F4 U.S. Championship: The Ligier JS F4s make sparks fly in the New Jersey Motorsports Park!
29 - 31 July 2022 – Around 20 Ligier JS F4s arrived in the New Jersey Motorsports Park for the fourth round of the F4 U.S. Championship. The weekend was dominated by the #66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4 driven by Ryan Shehan and by the #6 (Jay Howard Driver Development) in the hands of Lochie Hughes. The latter added another two victories to his tally maintaining his lead in the championship.
Friday 29th July - Bryson Morris at the wheel of the #39 Ligier JS F4 run by Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport topped the first free practice session. He was the quickest of the 19 entries with a lap in 1:23.466s.
On Saturday, the championship leader Lochie Hughes at the wheel of the #6 Ligier JS F4 (Jay Howard Driver Development) clinched pole for the first race with a fastest lap in 1:23.247s.
Race 1 : First victory of the season for Shehan!
The start was given in the afternoon. It was a pretty hectic first heat during which Hughes held off the two Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport drivers, Shehan (#66) and Morris (#39). A collision between two drivers brought out the yellow flag soon replaced by a red one! On the restart, Hughes held on to the lead and crossed the finishing line in front of Shehan. But the stewards decided that he had jumped the start on the restart and the Australian driver was handed a five-second penalty. The first victory of the weekend went to Shehan; it was also the first of his career!
For the full article, CLICK HERE.
Race 2 : Hughes on the topmost step of the podium
After a frustrating result the previous day, Hughes took his revenge and won the second race on Sunday morning. He led from start to finish despite being under constant pressure from his direct rival, Morris.
“That definitely was not a boring race; it felt like forever that Bryson was right behind me within attacking distance,” said Hughes after climbing from his car. “I knew I couldn't make any mistakes. That's a tough point because they can attack and make mistakes and nothing happens to them, but as soon as you make a mistake, they're on you.”
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Race 3 : Hughes doubles up!
The driver of the #6 Ligier JS F4 consolidated his lead in the championship by taking the chequered flag in first place in race 3. He came out on top after several close skirmishes with Shehan in his #66 Ligier JS F4.
“It was very tough out there,” said Hughes after the race. “This place is hard on tires, and that was the first time we used a set of tires that had already done a race. Happy to bring it home for the win. It was tough at the start; Ryan [Shehan] was all over me. Then, it was red flagged and we had to do a safety car restart. I just reset, put my head down and did the job.”
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It was an almost perfect weekend for the leader of the F4 U.S. Championship Lochie Hughes who has now scored 188 points. But Bryson Morris in the #39 Ligier JS F4 is hot on his tail with 174 points. So the title race is far from over with the next round on the VIRginia International Raceway on 6th October.
For the championship standings, CLICK HERE.
For more info about the Ligier JS F4, CLICK HERE.