FR America: Shehan Sweeps Weekend, Woods-Toth Podiums, at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, OH – Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) scored his third victory of 2024 on Saturday afternoon, winning Race 1 of the Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Beating his teammate Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) by just 0.461 seconds, the two remain locked in a heated battle for the championship.

Notes of interest:

• Ryan Shehan earned his third FR Americas win of the season, and first at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
• With his second place, Canadian Patrick Woods-Toth achieved his seventh podium in 10 races.
• After taking his first career podium finish last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jett Bowling has now finished on the podium in each of the last three races.
• Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport took the podium today, with Shehan first, Woods-Toth second and Bowling third.

Woods-Toth led the field to the grid after setting a new track record during qualifying. With Shehan on his outside, a slow jump from Woods-Toth gave Shehan a clear lead as the field raced towards Turn 1. Third-place starter Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 TLink / Allegro Ligier JS F3) also snuck around Woods-Toth to temporarily claim second; However, Woods-Toth got a run down the backstretch and pulled in as they raced through Turn 4 to regain second place.

With Shehan almost two seconds ahead, Woods-Toth was in chase mode, focused on hitting his targets and closing the gap. The top four were nose to stern as Nicole Havrda (No. 6 Valley Kitchens Ltd / Colonial Countertops Ltd Ligier JS F3) and Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 22 IGY6 Motorsports / Save22 Ligier JS F3) were busy with a spirited multi-lap battle for fifth place. Bowlsbey eventually came out with the position and overtook Havrda as they raced through the Turn 4-5-6 complex. Justin Garat (No. 17 Speed ​​Factory Ligier JS F3) snuck up behind the two as they raced side by side during the earlier laps, and was able to stay tight on Bowlsbey’s rear wing to also take up a position.

Meanwhile, Woods-Toth and Ambiado continued to gain from Shehan, leading by just over half a second as the race approached the halfway point. A few minutes later, Ambiado started to slow down on the course. The Chilean driver was able to limp to the pit lane, allowing the race to continue under green flag conditions as the checkered flag approached. Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) had been quietly racing in fourth place all afternoon, but managed to sneak into the third and final podium spot when Ambiado entered the pit lane.

As they crossed the finish line, Shehan led the way, followed by Woods-Toth in second and Bowling in third.

“I had a really good start,” Shehan said on the podium. “I just tried to stay consistent and not make any mistakes. Luckily I was able to take it home. I would like to thank the whole Crosslink Kiwi team, my engineer, my mechanic, all my sponsors, my parents – thank you very much to everyone.”

Race two

With a win in Sunday’s Race 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ryan Shehan won the weekend at FR Americas. The 19-year-old Texan entered the Mid-Ohio SpeedTour as the championship points leader and extended his lead this weekend with two additional victories.

Notes of interest:

• Ryan Shehan won his second race of the weekend and fourth of 2024 on Sunday during Race 2 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
• Nicolas Ambiado recorded his best result in his career with his second place. Previously, the Velox USA/Speed ​​​​Factory driver achieved two third places.
• Patrick Woods-Toth achieved his eighth podium of 2024 with his third place. The Canadian is tied with Shehan for the most podium finishes this season.
• Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport has won 10 of the 11 FR Americas races so far in 2024. Shehan and Woods-Toth each won four races for the organization, while Titus Sherlock won two additional events.
• Jett Bowling finished on the podium in three of the last four races and was awarded the Omologato Perfectly-Timed Move of the Race and recognized by the stewards for his outstanding performance this weekend. The prize includes a custom Omologato timepiece.

As track conditions continued to improve after morning showers drenched the racing surface, teams and drivers were given the option of choosing Hankook racing slicks or rain tires for Sunday’s feature race. The entire field opted for racing slicks and Nicolas Ambiado led everyone to the starting grid after setting the fastest lap of the event on Saturday.

As the lights went out, Ambiado wobbled, putting Shehan in full control of the race as they entered Turn 1. With the top three drivers all flanking the outside, with Shehan, Ambiado and Patrick Woods-Toth racing nose to tail, Hayden Bowlsbey had a great jump off the block to move from his starting position of sixth to fourth before they left the first bend.

The race remained fairly uneventful, with drivers racking up their points and logging laps until a full-course caution slowed the pace with 10 minutes left on the clock. Landan Matriano Lim (No. 73 739Racing Ligier JS F3) looked set for one of the best results of his career, spending most of the day in fifth place; However, a spin at Turn 9 left him stuck in the gravel and requiring him to be towed by safety crews. A quick recovery allowed the race to restart with just over three minutes left on the clock, giving the drivers one last chance to mix up the starting order.

Shehan timed his restart perfectly and kept Ambiado in his mirrors. Woods-Toth stayed just outside the Chilean’s rear wing, with just one second separating the top three drivers. By the time they reached the checkered flag, Shehan beat Ambiado to the line by just 0.452 seconds, while Woods-Toth finished third.

“We’re on the outside of the racing line, so I think that helped quite a bit,” Shehan said from the top step of the podium. “I just had a good start and was able to hang on to the outside of Nico (Ambiado). It was a good race after that, but it was quite stressful. The track was quite slippery after the rain this morning and the tires weren’t too happy. So it was stressful, but I was able to persevere. I have to thank the entire Crosslink Kiwi team, my engineer, my mechanic, my parents and my sponsors.”

FR Americas is back on track next month at New Jersey Motorsports Park for the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour, July 25-28. Live timing and scoring for the event can be accessed via the Race Monitor app, and additional news and updates will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.

• By Ashleigh Aungst/A2B Strategies for FR America