Event Preview: FR Americas and F4 U.S. Championship at NOLA

Event Preview: FR Americas and F4 U.S. Championship at NOLA

Track Facts:
Length: 2.75-miles / 16-turn road course
Race Direction: Clockwise
Podium: Paddock Lounge 

FR Americas Championship Powered by Honda
Practice:                      Friday, April 8 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Qualifying:                   Saturday, April 9 at 11:00 a.m. CT
Feature Race 1:           Saturday, April 9 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Feature Race 2:           Sunday, April 10 at 8:30 a.m. CT
Feature Race 3:           Sunday, April 10 at 12:30 p.m. CT
                                    (Fan Walk at 11:50 a.m. CT)

F4 U.S. Championship Powered by Honda
Practice:                      Friday, April 8 at 2:30 p.m. CT
Qualifying:                   Saturday, April 9 at 9:30 a.m. CT
Feature Race 1:           Saturday, April 9 at 12:30 p.m. CT
                                    (Fan Walk at 11:50 a.m. CT)
Feature Race 2:           Sunday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. CT
Feature Race 3:           Sunday, April 10 at 1:50 p.m. CT

  

NOLA SpeedTour

 

Season Opener at NOLA
The Formula Regional Americas Championship powered by Honda (FR Americas) and Formula 4 United States Championship powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) will both open their 2022 race seasons this weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park (NOLA) in Avondale, La. The FIA-certified series sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing will feature 18 races scheduled at six different circuits across the United States in 2022, with each series completing three races during the NOLA SpeedTour event.

 

Key Partners Return
FR Americas and F4 U.S. return to the track in 2022 with support from key partners. Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD) returns as the championship title partner for both FR Americas and F4 U.S. Additionally, the Honda K20 C1 2.0-liter engine can be found in the Honda Civic Type R, as well as both the FR Americas and F4 U.S. Championship cars. Ligier Automotive returns as the official chassis manufacturer for FR Americas and F4 U.S., with the championships running the JS F3 and JS F4, respectively. Hankook Tire America Corp. remains the official tire of FR Americas and F4 U.S. with tires specifically designed for the championships.

 

Global Appeal of FR Americas & F4 U.S.
The global appeal of FR Americas and F4 U.S. continues as drivers entered in the 2022 championships will represent four different continents and eight different countries. Drivers residing around the United States, as well as those from Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Bolivia, England, Australia and New Zealand will come together to race as the season kicks off at NOLA.

 

SpeedTour Formula Development Series Debut
The NOLA SpeedTour will mark the debut of the SpeedTour Formula Development Series. Designed to provide up-and-coming racing talent an additional opportunity to hone their skills as they transition from karting to single-seater open wheel competition, SpeedTour Formula Development is open to drivers ages 14 and up, and utilizes the existing Ligier JS F4 chassis. NOLA will mark the first of four SpeedTour Formula Development Series events in 2022, with additional races scheduled at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (June 23-26), New Jersey Motorsports Park (July 29-31) and VIRginia International Raceway (October 6-9). The champion of the SpeedTour Formula Development Series will receive a scholarship from PMH to cover their entry fees for the 2023 F4 U.S. season.

 

FR Americas Championship Powered by Honda

 

HPD Scholarship On The Line
The drivers competing in FR Americas have more than just bragging rights on the line for their end-of-season championship. In addition to prizes like a custom OMP race suit, a carbon Bell Helmet and a Bell athlete contract on the line, HPD has put together an elite scholarship package for the 2022 FR Americas Champion. HPD and Honda Motor Co. Motorsports Division (HM-MS) will award the championship-winning driver with a Super Formula Scholarship valued at up to $600,000. The scholarship will pair them with a Honda-powered team and engine supply for the 2023 Super Formula season, while naming them as an official Honda and HPD brand ambassador throughout the season. The winning driver will also enjoy a Honda heritage experience from HM-MS in Japan, including a tour of the Motegi museum and the ability to participate in HM-MS driver activities.

 

PMH Diversity Scholarship Winner
Raoul Hyman, the 2018 F3 Asian Champion, has been selected as the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship winner in FR Americas. Born in South Africa and currently residing in the United Kingdom, Hyman will compete full time for TJ Speed in 2022. With experience from the BRDC Formula 4 Championship, FIA F3 Championship, GP3 Series, Euroformula Open Championship, F3 Asian Championship and the Toyota Race Series, the 25-year-old driver has also excelled in the classroom, earning a law degree in 2020.

 

FR Americas Back in The Big Easy
FR Americas returns to NOLA for the first time since the series’ inaugural 2018 season. The penultimate round of the championship that year, NOLA served as the track where Kyle Kirkwood wrapped up his championship run after winning 15 of 17 races. Kirkwood, the reigning Indy Lights Champion, is racing in the IndyCar Series this season, piloting the No. 14 for A. J. Foyt Enterprises.

