SCCA Pro Racing

INDIANAPOLIS (June 13, 2024) – Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) made their first laps at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday. With three test sessions to kick off the Indy SpeedTour event, Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) led the morning session, with Theodor Jensen (No. 1 JENSEN Global Advisors Ligier JS F3) quickest in the midday test. Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) laid down the fastest lap of the day, a 1:27.915 lap during the last session.

For so many FR drivers, racing at Indianapolis is a dream come true, as many of them grew up watching the Indianapolis 500 and hope to one day race in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. At the end of the day, this is what they had to say:

Ryan Shehan: “It's super cool to get to race here. Obviously, we just saw the Indy 500, so to be here so soon after that makes it even more special. I've only ever visited the museum before, and that was about six or seven years ago, so it's cool to actually get race here and drive on the circuit.”

Theodor Jensen: “Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a very nice track—it's already one of my favorites, and I think it will be a good weekend. The speed is looking good, and it's a very nice facility. We were here just a few weeks watching the 500; so, it's very cool to be here now racing. I would rather do the oval [laughs], but the road course is still very nice.”

Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 TLink / Allegro Ligier JS F3): “This weekend is a dream come true. This track is amazing. It has a combination of faster and slower corners, some with hard braking. For me, it's a dream to race on the same track as the Indianapolis 500.” 

Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3): “I'd say this is by far my favorite track that I’ve been to so far—even including everywhere we visited in F4 last year. Just being in a stadium is a really cool feeling.”

Justin Garat (No. 17 Speed Factory Ligier JS F3): “It's the most beautiful track ever. It's an amazing privilege and opportunity to drive at this track. I want to thank my parents and just everyone involved for letting us come and race.”

Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3): “So far, the track's been very fun. It's awesome being at a unique and special place like IMS. I'm looking forward to actually racing in the next couple of days.”

FR Americas will be back on track tomorrow for practice (10:15 a.m. ET) and qualifying (3:45 p.m. ET). Live timing and scoring from both sessions can be accessed on the Race Monitor app, while this weekend’s races will be live streamed at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV. Additional news and updates from the weekend will be posted on the series’ social channels: Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Photos by Gavin Baker Photography.