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Post by Placid on Jul 26, 2023 22:51:11 GMT -8
Nothing went well in the FIA Formula 2's latest round at Budapest. The only US highlight of the weekend was Miami's Juan Manuel Correa scoring a P9 in the feature race. A slight comeback after finishing P20 in the Sprint. Dennis Hauger was the eventual winner of the Sprint Race with Red Bull Stable-mate Ayumu Iwasa and Oliver Bearman Theo Pourchaire taking the podium spots. Oliver Bearman and Jehan Daravula round up the top 5. Enzo Fittipaldi crossed the finish in 11th. Houston's Jak Crawford managed a P14. 2nd Miami driver Brad Benavides scores P18. In the Feature race, family name returns. But in 4 wheels as Jack Doohan - Son of MotoGP champion Mick Doohan - scores his maiden win with Frederik Vesti and Victor Martins taking the final podium spots. Iwasa and Isack Hadjar round up the Top 5. Fittipaldi crosses the line in 8th ahead of Correa. Crawford post a P17 with Benavides another position behind in 18th. With 4 events to go, Vesti continues to lead with an 11-point gap over Pourchaire. Iwasa stays solid in 3rd. Martins and Doohan climb 1 spot each into the top 5. Enzo Fittipaldi loses another spot in 9th. Crawford remains in 13th. Correa moves another step to 17th. Benavides could not score as the grid moves North to Spa-Francochamps. www.fiaformula2.com
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Post by Placid on Jul 27, 2023 0:09:28 GMT -8
Once again, the US contention are facing hard times in the FIA Formula 3 series at the Hungaroring. Potomac, MD., native Kaylen Frederick is attempting to keep positive after a 12th place finish in the sprint. But his future in Europe open-wheel is at stake. Gabriele Mini was the eventual winner of the sprint with series points leader Gabriel Bortoleto coming in 2nd with Nikita Bedrin scoring his maiden podium in 3rd. Oliver Goethe and Paul Aron round up the top 5. New York native Max Esterson finished 18th in the sprint. Sebastian Montoya was unable to finish after his car stalled between turns 12 and 13. The feature belonged to Zak O'Sullivan who won his 4th of the season as he attempts to get back in title contention. Dino Beganovic and Franco Colapinto score podium positions. Esterson's brief appearance ends in 21st. Montoya posts a P24 while Frederick's weekend ends in pit lane after suffering a rear suspension damage. With only 2 rounds to go, Bortoleto holds a 43-point lead over O'Sullivan (144-101). Pepe Marti suffered a blow in the sprint dropping him to 3rd. Goethe and Aron round up the top 5. Montoya drops 2 spots to 14th. Frederick tumbles to 18th with Esterson unable to score as the series head up to Spa-Francochamps. wwwfiaformula3.com
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Post by Placid on Jul 27, 2023 14:10:48 GMT -8
Silverstone will become the latest beginning for a US team to establish their name in European motorsport for a possibility to have future US talent to compete around Europe. United States Formula 4 powerhouse team Velocity Racing Development will make their GB4 series debut. Led by British-born engineer and Team Owner Dan Mitchell, Velocity Racing will bring 3 drivers during the remaining events of the GB4 season. This weekend VRD will have Johns Creek, Ga. native Erik Evans and Gainsville, Ga. native Zack Ping on the grid. Evans resume consists of British GT Sports Car events and also competed in the USF2000 series in 2021. This will be likely a 1-off. Zack Ping's resume consists on Radical Cup North America in the 1340 class, with numerous podium finishes as well as cars in the World Racing League, winning the GP1 class national championship with Round 3 Racing and some SCCA wins in the Spec Racer and P2 categories. Zack is the brother of GB3 driver and race winner Noah Ping who is with Team Arden in conjunction with VRD. Zack will complete the season. A 3rd will be named for the remainder of the season. It is premature, but The Feeder Series source are reporting a possible confirmation of USF2000 driver Nikita Johnson. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native and 3rd overall in the USF2000 series would join VRD this coming September. www.gb-4.net/news/2023/jul/27/zack-ping-and-erik-evans-join-gb4-championship-with-vrd-racingfeederseries.net/2023/07/27/why-its-a-no-brainer-for-us-outfit-vrd-to-enter-gb4/
