F4 U.S. Championship: And the champion of the 2022 season is Lochie Hughes!
2 - 4 November 2022 – The sixth and final round of the F4 U.S. Championship took place on the Circuit of the Americas. Twenty-six Ligier JS F4s turned up for the last rendezvous of the year marked by Noah Ping's victory (#65 Velocity Racing Development) in race 1 and Lochie Hughes's (#6 Jay Howard Driver Development) double victory in races 2 and 3! The latter clinched the championship title from Bryson Morris (#39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport) and Ping.
Jacob Loomis at the wheel of the #24 Velocity Racing Development Ligier JS F4 topped the time sheets in free practice with a lap in 2:15.034s. A few hours later he emerged quickest in qualifying in a time of 2:15.228s bagging pole for the weekend's first race.
Race 1: Noah Ping still in the running for the championship title
Noah Ping in #65 run by Velocity Racing Development started the race in fourth place and gradually fought his way up the front. When he was lying second he took advantage of a driving error by Jacob Lomis in the leading car to win the first race in Austin. “Luckily, I'm back in this championship. I was told Lochie [Hughes] finished sixth, and he needed to finish fifth or worse in every race [to keep me in the battle]. We still have hope,” explained the driver after the race.
For the full article, CLICK HERE.
Race 2: Victory for the #6 Ligier JS F4 driven by Lochie Hughes
Lochie Hughes had the last word! Qualified in sixth place the driver of the#6 Ligier JS F3 entered by Jay Howard Driver Development running neck and neck with Bryson Morris (#39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport) for the championship title pushed like crazy to clinch the best score possible. On lap five he shot past his rival and went on to take the chequered flag in first place. “That was a pretty fun race,” said Hughes recounting the event. “I was surprised with the pace we had. We made a few changes on the car after Race 1 and they worked quite well.”
For the full article, CLICK HERE.
Race 3: Lochies Hughes ends the season with first place and the championship title!
After confirmation of the results during the night, Lochies Hughes was declared the 2022 F4 U.S. Championship title winner before the final race of the season. So he started with number 1 on his Ligier JS F4. He dominated the race from start to finish scoring his last victory of the year. “That was awesome,” said Hughes after climbing from his car. “We already wrapped up the championship, so I wasn't worried about that; I was just focused on getting the win. It was tricky conditions (…) I did the best I could, and we pulled away from everyone. All thanks to the team for the great car, and what a great season.”
For the full article, CLICK HERE.
Lochie Hughes, the winner of the championship, finished the season with 277 points from Bryson Morris (222 points) and Noah Ping (196 points). Next year, the F4 U.S. Championship will be back alongside the FR Americas
For the final clasifications, CLICK HERE.
For more information on the Ligier JS F4, CLICK HERE.