Photo: F4 NACAM
Pedro Juan Moreno won all three NACAM Formula 4 races in Mexico City to grow a healthy points lead.
Moreno was fastest in both practice sessions, with a 1m52.997s set in FP1 putting him 1.722 seconds clear of Dewey Richards in second, then in qualifying he improved to 1m52.420s to lead Cristian Cantu by 1.764s.
There was 3.516s covering the top eight, with Juan Contreras 17.144s off the pace at the rear of the 11-car field.
Moreno converted pole into victory on Friday in race one, which only six drivers finished and two did two laps down. The four on the lead lap were split by just 2.703s, with Cantu sneaking past David Cardenas for third at the end while Moreno finished 0.905s ahead of Arturo Flores.
Those four were flipped to form the front of race two’s grid, and Cardenas made a slow start from pole. It was briefly three-wide for the lead and Cantu managed to get ahead and gap himself from Flores and Moreno.
He ended lap one 1.774s clear, and despite the pair behind weaving to break the tow to the other chasers the gap between the top two was down to 0.8s by lap three and it was Moreno in second.
Moreno tried multiple times to pass and failed, but ended the lap 0.102s behind and slipstreamed past down the pit straight. Cantu tried reclaiming the lead at turn one and that enabled Marco Alquicira to close a gap of 1.455s to almost nothing.
The lead went to Cantu at the turns 4/5 chicane, and Alquicira tried taking second from Moreno in the stadium section.
That helped Cantu build a 0.891s lead, but he was soon defending and on lap six Moreno passed on the pit straight again. Once more Cantu made an attempt at turn one in return but locked up.
This time Moreno streaked away, going 1.594s clear within a lap and then setting four fastest laps in a row to lead by 7.257s. It was Alquicira who was his closest rival, as he passed Cantu at the chicane on lap seven, then Cantu pitted on lap eight. By the finish Moreno was 12.794s clear.
Esteban Rodriguez passed Richards to be chief beneficiary of Cantu’s pitstop as he finished third. Cardenas passed Richards for fourth, but then pitted and his team inspected his engine. That meant Flores, who had dropped to eighth, finished fifth. Cantu was a distant seventh, and Cardenas was lapped twice.
Moreno won from pole in race three, but briefly lost the lead on lap one. After that slight challenge he raced away, and won the 14-lap race by 27.262s.
Richards held second at first, with Cantu and Rodriguez passing Cardenas to relegate him from third to fifth. Cantu got by Richards on lap five, and he held third until lap 10. After a battle with Cardenas he fell from to fifth, then pitted on lap 12.
Moy Zagursky was another to pit, and he retired after his team inspected the rear of his car.
Results round-up
Race 1 (14 laps)
1 Pedro Juan Moreno Ram Racing 29m48.896s
2 Arturo Flores Ram Racing +0.905s
3 Cristian Cantu RE Racing +1.025s
4 David Cardenas Ram Racing +2.703s
5 Julian Diaz Morelia Racing Team +2 laps
6 Marco Alquicira Santinel Racing Team +2 laps
Ret Moy Zagursky Ram Racing
Ret Esteban Rodriguez RE Racing
Ret Dewey Richards Richard Motorsport
Ret Juan Contreras Morelia Racing Team
Pole: Moreno, 1m52.430s
Fastest lap: Moreno, 1m54.380s
Race 2 (14 laps)
1 Moreno 26m45.760s
2 Alquicira +12.794s
3 Rodriguez +18.692s
4 Richards +29.912s
5 Flores +38.539s
6 Zagursky +48.174s
7 Cantu +1m14.789s
8 Contreras +1 lap
9 Cardenas +2 laps
Ret Diaz
FL: Moreno, 1m52.647s
Race 3 (14 laps)
1 Moreno 26m25.289s
2 Cantu +27.262s
3 Cardenas +31.151s
4 M Alquicira +32.265s
5 Rodriguez +44.262s
6 Diaz +50.740s
7 Flores +1m08.729s
8 Eduardo Alquicira Santinel Racing Team +1m39.121s
9 Contreras +1 lap
Ret Richards
FL: Moreno, 1m52.649s
Championship standings
1 Moreno 180 2 Cantu 144 3 Cardenas 118 4 M Alquicira 97 5 Flores 80 6 Alexandra Monhaupt 56 7 Diaz 50 8 Rodriguez 40 9 Diego de la Torre 39 10 Richards 24