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Post by Placid on Jul 27, 2023 17:22:04 GMT -8
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Post by Placid on Jul 31, 2023 6:36:10 GMT -8
As much we saw for Colin Queen, his season might be over. But will compete for US pride in the GB4 Series as he will look forward for 2024. The Cota De Caza, Calif. native manages to score 2 top 5 finishes with another 3rd place podium a and a P4 at Silverstone for his efforts thus making him all but eliminated from title contention after a weekend double for Tom Mills who swept both events. A 3rd event was suppose to carry out. But after the sad events at Spa, the rain was so heavy that they had to abandon the 3rd race. Queen had front row starts aside Mills. But Queen would not recover. For Race 1, Mills romped the field and Queen with a 2.7 second margin over Neil McNeilly. Queen took the final podium spot with Cooper Webster and Jack Clifford rounding up the top 5. Johns Creek, Ga. native Erik Evans finished 10th with Gainsville, Ga.'s Zack Ping posting P11 in their GB-4 debuts. Race 2 was another Mills win by default as time expired after Zack Ping spun at the Vale corner late in the race that prompted a Safety Car. It was Mills, Webster, and McNeilly on the podium with Queen and Ruhaan Alva posting top 5 results. Evans finished 9th. With 4 rounds completed Mills has a 98 point lead over Webster (422-324). McNeilly sits in 3rd with Queen in 4th. West Palm Beach, Florida Jeremy Fairfairn was absent due to new commitments in USF2000. But still classified in 5th. Evans season is over. But might enter in 2024. Currently in 18th. Zach Ping is the last driver to score and in 20th as the GB4 season enters into Brands Hatch in September. www.gb-4.net
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Post by Placid on Jul 31, 2023 13:43:44 GMT -8
Also in Silverstone, the best North American performer in the GB3 Championship is Richmond hills, Ontario native Nico Cristodoulou who scored a P7 in race 1 and a P8 in race 2 at Silverstone. New York native Max Esterson and Gainsville, Ga. native Noah Ping both scored P9 and P10 results. Matthew Rees ran flag-to-flag in race 1 over McKenzy Cresswell with a 4.5 second margin. Series leader Callum Viosin secures the last podium spot. Tymek Kucharczyk and series contender Alex Dunne round up the top 5. Christodoulou scores his P7. Ping finshed P9 with Esterson in 10th. Miami native David Morales ended his Saturday in 14th. Cresswell held a charging Matthew Rees for his maiden win in race 2 with Kucharczyk taking the last spot in the podium. Joseph Loake and Viosin secure the last 2 top 5 positions. Christodoulou posts a P8 with Esterson and Ping securing the top 10 spots. Morales posts a P19 after front wing replacement. Race 3 was cancelled due to severe lack of visibility. With 5 rounds completed, Viosin leaves Silverstone with a 1-point lead over Dunne (278-277). Joseph Loake stays in contention in 3rd. James Hedley and Cresswell round the top 5. Noah Ping is the top US driver in the standings in 8th. Christodoulou climbs up 1 position to 11th. Esterson goes up to 13th with Morales in 14th as they head to Brands Hatch in September. www.gb-3.net
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Post by Placid on Aug 1, 2023 15:16:27 GMT -8
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvWxkg_NSS3 The FIA F3 season is winding down with 1 event to go. But For Kaylen Frederick, his hopes for a 2024 will lie on post season testing. That if he is called by another team. The Potomac, MD., native weekend was totally wet and moist at Spa with Frederick posting a P13 in the sprint race and a P15 in a safety-car filled feature and the choice of tires. Caio Collet was the winner of the sprint race after holding Taylor Barnard with Paul Aron finishing 3rd. Zak O'Sullivan and Jonny Edgar complete the top 5. Sebastian Montoya had a short Saturday after getting collected by Rafael Villagomez in Turn 9. Barnard takes his maiden feature win with Christian Mansell and Nikita Bedrin claiming the last 2 podium spots. Alejandro Garcia and Collet rounded the top 5 ahead of Montoya and Sophia Floresch who becomes the 1st female driver to score points in the FIA Formula 3 event. With 8 events complete. Gabriel Bortoleto holds a 38-point lead over Paul Aron (144-106) who is in a 5-way fight for 2nd with Jorge Marti, Zak O'Sullivan, Caio Collet and Dino Beganovic who are separated by 12 points. Montoya drops 1 position to 15th while Frederick as the lone US driver in the series tumbles 3 to 21st as Motorsport's sacred ground awaits for the season finale at Monza. www.fiaformula3.net
