PLYMOUTH, Wis. (May 20, 2023) – Patrick Woods-Toth took his first-career victory on Saturday afternoon during the opening race of the weekend for Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) at Road America. When the season opened at NOLA Motorsports Park just two months ago, Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) recorded one second-place result and two third-place finishes, making today’s result his fourth-straight podium finish.
Woods-Toth started the race second on the grid just behind his teammate Jesse Lacey (No. 16 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4). Both drivers had a clean start, and Lacey initially pulled into the point position to lead the first lap. As they raced down the front stretch, Woods-Toth pulled side-by-side with Lacey before taking over the top spot.
Meanwhile, Frankie Mossman (No. 6 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) lined up fifth on the grid. Initially falling back a few positions with aggressive two- and three-wide racing during opening lap, Mossman rebounded to retake the fifth position just before a full-course caution was displayed. With the field regrouped and a chance to pick up track position when the race returned to green, Mossman took it three-wide coming down the front stretch. Successfully taking over the fourth position from Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4), Mossman pulled side-by-side with Alex Berg (No. 08 MySim.ca/Rhode & Liesenfeld/Easy Drift/Penn Elcom Online/Dae Systems Ligier JS F4) to battle for the third position as they neared Turn 3. Taking over the position as they came off Turn 5, Mossman never looked back.
As they finally crossed the line to take the checkered flag, Woods-Toth led Lacey, Mossman and the rest of the field.
“We’ve had a good start to the championship, and today was our day, it looks like,” said Woods-Toth as he stepped atop the podium. “I’m happy. I’d like to thank Orlando, MRFKC, Ron Fellows, all of my Crosslink Kiwi team, and Adam and Glen for all the hard work on the car. It was an awesome day today.”
F4 U.S. returns to action tomorrow for the final two races of the weekend. The lights go out for Race 2 at 9:10 a.m. CT. Then, at 12:25 p.m., fans are invited to join us in the pre-grid area between Victory Circle and Pit Road for a fan walk. Come meet the drivers of F4 U.S. and FR Americas, collect photos and autographs, and see the F4 U.S. cars up close and personal just minutes before they take the track for their final race of the weekend. For updates, follow F4 U.S. on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or use Race Monitor to follow live timing and scoring. A live feed from the Road America Jumbotron will be available throughout the weekend on Road America’s YouTube page.
WATCH THE JUMBOTRON FEED: YouTube.com/Road_America
About Formula Regional Americas Championship & Formula 4 United States Championship, Powered by Honda: The FIA-certified Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) & Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) are designed as entry-level open-wheel racing series offering young talent the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on an international platform while keeping affordability and safety as key elements. The Championships align with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to U.S. or global racing success. The F4 U.S. Champion is awarded a scholarship to compete the following season in FR Americas, while the FR Americas Champion is awarded a Super Formula Scholarship from Honda Performance Development and Honda Racing Corporation.