Formula 4 South East Asia racer Muhammad Ibrahim sealed the United States F4 Esports title on iRacing at Mid-Ohio.
The Indian beat karter Alessandro De Tullio and Quinlan Lall to pole in qualifying, and it was Lall who posed a challenge throughout the half-hour race.
Two of the frontrunners eliminated themselves on the opening lap, as De Tullio got loose on the exit of the Turn 9 right-hander and collided spectacularly with former USF2000 racer Michai Stephens.
Lall didn’t immediately make the most of his strong start, falling 1.5 seconds back from Ibrahim in the first 10 laps of the race. He started closing back in through the race’s second half, and navigated lapped traffic better to get right on the leader’s tail.
Choosing the tricky Turn 9 as a place to overtake went wrong for Lall after his front wing hit the rear of Ibrahim’s car, but he was still trying to find a way past a few corners later. After that failed he dropped back slightly, managing his race so he would be the faster driver come the finish.
This plan almost worked, with the pair getting incredibly close while they navigated traffic. In the end, Ibrahim had to cut across down the pit straight to prevent Lall from coming alongside at the chequered flag.
Jay Howard Driver Development’s Viktor Andersson led Hunter Yeany in third place for over half of the race until he was punted off with near-race-ending damage by the struggling Rodrigo Gutierrez as he lapped him.
A fast return to the pits enabled him to continue and charge back up to a lapped 13th, while Yeany took the final podium spot.
Junior karter Enzo Deligny finished an impressive fourth place, beating Jack Harrison and reigning Formula Regional Americas champion Dakota Dickerson who came from the back of the grid.