F4 - U.S. Championship gap narrows heading into third race weekend
The competition will intensify this weekend (26-28 August) as the Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey, for its third event of the season.
Kyle Kirkwood of Jupiter, Florida, Konrad Czaczyk of Loxahatchee, Florida, and Cameron Das of Brooklandville, Maryland, hold the top three positions in the inaugural F4 U.S. Championship standings.
After a solid performance with first and second place finishes during the second event weekend at Mid-Ohio Sport Car Course, Kirkwood sits in top spot and leads Czaczyk in championship point standings. He is ahead of Czaczyk by 27 points.
Czaczyk, who swept the first three races of the inaugural F4 U.S. event in July, had two 10th-place finishes at Mid-Ohio earlier this month. He withdrew from Race 2 of the weekend due to damages suffered from contact during Race 1. In the third race, Czaczyk started to make gains from his 16th grid position working his way to 10th place. A wreck in the front of the pack caused a caution to be thrown and the race finished under yellows, ending Czaczyk’s podium aspirations.
“After having such success in the first event, then having such disappointment in Mid-Ohio, it was the greatest motivation I could ask for going into New Jersey,” Czaczyk said. “It made me a stronger driver. New Jersey is a new track, with new opportunities. The crew has worked very hard putting together a great car. We look forward racing up front again.”
Czaczyk’s troublesome weekend at Mid-Ohio also closed the gap for Das, who is third in championship points. Das had a first-place finish in Race 3 at Mid-Ohio and only six points separate him from Czaczyk.
F4 U.S. newcomer Skylar Robinson of Atlanta, Georgia, launched himself into a comfortable fourth-place position after two podium finishes at Mid-Ohio. Robinson entered the series during the second event with Momentum Motorsports.
“I wasn’t expecting to be standing in fourth going into New Jersey,” Robinson said. “I’m taking it one race at a time, trying to be successful for my team, sponsors and everyone who got me here. The team and I will still be pushing hard at New Jersey with the same mindset as Mid-Ohio – to get on that podium.”
Momentum Motorsports expanded its team for New Jersey adding another new driver Quinlan Lall of Ringwood, New Jersey, to the roster. Lall joins the F4 U.S. line-up straight from England where he raced in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship. Momentum Motorsports now has three drivers competing in the F4 U.S. Championship: Lall, Robinson and Baltazar Leguizamon of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
GMV Motorsports’ Michael Goodyear of Carmel, Indiana, will not enter this weekend’s event. Goodyear, son of a five-time IndyCar winner and ESPN on ABC colour analyst Scott Goodyear, attends Ball State University and started his junior year on Monday. Goodyear is double majoring in accounting and risk management.
“Education is always first and foremost,” Scott Goodyear said. “It’s important for Michael to not miss his first week of classes. He has a big workload with lots of goals. While his heart may be at the track, his mind will be focused on his studies.”
Even though Goodyear will not be attending event three, with the addition of Lall, the F4 U.S. field for NJMP will still be 16 cars. The competitors will practice and qualify on Friday, participate in two races on Saturday and wrap-up race weekend with one race on Sunday afternoon.
For a full race schedule, championship points standings and the NJMP entry list, visit F4USChampionship.com
F4 U.S. Championship NJMP Entry List Aug. 26-28
CAR | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | CAR NAME | ENTRANT |
1 | Baltazar Leguizamon | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Momentum Motorsport | Momentum Motorsport |
2 | Skylar Robinson | Augusta, GA | Momentum Motorsport | Momentum Motorsport |
3 | Quinlan Lall | Ringwood, NJ | Momentum Motorsport | Momentum Motorsport |
5 | Kyle Kirkwood | Jupiter, FL | Primus Racing | Primus Racing |
07 | Steve Bamford | Toronto, Ontario, CAN | Steve Bamford with Rice Race Prep | Bamford Motorsports/Rice Race Prep |
7 | Blake Mount | Littleton, CO | Coca Cola | JDX Racing |
10 | Davis Durrett | Indianapolis, IN | Cortex Safety Technologies | Primus Racing |
11 | James Goughary Jr. | Jupiter, FL | Primus Racing | Primus Racing |
12 | Moises de la Vara | Guadalajara, MEX | UAG Leading Edge Grand Prix | Leading Edge Grand Prix |
24 | Benjamin Pedersen | Copenhagen, Denmark | DirtFish Leading Edge Grand Prix | Leading Edge Grand Prix |
25 | Darren Keane | Boca Raton, FL | Cal Development | JDX Racing |
28 | Cameron Das | Brooklandville, MD | Zero Chroma | JDX Racing |
34 | Austin Kaszuba | Burleson, TX | Indy Dental Group | GMV Motorsport |
47 | Konrad Czaczyk | Loxahatchee, FL | LCA Leading Edge Grand Prix | Leading Edge Grand Prix |
62 | Raphael Forcier | Montreal, Quebec, CAN | Group A | Group A |
86 | Jackie Ding | Shenzen, China | Huawei Telecommunications | Group A |