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Post by Placid on Aug 2, 2023 3:11:18 GMT -8
And everything went wrong in the FIA Formula 2 with moist conditions this past weekend at Spa. Miami native Juan Manuel Correa and Houston native Jak Crawford had poor qualifying results as Crawford posted a P14 in the sprint. But Crawford's Sunday ended almost halfway to the end when Crawford and Correa collided at La Source being sent to a spin in the feature. Thus Correa suffered a 10-second penalty that dropped him from 12th to 16th in the feature race. The same result as in the sprint race. The Spa weekend was a theme called "Taking your father to the races to see your son win". The sprint race belonged to Enzo Fittipaldi who came charging in reverse grid order to win his 1st Formula 2 race making his pass on Theo Pourchaire at La Source with 2 laps to go. Dennis Hauger took the final podium position. Victor Martins and Jack Doohan rounded the top 5. The Feature belonged to Doohan after the safety car period that involved Crawford and Correa where he made the pass to Theo Pourchaire to win his 2nd straight feature race with Enzo Fittipaldi taking the 3rd place podium. Zane Maloney and Victor Martins rounded the top 5. Frederick Vesti was unable to participate due to his spin trying to get to parc ferme. With 2 2nd place podiums, Pourchaire leaps over Vesti with the series points lead (168-156). Ayumu Iwasa remains steady in 3rd. Doohan and Martins complete the top 5. Enzo now climbs 2 places to 7th. Crawford remains steady in a 3-way tie in 13th. Correa drops 1 position to 18th as the season heads west to Zandvoort. www.fiaoformula2.com
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Post by Placid on Aug 18, 2023 8:20:47 GMT -8
In an exclusive from Formula Scout, journalist Roger Gascoigne had a great chat with Miami native James Egozi whose season came to an unexpected surprise when the Minardi Management gave James a chance to test out a Formula 4 car. The management team is led by former team Principal Giancarlo Minardi and his family. James is a 2 time kart champion where he won his 1st title in the WSK Open Cup - OK Junior in 2021 and the WSK Open - Super Masters in 2023 along with numerous titles in the US. formulascout.com/kart-champion-egozi-targets-regular-f4-rookie-podiums-after-late-call-up/110336
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Post by Placid on Aug 27, 2023 21:04:09 GMT -8
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwds1uGIP83 It is not guaranteed! But at the same time, Jak Crawford is attempting to keep his sights and his spot with the Red Bull program. The Houston native and Red Bull Junior driver got a much needed finish after scoring his maiden feature FIA Formula 2 pole at Zandvoort. In the end, Jak scores his 1st ever feature podium with a 3rd place finish behind feature race winner Clement Novalak and Zane Maloney. Richard Verschoor and Dennis Hauger rounded the top 5. Miami native Juan Manuel Correa saw a top 5 performance go down the drain after receiving a 10-second penalty for sending Novalak into a spin. But managed to post a P10 points finish. The Sprint race was aborted completely due to heavy rains. It was aborted when Crawford and Kush Maini collided at turn 5 right before Ralph Boschung spun taking both Crawford and Maini out of the race. No points were scored as a result after 2 laps. After 11 rounds, series points leader Theo Pourchaire remains on top despite not scoring points due to retirement as is Frederik Vesti who also spun after pit service. Ayumu Iwasa remains in 3rd who did not score. Jack Doohan was also a non scorer who did not complete his 1st lap, remains in 4th. Martins complete the top 5. With his podium, Crawford climbs 2 positions to 11th with Correa remaining in 18th as they head South to Monza. www.fiaformula2.com
