Photo: US F4
Patrick Woods-Toth won the 2023 United States Formula 4 title with two races to spare at Circuit of the Americas.
Titus Sherlock pipped Daniel Cara to pole by 0.006 seconds, with Augusto Soto-Schirripa 0.167s behind in third but only three other drivers within a second of the pace. Failing to set any laptimes were Bacon Zelenka and Michael Boyiadzis.
Sherlock made a good start to race one while the two behind squeezed each other on the run to turn one. Cara held position, and Woods-Toth passed Soto-Schirripa for third before the pace car was called out following a multi-car crash at turn 11.
Racing resumed on lap four and Woods-Toth overtook Cara for second while Ariel Elkin fought with Soto-Schiripa.
But by the next lap Elkin was tying to hold off Jesse Lacey for fifth, with the top three breaking away. Lacey went down the inside of Elkin at turn one on lap six, and held off his attacks the lap after. Elkin reclaimed fifth at the end of the back straight on lap eight, and Soto-Schirripa took second from Woods-Toth having passed Cara on the previous lap.
He had a sniff at the lead on lap 11 when Sherlock had a very wide moment, but the latter just held on to win by 0.278s. Woods-Toth was right behind and crowned champion as a result, and Elkin managed to pass Cara for fourth and finish within a second of the winner.
Michael Cotello won his lengthy battle with Daniel Quimby to finish seventh.
Elkin set the fastest lap so lined up on pole for race two ahead of Soto-Schirripa and Lacey. There were two formation laps, and at the actual start Soto-Schirripa cut across Lacey then went off at turn one but stayed ahead. Lacey ended up being passed by Cara, then being spun around.
Sherlock profited to rise to fifth, and Woods-Toth passed Cara for third on lap four. Lacey had already recovered to the top 10 by lap six, by which point Elkin was feeling the pressure from his team-mate. They went into lap eight split by 0.165s and were fighting for the lead until they came across Zhanbin Jia’s spun car. The the race was neutralised moments later.
Green flags waved again on lap 10 and Elkin weaved all the way down the back straight trying to break the tow. He did the same on the pit straight going into the final lap and all it achieved was create a five-car group at the front.
Soto-Schirripa passed him for the win, and Woods-Toth pressured him for second place after. Lacey ended up finishing sixth, just three seconds behind the winer.
Sherlock finished fifth but got pole for race three, which also had two formation laps due to Lacey stalling. However Sherlock himself had trouble that meant his team was working underneath the bodywork of his car while the rest of the field lapped the track.
Cara therefore lined up as the lead driver for a rolling start, and less than a lap was done before the race was neutralised. Sherlock used the opportunity to return to the pits and have Crosslink inspect his car again.
Racing resumed on lap four with a three-wide fight for fourth and Cara pulling away. Yet a lap later he passed by Woods-Toth for victory.
Cara finished fifth behind Lacey, who pressured Woods-Toth into weaving on the last lap and only lost out on victory in a photo finish, Soto-Schirripa, who came from 22nd on the grid, and Kekai Hauanio. Sherlock recovered to eighth place.
Results round-up
Race 1 (12 laps)
1 Titus Sherlock Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport 31m14.983s
2 Augusto Soto-Schirripa International Motorsport +0.278s
3 Patrick Woods-Toth Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport +0.593s
4 Ariel Elkin International Motorsport +0.945s
5 Daniel Cara Cara Origin Motorsports +1.831s
6 Jesse Lacey Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport +5.280s
7 Michael Costello JHDD +7.662s
8 Daniel Quimby Doran Motorsports Group +8.999s
9 Kekai Hauanio New’T Racing +10.499s
10 Tyke Durst Gonella Racing +13.880s
Pole: Sherlock, 2m15.593s
Fastest lap: Elkin, 2m16.561s
Race 2 (11 laps)
1 Soto-Schirripa 28m08.167s
2 Elkin +0.736s
3 Woods-Toth +1.210s
4 Cara +1.822s
5 Sherlock +1.940s
6 Lacey +3.010s
7 Quimby +4.052s
8 Durst +4.384s
9 Hauanio +6.375s
10 Christian Cantu Scuderia Buell +6.520s
FL: Sherlock, 2m16.277s
Race 3 (11 laps)
1 Woods-Toth 30m57.627s
2 Lacey +0.017s
3 Soto-Schirripa +0.284s
4 Hauanio +7.004s
5 Cara +9.199s
6 Bacon Zelenka Bacon Racing +10.787s
7 James Lawley Atlantic Racing Team +13.316s
8 Sherlock +13.915s
9 Elkin +15.316s
10 Cantu +15.832s
FL: Lacey, 2m16.469s
Championship standings
1 Woods-Toth 263.5 2 Sherlock 181 3 Soto-Schirripa 158 4 Lacey 154.5 5 Costello 148 6 Cara 145.5 7 Alex Berg 127.5 8 Hauanio 73 9 Lewis Hodgson 55.5 10 Jimmie Lockhart 50