the pace car led the way at first so drivers could spot the puddles.

A standing start followed and several drivers struggled to get off the line. Golan’s slick tyres gave him the best grip and he leapt to first. Sherlock was the top wet-shod runner in fifth, and Ribeiro was the first casualty as he spun.

Atlantic’s Connor Roberts did the same, and got stuck in the grass, leading to the pace car coming out. After two laps behind it, the pack was released and Sherlock charged into the lead by taking the outside line at turn one.

He sprinted away, while Barrett Wolfe (Crosslink), Ambiado and Alex Benavitz (Crosslink) also demoted Golan.

There was then another caution period due to Momentum Motorsports’ Anthony Autiello getting beached. Racing resumed with one lap remaining, and Golan made a mistake straight away. Sherlock won, and Ambiado passed Wolfe for second.

Benavitz was fourth, and Quimby was set for fifth before spinning off at high speed. Ribeiro finished a lap down after pitting for wet tyres but he did not lose too much ground in the points table as a lack of green flag running meant half-points were awarded.

The track remained wet for race two, which Ambiado started on pole after setting race one’s fastest lap. But Sherlock charged to the front once more and enjoyed a big lead as Wolfe and Ribeiro fought over second lap after lap.

Golan was eyeing that pair before being passed by Ambiado, but he responded by getting back ahead then barging past Ribeiro. Shortly after on lap nine, Sherlock’s engine failed and Golan was into second. When he got to turn one on lap 10, he overtook Wolfe and was in the lead. The pace car came out after that, and Wolfe sank to sixth while Ambiado challenged Golan until a full course yellow ended their side-by-side squabble and handed victory to Golan.

Bowling started race three on pole the next day, and two early retirees led to a caution period which benefited him. On the restart it was three-wide for second, and Ribeiro emerged on top. With a few laps left, Ambiado passed Ribeiro and then pursued Bowling. A mistake from the leader enabled him to get past and take the win.

Results round-up
Race 1 (9 laps)
1 Titus Sherlock Crosslink Competition 26m19.660s
2 Nicolas Ambiado Kiwi Motorsport +0.594s
3 Barrett Wolfe Crosslink Competition +1.895s
4 Alex Benavitz Crosslink Competition +2.863s
5 Lincoln Day Toney Driver Development +4.702s
6 Jett Bowling Kiwi Motorsport +10.958s
7 Jake Pollack Jensen Global Advisors +11.316s
8 Brady Golan Toney Driver Development +11.715s
9 Athan Sterling Jensen Global Advisors +12.350s
10 James Lawley Atlantic Racing Team +14.511s
Pole: Ambiado, 1m32.658s
Fastest lap: Ambiado, 1m45.609s

Race 2 (14 laps)
1 Golan 23m58.429s
2 Ambiado +0.932s
3 Bruno Ribeiro Kiwi Motorsport +1.792s
4 Daniel Quimby Atlantic Racing Team +2.186s
5 Benavitz +2.416s
6 Wolfe +3.733s
7 Lawley +4.469s
8 Nicolas Stati Kiwi Motorsport +5.962s
9 Pollack +6.307s
10 Anthony Autiello Momentum Motorsports +1m00.583s
FL: Bowling, 1m34.600s

Race 3 (16 laps)
1 Ambiado 29m34.038s
2 Bowling +1.253s
3 Ribeiro +1.991s
4 Sherlock +5.553s
5 Golan +6.301s
6 Stati +7.346s
7 Quimby +13.204s
8 Lawley +21.885s
9 Day +23.150s
10 Wolfe +27.536s
FL: Ribeiro, 1m34.980s

Championship standings
1 Ambiado 52   2 Golan 37   3 Ribeiro 30   4 Sherlock 24.5   5 Bowling 22   6 Quimby 18   7 Wolfe 16.5   8 Benavitz 16   9 Stati 12   10 Lawley 10.5

The post Sherlock, Golan and Ambiado win in FRegional Americas’ NOLA opener appeared first on Formula Scout.