MILLVILLE, N.J. (July 28, 2024) – Nicolas Ambiado secured his first Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) win in Race 2 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). The 16-year-old Chilean driver finished second in the last two rounds, finally breaking through to run away with the win—and a 10-second margin of victory—this morning.
Notes of Interest:
- Nicolas Ambiado secured his first-career FR Americas win on Sunday morning. He began racing the Ligier JS F3 chassis last season at the age of 15, while competing in Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA).
- Titus Sherlock earned his fifth podium of the season with his second-place finish on Sunday morning. Once as high as third in the championship battle, Sherlock continues to chip away at the points lead after missing both races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last month.
- Patrick Woods-Toth took over the points lead with his third-place finish in Race 2. The result marks his 10th podium in 13 races this season.
- Today’s win marked the first victory for the Speed Factory / Velox USA team in FR Americas.
- After finishing second in yesterday’s event, Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 LIQUI MOLY Ligier JS F3) set the fast lap of the race to roll off the starting grid first at NJMP on Sunday morning. With a clean start, Ambiado jumped out front to control the race, while the field fought for position behind him. Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) immediately engaged in battle mode when the lights went out, with fourth-place starter Sherlock challenging second-place starter Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) through Turn 1 to claim the position by the time they reached Turn 2. Woods-Toth started third, initially falling to fourth, but pulled to the inside of Bowling as they raced down the frontstretch to complete lap 1, securing the third position. From there, the race stayed fast and green.
With the perfect setup for this morning’s track conditions, Ambiado methodically hit his marks, opening a gap on the field—a full second within the first lap, nearly six seconds within the first 10 minutes, and ultimately 10-plus seconds by the time the checkered flag waved. Behind him, Sherlock felt the pressure of Woods-Toth, with less than a half second separating the two during the closing laps, but Sherlock was ultimately able to hold off his opponent, crossing the finish line in the same order they ran the majority of the race: Ambiado, Sherlock, Woods-Toth.
“I’m very happy,” said Ambiado atop the podium. “I had a very good setup today—thanks to my team, my dad, Velox USA. I had a good gap over second, and was able to take the victory. I have to thank my sponsors—LIQUI MOLY—and obviously SpeedTour, FR Americas, and SVRA.”
Patrick Woods-Toth Wins Thrilling Race 3 at NJMP
MILLVILLE, N.J. (July 28, 2024) – Patrick Woods-Toth won a nail-biting Race 3 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). Racing wheel-to-wheel with Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 LIQUI MOLY Ligier JS F3) for nearly the entire race, Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) was able to hold off Ambiado’s advances to win the final Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) race of the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour weekend.
Notes of Interest:
Patrick Woods-Toth returned to the top step of the podium for the first time since Round 9 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway six weeks ago.
With his second-place result, Nicolas Ambiado added another podium to his tally, having finished inside the top-three positions a total of six times, including all three races this weekend.
Third-place finisher Jett Bowling has secured podiums in each of the last three FR Americas weekends, including Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and New Jersey Motorsports Park.
With three podiums this weekend—including his first FR Americas win and two runner-up finishes—Nicolas Ambiado was awarded the Omologato Perfectly-Timed Move of the Race and recognized by the stewards for an outstanding performance this weekend. The award includes a bespoke Omologato timepiece.
Race 3 for FR Americas was wild from the start. Race 2 winner Ambiado led the field down the starting grid with Woods-Toth to his outside, but when the lights went out, it was Woods-Toth who got the perfect jump to take control of the field. Ambiado was under immediate pressure from Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), who jumped to the outside after lining up third, but it was a tight squeeze as Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 22 IGY6 Motorsports / Save22 Ligier JS F3) also tried to make a move on the outside, making it three wide. The three touched wheels, causing suspension damage on Sherlock’s car and leaving him stranded on the outside of Turn 1. A full-course caution followed as safety crews worked to swiftly remove Sherlock’s Crosslink Kiwi machine, allowing the race to restart just one lap after the safety car picked up the field.
Woods-Toth maintained the lead when the race resumed, getting a clean restart as the green flag waved. With Ambiado in his tracks, mere tenths separated the two frontrunners for nearly the first half of the race. Carrying speed down the frontstretch, Ambiado had a few opportunities to try to find a way around Woods-Toth as they raced toward Turn 1, but Woods-Toth stayed on defense and was able to hold off Ambiado’s challenges.
When the checkered flag waved, Woods-Toth led the way, followed by Ambiado in second and Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) in third. Bowling had started the race in fifth, but the Turn 1 incident on the opening lap gave him the perfect opportunity to capitalize on the situation and earn his fourth podium of the season.
“It’s nice to be back [on the top step],” said Woods-Toth from the podium. “We worked pretty hard at the last two races and had a little bit of tough luck, but we just had to put it together. Finally, we had a good race today. Nicolas [Ambiado] was super fast all weekend. When he was out front [in Race 2], we couldn’t even see him anymore. This race was a tough race. I had to pull all my karting defense moves, but it turned out well for us in the end. I have to thank the team at Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, Orlando, FSMQ, Ron Fellows, my family, my friends and everybody that supports me.”
FR Americas visits Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for its penultimate round of the 2024 championship, August 29-September 1. Live timing and scoring can be accessed on the Race Monitor app, and additional news and updates about F4 U.S. are available on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