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Post by Placid on Sept 4, 2023 23:21:24 GMT -8
It was not meant to be a weekend to rememeber in the FIA Formula 2 Championship at Monza for the only 2 US drivers who have lost chances for points. Houston native and Red Bull Junior driver Jak Crawford suffered a 5-second timed penalty for track limit violations in the sprint where his 6th-place finish became a 13th-place finish. But his end of the weekend got worse after he got clipped by Roman Stanek at the Ascari causing damage to his left-rear suspension. Miami native Juan Manuel Correa also was denied points due to a speed violation on his mandatory pit-stop dropping him from 8th to 14th in the feature. Manny also struggled in his sprint resulting an 18th place finish. Frederick Vesti was the eventual winner in the Sprint race with Victor Martins and Richard Verschoor taking the podium spots. Series points leader Theo Pourchaire and Kush Maini rounded up the top 5. Oliver Bearman takes his 3rd feature win as the race ended under the safety car with Ayumi Iwasa and Pourchaire taking the podium spots. Enzo Fittipaldi and Dennis Hauger complete the top 5. With 1 round to go, Pourchaire continues to lead with a 25-point lead over Vesti whose feature race ended in the 1st lap. Iwasa retains 3rd in the standing with Doohan and rounding up the top 5. Crawford drop 2 spots back to 13th. Correa remains steady in 18th as the series heads to the season finale at Abu Dhabi. www.fiaformula2.com
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Post by Placid on Sept 6, 2023 2:53:33 GMT -8
Also at Monza, it was not the fitting end for the only US driver in the FIA Formula 3 grid. And so, the waiting game begins whether Kaylen Frederick will have another shot at his dream in Formula 1 or will jump across for Indy NXT. The Potomac, MD. native has concluded his Formula 3 season with disappointing results with a P20 in the sprint race and a DNF in the feature after his car stalled right before the formation lap. Frederick got his car back running again and only managed 9 laps before ending his season in the pits due to mechanical issues related to the stall at parc ferme. Taking the pole was more than enough for Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto to take the FIA Formula 3 series title right before the sprint race. Franco Colapinto was the Sprint race winner with Bortoleto and Mari Boya taking the podium honors. Taylor Barnard and Oliver Goethe rounded up the top 5 ahead of Sebastian Montoya with a P6. The feature was earned by Jonny Edgar. Zak O'Sullivan and Barnard complete the podium. Caio Collet and Bortoleto rounded up the top 5. Montoya would not finish after being spun around. Bortoleto finishes the season with 164 points. O'Sullivan comes 2nd with 119. Paul Aron, Colapinto and Pepe Marti round up the top 5 in which from 2nd to 5th were within 14 points. Montoya ends his season in 16th with 1 2nd place podium and 7 top 10 finishes. Frederick closes his season in 21st with 3 top 10s. And based on his finishes, Mooresville, NC native Hunter Yeany ends his classification in 30th. We will see if Yas Marina will make that call for post season testing. www.fiaformula3.com
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Post by Placid on Sept 15, 2023 18:02:23 GMT -8
2024 will be a waiting game for our North American contenders and 1 of them in waiting to see who will return. In GB3, the best performer is Noah Ping who finished in the 3rd race at Brands Hatch. The Gainsville, Ga. native scored a P5 in race 3. A P12 in race 1. But in race 2, his morning ended in 21st -1 lap after colliding with Shawn Rashid where he suffered a broken wing. Joseph Loake took the initial win in race 1 with rival Callum Voisin and McKenzy Cresswell completing the podium. James Hedley and Tymek Kucharczyk complete the top 5. Richmond Hills, Ontario Nico Christodoulou post a P11 finish with Ping in P12. New York native Max Esterson post P13. Miami's David