Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
Alex Popow was unbeatable in United States Formula 4’s season finale at Barber Motorsports Park last weekend.
He topped both practice sessions, leading Clemente Huerta by 0.732 seconds, and in qualifying claimed pole by a massive 1.154s. The gap had been 1.142s, but Kekai Hauanio had his fastest laptime deleted for causing red flags so dropped to third, 0.03s behind Zach Fourie. Caleb Campbell was a further 0.085s back, and 0.003s ahead of Demitri Nolan.
Fourie spun down to last on race one’s formation lap, promoting Hauanio to second. But he lost the position on lap one to Campbell, as Fourie recovered two places.
Hauanio went down Campbell’s inside into turn one on lap two, was already losing sight of Popow by then and he pulled away to win by 11.59s.
Huerta began pressuring Campbell on lap five of 21, and on several laps looked to the inside at turn seven. He then spun to last on lap 13, freeing Huerta to hunt down Hauanio. With three laps to go he got on his tail, but did not attempt a move until he got alongside into the race’s penultimate corner.
Fourie made one overtake on lap two, went around Nolan’s outside at turn one on lap three, cleared Augusto Paschetta on lap four and profited from Campbell’s spin to finish fourth.
Popow set the fastest lap to claim pole for race two, which he won by 14.559s to take away the championship runner-up spot from Hauanio.
Campbell spun down from fourth to eighth exiting the race’s opening corner, and Hauanio overtook Huerta for second on lap one. Fourie was fourth, and stuck with the two drivers ahead.
Huerta attacked into turn nine on lap nine, then Fourie went around his outside at turn five a lap later and pressured Hauanio. Next time by Huerta reclaimed third into the turn five hairpin, and quickly forced Hauanio into defending.
On lap 15 he pounced into turn five, but Hauanio was back ahead by turn seven. Huerta dropped to fourth two laps later, and Fourie tried go around Hauanio’s outside at turn five on lap 18. After that the trio spread out.
Campbell spent 12 laps stuck behind Nolan until the latter overtook Luke Powers for fifth. He overtook him too into turn five on lap 16, then was on Nolan’s tail again through to the finish.
In the Ligier Junior Formula Championship for first-generation F4 cars, Drew Szuch topped qualifying by 0.114s over Cash Felber. Points leader Gaston Irazu was 0.257s off in third, and Beckham Jacir qualified fourth.
Irazu lost a place at the start of race one, and Felber went around the outside of Szuch at the penultimate corner which became the inside for the last corner and put him into the lead as lap two began. Irazu reclaimed third exiting turn three, and Ava Hanssen slipsteamed past Jacir too.
At turn five he went deep to get back ahead but spun as contact was made with Hanssen twice. A caution period was triggered, with the field released on lap four. Ronan Bray spun and got beached at turn two, with Irazu passing Szuch down the inside of turn five before another caution period began.
Racing resumed three laps later, and Szuch carried so much speed into turn one he ran off and rejoined with no room as he entered turn two. Irazu was pitched onto his left wheels and down to last, with Szuch continuing in seventh.
Felber led Pablo Benites and brother Roman Felber for the rest of the race, while Szuch gained back one spot and Irazu made it up to sixth behind him. But a five-second penalty for jumping the start demoted Irazu back down to eighth, and a 30s penalty for causing a collision relegated Szuch to 10th.
Hanssen, who was without a front wing, therefore finished seventh and Szuch’s penalty also meant Irazu became champion.
Roman Felber set the fastest lap and lined up on race two pole alongside his brother the next morning, but an issue struck his car at turn 12 on the formation lap and he headed to the pits, not joining the race until lap nine.
Puddles around the track meant wet weather tyres were used and there was lots of spray, and Cash led the field into the opening corner. William Rohan spun at turn five, and ended lap one eighth ahead of Hanssen, who was driving slowly due to car problems.
Jacir went down Felber’s inside at turn one on lap four then pulled away, and led by 13s when a caution period began on lap 14 of 16 due to Roman Felber spinning off at turn five. He got going again unassisted, but the race finished behind the pace car.
Irazu passed Dass for third on lap three, with Benites trying to follow him through but causing a crash. Dass went off and rejoined in eighth, but recovered to fifth after Benites was penalised 35s.
Rohan spun at turn five again and went off at turn seven on lap four, dropping to eighth himself, then charged up to fourth. He was over a minute behind Jacir before racing was neutralised.
Results round-up
Race 1 (21 laps)
1 Alex Popow MLT Motorsports 30m15.000s
2 Kekai Hauanio Crosslink Competition +11.590s
3 Clemente Huerta Kiwi Motorsport +12.116s
4 Zach Fourie Kiwi Motorsport +26.838s
5 Augusto Paschetta Scuderia Buell +31.368s
6 Luke Powers Toney Driver Development +32.604s
7 Demitri Nolan Crosslink Competition +52.693s
8 Oliver Savoie Kiwi Motorsport +53.942s
9 Jonathan Cottrill MLT Motorsports +1m05.701s
10 Caleb Campbell LC Racing Academy +1m19.512s
Pole: Popow, 1m25.420s
Fastest lap: Popow, 1m25.579s
Race 2 (21 laps)
1 Popow 30m31.437s
2 Hauanio +14.559s
3 Fourie +15.281s
4 Huerta +15.909s
5 Nolan +19.302s
6 Campbell +19.643s
7 Powers +26.605s
8 Cottrill +52.951s
9 Savoie +1m02.039s
Ret Paschetta
FL: Popow, 1m26.355s
Championship standings
1 Cooper Shipman 298.5 2 Popow 266 3 Hauanio 262.5 4 Huerta 155.5 5 Campbell 148 6 Nolan 126 7 Powers 67 8 Ty Arbogast 53.5 9 Savoie 38 10 Fourie 27
Ligier JFC
Race 1 (16 laps)
1 Cash Felber Champagne Racing 29m16.000s
2 Pablo Benites Scuderia Buell +1.137s
3 Roman Felber Champagne Racing +1.502s
4 Beckham Jacir Champagne Racing +2.238s
5 Harbir Dass Berg Racing +3.201s
6 William Rohan Crosslink Competition +14.544s
7 Ava Hanssen Ava Hanssen Racing +16.675s
8 Gaston Irazu Champagne Racing +17.772s
9 Taisei Murakami Berg Racing +19.700s
10 Drew Szuch Berg Racing +39.993s
Pole: Szuch, 1m28.600s
Fastest lap: R Felber, 1m28.734s
Race 2 (16 laps)
1 Jacir 29m43.000s
2 C Felber +0.985s
3 Irazu +2.790s
4 Rohan +3.946s
5 Dass +4.678s
6 Szuch +5.134s
7 Ronan Bray Berg Racing +6.910s
8 Benites +38.210s
Ret Hanssen
Ret Murakami
FL: Jacir, 1m38.914s
Championship standings
1 Irazu 215 2 Szuch 182 3 C Felber 169.5 4 Dass 150.5 5 Daniel Cara 126.5 6 Jacir 116 7 R Felber 115 8 Max Mokarem 87 9 Benites 77 10 Hanssen 75