 

F4 U.S. Contenders Move Up
Nearly 85% of the drivers entered in the FR Americas season opener at NOLA have prior experience in either F4 U.S. or FR Americas, which is no surprise given FR Americas & F4 U.S.’ status as two of the first steps on the #RoadtoF1. Three of the top-five finishers from the 2021 F4 U.S. driver point standings will compete at the NOLA SpeedTour, including Mac Clark (No. 25, Future Star Racing), Jason Alder (No. 77, TJ Speed Motorsports) and Nico Christodoulou (No. 22, Velocity Racing Development). Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 3, IGY6 Motorsports) and Rodrigo Gutierrez (No. 10, Velocity Racing Development) will make their FR Americas series debut after competing in F4 U.S. last year. Additionally, Dylan Tavella (No. 14, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport), Kevin Janzen (No. 24, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport), Nick Persing (No. 29, TJ Speed Motorsports), Ryan Yardley (No. 78, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport), Cooper Becklin (No. 91, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport) and Marco Kacic (No. 95, Doran-Kroll Racing)—all of whom have previous FR Americas experience—will return to the series in 2022.

 

Home Race for Hayden Bowlsbey
Hayden Bowlsbey is celebrating a home race this weekend at NOLA. Bowlsbey resides in Folsom, La., just 50 miles north of Avondale, La., where NOLA is located. The 18-year-old will enter his first year of FR Americas competition in 2022, racing with the newly-formed and veteran-owned and operated IGY6 Motorsports.

 

Jason Alder’s NOLA Advantage
Jason Alder comes to NOLA with an advantage over many of his competitors – he has raced on the 2.75-mile circuit before. The Cooksville, Md., native has two previous starts at NOLA, both recorded earlier this year. In February, Alder raced at the Louisiana road course with the World Racing League where he joined two co-drivers for a pair of eight-hour endurance races. Finishing 3rd and 2nd, respectively, Alder looks to improve on his best NOLA-finish with FR Americas this weekend.

  

F4 U.S. Championship Powered by Honda

 

Championship Scholarship On The Line
Much like their counterparts in FR Americas, the battle in F4 U.S. is about more than just bragging rights—it’s about an opportunity for the next step in one driver’s career. HPD, Ligier Automotive, Hankook Tires, Parella Motorsports Holdings, Bell Helmet and OMP Racing have come together to award the 2022 F4 U.S. Champion with nearly everything they’ll need for the 2023 FR Americas season. An engine lease from HPD, chassis lease from Ligier, Hankook Tires for official sessions, carbon Bell Helmet, custom OMP Racing suit and entry fees from Parella Motorsports Holdings will be provided to the 2022 F4 U.S. Champion to help them step up to FR Americas in 2023.

 

PMH Diversity Scholarship Winners
Two drivers from F4 U.S. have been selected as winners of the PMH Diversity Scholarship. The scholarship awards each driver with complimentary entry fees for 2022 F4 U.S. events and align them with a team of executives and mentors to help them advance in their goal of reaching the upper echelons of racing.

19-year-old David Burketh, a Black American, will race in his first full season of F4 U.S. competition while driving the No. 8 under the Future Star Racing banner. The Laurel, Md., native had previously competed in three F4 U.S. events in 2020.

Madison Aust, a 17-year-old American from Mansfield, Texas, will make her F4 U.S. series’ debut at NOLA to kick off her full-time campaign. Racing with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, Aust will pilot the No. 09 Ligier JS F4.

 

F4 U.S.’ First Time at NOLA
F4 U.S. will make their first trip to NOLA since the series’ inception in 2016, to mark the 14th venue the championship has raced at in its seven-year history. It is the only circuit on the 2022 schedule that will see an F4 U.S. series’ debut, with each of the five other venues having hosted at least one championship event. 

 

New Season. New Faces.
Nearly 60% of the drivers entered in F4 U.S. at NOLA will be making their series’ debut, with most slated to make a championship run in 2022. Nine drivers will return to the series after competing in partial or full seasons since 2020, including:  Maximillian Parker (No. 1, Jensen), Joe Ostholthoff (No. 7, Jay Howard Driver Development), Arturo Flores (No. 22, Gonella Racing), Nicholas Rivers (No. 24, Velocity Racing Development), Bryson Morris (No. 39, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport), Matt Christensen (No. 45, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport), Ryan Shehan (No. 66, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport), Gabriel Fonseca (No. 76, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport) and Louka St-Jean (No. 98, Jay Howard Driver Development).