Morales retired after a spin. Voisin would reverse the positions with Loake in race 2 while Cresswell repeats his 3rd place finish. Alex Dunne and Matthew Rees complete the top 5. Morales scores a P10 with Esterson in P11. Christodoulou finishes in P13. Ping in P21. The reverse grid win goes to Daniel Mavlyutov. Christodoulou scores a 2nd place with Lucas Staico taking P3. Edward Pearson and Ping rounded up the top 5. Morales post another top 10 finish with a P7. Esterson suffers a DNF after losing wing and cause possible suspension damage. With 6 rounds complete, Voisin places some distance on Loake with a 14-point lead (353-339). Dunne continues to stick with the top 2. Hedley and Cresswell are in a 2-way tie for 4th. Christodoulou is the top North American driver in P8. Ping drop slightly from the top 10 in P11. Esterson keeps himself steady in 13th. Morales drops 2 to P16 as the series will cross the Atlantic 1 more time to Zandvoort. www.gb-3.net
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Post by Placid on Sept 16, 2023 4:14:48 GMT -8
Pride is what's left for our US contenders on the final event of the season and 2024 could possibly be the year that could change but not guarantee a 2024 GB4 title. Cota De Caza, California's Colin Queen and Gainsville, Georgia's Zack Ping performed decently at Brands Hatch. Queen scored a P4 finish in race 1 and Ping also scored a P4 in race 2. Tom Mills scored 2 wins in races 1 and 2 along with a P7 that was more than enough to secure the 2023 GB4 series title. Mills took the Race 1 win while holding off Liam McNeilly and Cooper Webster whom scored podium finishes. Queen and Ifran rounded the top 5. Ping struggled throughout the event after posting a row 2 start but dropped very severely to a P13 finish. Mills took a dominant Race 2 with Webster and McNeilly swapping their podium places. Ping and Sid Smith complete the top 5. Queen struggled at the end towards a P9 finish. Kai Daryanani won the Race 3 reverse grid race with Aditya Kulkarni scoring 2nd with McNeilly competing the podium. Smith and Webster rounded the top 5. Ping finishes in 6th with Queen unable to capitalize dropping him in 12th. Mills' 111-point gap makes him the official champion. Webster remains in 2nd with McNeilly 1 spot behind. Queen and Kulkarini round up the top 5. Ping moves up to 16th as the series heads to their final round at Donington Park. www.gb-4.net
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Post by Placid on Sept 16, 2023 20:46:27 GMT -8
My homeboy's chances for the Euro Formula Open series title got hit with the "Omen" number. But still somewhere in the title fight. Chicago native Bryce Aron got leveled during the Race 2 event after his chances for a 4th win went to a 270 at the Red Bull Ring. 3 6th place finishes. Noel Leon took the 1st 2 races and Cian Shields won the rubber race 3. Race results: Race 1: 1 Noel Leon 2 Cian Shields 3 Joshua Dufek 4 Francesco Simonazzi 5 Charlie Wurz 6 Bryce Aron Race 2: 1 Leon 2 Simonazzi 3 Wurz 4 Dufek 5 Shields 6 Aron Race 3: 1 Shields 2 Leon 3 Dufek 4 Wurz 5 Simonazzi 6 Aron After 5 rounds, Leon now has a 60-point advantage over Shields (277-217) with Aron dropping to 3rd (208). Simonazzi and an absent Juju Noda round up the top 5 as they head to the "Cathedral" in Monza. www.euroformulaopen.net
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Post by Placid on Sept 18, 2023 23:18:54 GMT -8
Monza brought another Monster Meanie for Ugo Ugochukwu once again. During the 2nd weekend of the Euro 4 series, the New York native and McLaren development driver took another U-Turn on his chances to keep the points lead. Races 1 and 3 were called official as Ugochukwu finished 2nd in race 1. But his chances to put distance on his rivals in the points hit rock bottom in race 3 where Ugochukwu was penalized with a drive-thru after nudging his teammate James Wharton at the Variante del Rettifilo thus finishing 23rd. Kacper Sztuka won the 1st race holding a charging Ugochukwu for 2nd with Arvid Lindblad joining the podium. Wharton and Akshay Bohra round up the top 5. Race 3 belonged to Arvid Lindblad. Badoer and Bohra took podium honors. David and Tuukka Taponen complete the top 5. Race 2 results were