Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
Titus Sherlock won the Formula Regional Americas title in the final round at Barber Motorsports Park.
The Crosslink Competition driver entered the weekend 13.5 points ahead of Nicolas Ambiado, whose Kiwi Motorsport team-mate Bruno Ribeiro was a further seven points behind.
It looked to be a close fight after practice, with Sherlock setting a 1m19.207s to edge Ribeiro to top spot by 0.074 seconds. Toney Driver Development’s Brady Golan was 0.251s behind in third, and Ambiado was fourth.
Qualifying was similar, as Sherlock pipped Ribeiro by 0.055s, Golan was 0.297s back, and Kiwi’s United States Formula 4 champion Cooper Shipman beat Ambiado to fourth on debut.
But Ambiado was carrying a five-place grid penalty from the previous round, and Sherlock got one for using too many tyres in practice. They therefore started fifth and 10th for race one, with Ribeiro on pole.
An electrical issue for Ambiado and mechanical issue for Jett Bowling meant they did not make the start, while Lincoln Day stalled on the dummy grid, got going then stopped at turn one. Everyone else had to head through the pits, and a rolling start then got racing underway.
Sherlock was straight into fourth and attacked Shipman through to turn five where he got ahead, and at the last corner Barrett Wolfe spun.
Through the next lap Sherlock began pressuring Golan, and both gained a spot as Ribeiro dropped from first to fourth. He had to pit, his title hopes ended by rear-left suspension damage.
The top three ran in formation until lap 11, when Shipman went off at turn one and lost ground. Golan held on to win by 0.552s over new champion Sherlock.
Day entered the race several laps down, had a late turn one spin and was the last finisher in eighth. Bowling joined 10 laps in so was considered a retiree, but by setting the fastest lap claimed race two pole.
He fended off Golan at the start, as Shipman and Sherlock went side-by-side for third again all the way to turn six.
A caution period was triggered on lap two, and on the lap four restart Wolfe crashed out which neutralised racing again.
The next restart was on lap eight, and Golan made a great move around the outside at turn one for the lead. This time Shipman and Sherlock ran wheel-to-wheel until turn eight, and a lap later Sherlock went down Bowling’s inside there.
He filled Golan’s mirrors thereon, and dived down his inside at the race’s final corner to snatch victory.
Shipman had a slight off exiting turn five on lap 10 and conceded fourth to Ribeiro, then later in the race got front wing damage and lost a lap in the pits.
Bowling and Ribeiro were part of the four-car lead train until the final lap when Bowling spun at turn eight and Ribeiro got rear-left suspension damage that meant he stopped on track and was classified a lapped ninth.
Ambiado took third from Bowling, having escaped the race-long midfield battles.
Results round-up
Race 1 (19 laps)
1 Brady Golan Toney Driver Development 29m56.623s
2 Titus Sherlock Crosslink Competition +0.552s
3 Cooper Shipman Kiwi Motorsport +6.494s
4 Connor Roberts Atlantic w/ Team Roberts +20.087s
5 James Lawley Atlantic Racing Team +28.485s
6 Barrett Wolfe Crosslink Competition +1m30.702s
7 Anthony Autiello Momentum Motorsports +1 lap
8 Lincoln Day Toney Driver Development +4 laps
Ret Bruno Ribeiro Kiwi Motorsport
Ret Jett Bowling Kiwi Motorsport
Pole: Ribeiro, 1m19.457s
Fastest lap: Bowling, 1m20.354s
Race 2 (18 laps)
1 Sherlock 30m17.126s
2 Golan +0.064s
3 Nicolas Ambiado Kiwi Motorsport +7.799s
4 Bowling +12.522s
5 Lawley +17.898s
6 Roberts +22.085s
7 Day +22.565s
8 Autiello +45.437s
9 Ribeiro +1 lap
10 Shipman +1 lap
FL: Ribeiro, 1m21.149s
Championship standings
1 Sherlock 291.5 2 Ambiado 250 3 Ribeiro 230 4 Bowling 205 5 Golan 198 6 Roberts 137 7 Lawley 123.5 8 Nicolas Stati 82 9 Wolfe 62.5 10 Christian Brooks 50