SCCA Pro Racing

ALTON, Va. (September 21, 2025) – Christian Brooks scored his second win in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) competition during the final race of the weekend at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). Leading the field from lights to checkered, Brooks (No. 95 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) was unstoppable in his Toney Driver Development machine. Enduring just one restart, Brooks was able to watch a lot of side-by-side racing in his mirrors, but no one came close to challenging for the lead. As the checkered flag waved, Brooks crossed the line first, followed by Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Rayne Nutrition / Ronald McDonald House Charities / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) in second and Jett Bowling (No. 22 Bullhorn / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) in third.

“Big thanks to the boys,” said Brooks atop the podium. “The car was very easy to drive; I just had to keep the tires on it. Nathan gave me a good pep talk last night about not over-pushing, and that played into my favor there at the end of the race. The team just gave me a great car, and they trained me up well. I was just having fun out there. These guys are really quick, as well, so it’s not easy, but we were able to do it. When they said there was a caution, I was a little bummed out, but I got some good info to get the turbos pulled up on the restart and that helped me a lot—yesterday I didn’t know that. I was able to get the launch on them and all I saw in my mirrors—I think it was Jett coming down three-wide on the inside and it was pretty dang close. I’m glad that everything worked out this weekend; we came and did what we wanted to do. I’m blessed.”

Some of the best racing of the day was between Sherlock and Bruno Ribeiro (No. 01 Alfa Cem / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), who were duking it out not just for position on the racetrack, but also for precious points in the championship battle. Entering VIR as the points leader, Ribeiro ran second to Brooks for most of the race, but Sherlock was never far off his gearbox. A restart with less than five minutes to go gave Sherlock the shot he needed to finally make his way around Ribeiro. Driving hard around the outside in the Horseshoe, Sherlock made his way around Ribeiro to not only take the runner-up spot, but also the points lead. 

That same restart also gave Bowling an opportunity to sneak into third, as he had climbed through the field after starting the race last. While Sherlock sailed around the outside, Bowling ducked to the inside and raced wheel to wheel with Ribeiro all the way into Turn 3. Crossing over to take the preferred line, Bowling completed the pass as they exited the corner.

Seconds later, the field was once again slowed for a full-course caution, as Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) spun to a stop on the frontstretch after making contact during the restart. The Chilean had taken back the points lead after yesterday’s Race 1, but mechanical woes slowed his progress earlier in the race, giving Sherlock the opportunity he needed to climb ahead.

> > REPLAY THE STREAM: Stream Round 18 from VIR

Notes of Interest:

• Christian Brooks swept the VIR SpeedTour in FR Americas, winning both races this weekend.
• Titus Sherlock earned his 11th podium of 2025 with a runner-up finish in Race 2. With the result, he also took the championship points lead as the series heads into its season finale weekend at Barber Motorsports Park.
• Finishing third, Jett Bowling earned his 10th podium of the season.
• Nicolas Ambiado entered today’s race as the points leader, but mechanical woes and a spin combined for an 11th-place finish for the Chilean. Scoring no points during the round, he now ranks second in the standings.
• Receiving a report of a false start made by Bruno Riberio, the stewards reviewed video footage after the race to determine that the Brazilian did, in fact, jump the initial start, and issued a five-second time penalty. As a result, Ribeiro dropped from fifth to 10th on the final results.

As FR Americas enters the final round at Barber Motorsports Park next month, three drivers remain eligible for the championship. Sherlock leads the charge with 248.5 points accumulated this season. After today’s official results, Ambiado is now 13.5 markers out of the lead, while Ribeiro is 20.5 points behind the Sherlock.

> > READ MORE:  Round 18 Official Results

FR Americas will wrap up the 2025 season next month at Barber Motorsports Park during the Barber SpeedTour, October 17-19. The event, like all 2025 races, will be streamed live on SpeedTour.TV. Additional news and updates leading up to the event will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Prospective drivers looking to learn more about FR Americas are encouraged to visit the championship’s website at FRAmericas.com.