F4 U.S. Championship: Stati and Quimby lead the way at Mid-Ohio

The second round of the F4 U.S. Championship, held at Mid-Ohio from 20 to 23 June 2024, saw Nicolas Stati (#15 Ligier JS F422, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport) and Daniel Quimby (#24 Ligier JS F422, Atlantic Racing Team) each take their second win of the season and consolidate their position at the top of the overall standings.

Exceptionally, the meeting was held over two races, on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23, instead of the three originally scheduled: the Sunday morning race being cancelled due to rain.

Race 1: Nicolas Stati unimpressed by the competition.

- After setting the fastest time in the two free practice sessions (1:25.228 then 1:25.931) and pole position (1:25.952), Nicolas Stati (#15 Ligier JS F422, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport) managed to hold on to the lead at the green light from Daniel Quimby (#24 Ligier JS F422, Atlantic Racing Team).

- The battle for last place between the Ligier JS F422s of Pablo Benites Jr (#44, Scuderia Buell), Alex Crosbie (#41, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport) and Connor Roberts (#46, Team Roberts Racing) led to a neutralisation when Roberts went out in the gravel after contact with Benites Jr.

- The race was restarted for a final lap. Despite his best efforts, Quimby was unable to dislodge Stati from first place. In third place, Crosbie scored his first podium of the season.

- “It was a tough race,” said Nicolas Stati from the podium. “The guys caught up to me in the second phase of the race, and then the safety car brought everyone back together. We had a one-lap dash to the checkered flag, but we were able to hold them off.

For the full article on Race 1, CLICK HERE.

 

Race 2: Daniel Quimby takes his revenge.

- Starting from pole position thanks to his fastest lap in the first race, Stati had to yield to the attack of Quimby, who took the lead at the end of the first lap.

- While the two frontrunners secured their positions, Benites Jr came back on Crosbie to take third place.

- On the final lap, Quimby, Stati and Benites Jr were each separated by a second and crossed the finish line in that order.

- “That was a really good race,” said Quimby on top of the podium. “I knew Nicolas [Stati] had new tires, so we tried to get as big of a gap as we could at the start, but at the end, we struggled a little bit.

For the full article on race 2, CLICK HERE.

 

After finishing the first five races on the podium, Nicolas Stati leads the overall standings with 98 points, six clear of Daniel Quimby.

The next round of the US F4 Championship will take place from July 25-28 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.


For more information on the Ligier JS F422, CLICK HERE.

For more information on the F4 U.S. Championship, CLICK HERE.

Photo credit: Gavin Baker