completely on hold due to controversial incident where a track official did not remove the Safety Car sign from the Curva Grande thus thinking that Sztuka was supposed to slow down. However - the other officials were confirmed that the track was green causing the biggest confusion. This is considered the biggest blunder in racing this season. Results in finishing order are considered un-official. Freddie Slater was declared the winner with Ugochukwu finishing in 2nd with Wharton rounding the podium. David and Badoer complete the top 5. But due to the critical mistake of the track marshal, the ACI who sponsors the series, decided to hold he points scoring for race 2 until October where a hearing will be held. If that would have happen, I would call for a Red Flag ending the race. Currently, Ugochukwu holds a 12-point lead over Lindblad (98-86). Wharton is in a steady 3rd. Sztuka and Bohra complete the top 5 as they wait for the official word on the Race 2 results. (Fast fact: The marshal who did not remove the safety car sign was relieved from its duties.) www.acisport.it/en/F4/home
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Post by Placid on Sept 29, 2023 12:44:48 GMT -8
Also suffering a Monza Meanie was Bryce Aron whose chances to catch series leader Noel Leon got bent in an instant. The Chicago native (Homeboy) suffered a total Monza catastrophe finishing 7th and last in a cyclonic race 1 after marshals called the race due to heavy rains, and 5th in race 3. He and Leon saw their Sunday Morning bumped out. Leon was declared the winner in race 1. Charlie Wurz - Son of former F1 driver Alex Wurz - took his maiden win in race 2 while Joshua Dufek took honors in race 3. After 6, Leon takes a hefty 85-point lead over Cian Shields, Francesco Simonazzi, Aron and an absent Juju Noda remain in the top 5. Aron could have a chance for 2nd place where Aron, Shields and Simonazzi are separated by 13 points and that would be the best battle to save his status in Europe when they head to Mugello this weekend. www.euroformulaopen.net
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Post by Placid on Oct 4, 2023 6:50:58 GMT -8
Even with a small grid, it was hard to capitalize a chance the results. But his fight will be runners up. My hometown Chicagoan Bryce Aron had numerous difficulties in the Euro Formula Open Championship series at Mugello with only a 5th place finish in race 1 and 8th in races 2 -1 lap down right after going off-track causing ruptured left tire. In the end, it was Noel Leon finishing 3rd in race 2 with a race 1 win that enabled him to win the 2023 Euro Formula Open Series title. Cian Shields was the winner in race 2. With Leon securing the title, Shields and Francesco Simonazzi will battle for 2nd while Aron might have a slight chance to take 3rd. Joshua Dufek secures 5th place. The battle for 2nd will be settled at Barcelona. www.euroformulaopen.net
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Post by Placid on Oct 4, 2023 11:29:00 GMT -8
Also in Mugello, Ugo Ugochukwu has only 1 lifeline to a possible charge at the Italian Formula 4 Championship. The New York Native and McLaren development driver scored a Deuce Trifecta for 3 2nd place finishes. The hat trick belonged to Kacper Sztuka. Even in re-starts Sztuka kept his distance from Ugochukwu for the 3 wins. Miami native James Egozi best finish in the weekend was an 11th place in race 3. Results: Race 1 1 - Kacper Sztuka 2 - Ugo Ugochukwu 3 - Gianmarco Pradel 4 - Rashid Al Dhaheri 5 - Arvid Lindblad 12- Egozi Race 2: 1 - Sztuka 2 - Ugochukwu 3 - Akshay Bohra 4 - Ivan Domingues 5 - Tuukka Taponen 17- Egozi Race 3: 1 - Sztuka 2 - Ugochukwu 3 - James Wharton 4 - Bohra 5 - Taponen 11- Egozi With 1 event to go, Sztuka now inherits the series points lead over Arvid Lindblad who crashed in Race 2 by 2 points (258-256). Ugochukwu remains in 3rd just 18 points in between (240). Wharton and Taponen complete the top 5, but out of title contention. Egozi stands in 15th. The road to the series title will be settled at Vallelunga. www.f4championship.com
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Post by Placid on Oct 12, 2023 11:21:41 GMT -8
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