FR Americas: Raoul Hyman crowned champion in Austin!
2 - 4 November 2022 - This weekend the curtain came down on the 2022 FR Americas championship season on the Circuit of the Americas. Raoul Hyman (#27 TJ Speed Motorsports) arrived in Austin with a comfortable lead in the overall classification and won races 1 and 3 clinching the championship title. Jason Alder (#77 TJ Speed Motorsports) scored victory in race 2 giving him third place in the championship top 3 behind Dylan Tavella (#14 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport).
Wednesday 2nd November – The championship leader, Raoul Hyman in the #27 TJ Speed Motorsports Ligier JS F3, set the pace in free practice posting the fastest lap in a time of 2:03.261s in front of his nearest rival Dylan Tavella at the wheel of #14 entered by Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport. Later on in the afternoon #27 set pole position for race 1 with the quickest lap in 2:03.376s.
Race 1: First place and title secured by Raoul Hyman
The start of the first race was given on Thursday in the late morning. The pole sitting #27 Ligier JS F3 lost the lead and had to fight for 30 minutes before regaining first place and going on to victory. Hyman, the favourite since the beginning of the championship, sealed the 2022 title at the start of the meeting. “To come away with the win and clinch the championship is the culmination of all the work and prayers for the last three years. I wasn't racing two-and-a-half years ago (…) Dylan [Tavella] did an amazing job. He positioned the car really well and was fast in the places he needed to be. Dylan's extremely clean and it was a pleasure to race against him,” said Hyman.
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Race 2: Jason Alder crosses the finishing line in first place
Jason Alder in the #77 Ligier JS F3 run by TJ Speed Motorsports set the fastest lap in race 1 so he started from the no. 1 spot on the grid. He was passed by his team-mate Raoul Hyman, but regained the lead after #27 suffered mechanical failure. He finished on the topmost step of the podium for the third time this year. “That was tricky, especially being on the older tires,” said Alder after climbing from the car. “The track's getting warmer and it's getting greasy. Keeping it on the racetrack was the name of the game, and I'm glad we were able to do exactly that—even with that restart in there. There were definitely challenges to overcome, but it was a good race.”
For the full article, CLICK HERE.
Race 3: Hyman finishes the season in a blaze of glory!
The last race of the season was pretty hectic. As the drivers were getting ready for the start it began to rain. Raoul Hyman on pole at the wheel of the #27 Ligier JS F3 spun on lap five letting past Mac Clark in #25 entered by TJ Speed Motorsports. While some drivers pitted to shod wet weather tyres Hyman got back in front and drove on to score his final victory of the season. “It was awesome,” said Hyman. “I had my little pirouette before the other guys pitted. After I spun, I realized that I was catching them on the second half of the lap, so I thought maybe we could overcut them. I thought the slicks were holding up pretty well, and then my engineer said we should stay out, as well. So, we made a decision as a team, and it was the right decision in the end. Holding on to it in the rain—that was a lot of fun out there. It was a nice way to end the season.”"
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The 2022 FR Americas champion ended the season with 362 points. Dylan Tavella finished second with 281 points while into third came Jason Alder with 220 points.
For the final classification, CLICK HERE.
For more info about the Ligier JS F3, CLICK HERE.