Szuch awarded Ligier JFC Race 1 win at Road America

Drew Szuch was awarded the win in Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) Race 1 on Saturday afternoon at Road America. Climbing from fourth to claim his second win of the season, it was the sophomore driver’s first win at the iconic Wisconsin road course. 

The battle in the opening Ligier JFC race was fierce from the wave of the green flag. With the field set by the championship points, Gastón Irazú (No. 42 Elia Group / Baly / Canal 4 / Ancap / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) and Daniel Cará (No. 10 Tenuta Foppa & Ambrosi Wines / WorkHub / Cará Origin Motorsports Ligier JS F4) lined up side by side to lead the field to green. Behind them, Berg Racing teammates Harbir Dass (No. 23 Northcoast Medical Group / Dubby Energy / Dass Psych LLC / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) and Drew Szuch (No. 28 Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) were hot in their tracks. Cará stepped up to challenge Irazú as they raced between Turns 11 and 12, but by the time they emerged from Canada Corner, it was Dass who held the lead. With Cará tight on Dass’ gearbox, the Brazilian pulled side by side with the leader racing toward Turn 5 and emerged from the corner with the lead. 

Meanwhile, Irazú was making up ground after dropping to fifth during the opening lap, climbing to third by the completion of lap two and moving into second just one lap later. Up front, the battle between Cará and Dass continued as they raced wheel to wheel down the frontstretch, allowing Irazú to begin closing in. With Cará emerging as the leader, Irazú had Dass in his grips as they raced through the kink, completing the pass by the time they exited Canada Corner. With Cará pulling to a slight advantage, Irazú, Dass, Szuch and Beckham Jacir (No. 7 STONICA / BELL / OMP / P1Doks / LC Racing Ligier JS F4) raced in a tight pack as they jockeyed for position. As the race neared its halfway point, Dass reached Irazú’s gearbox. Irazú went wide on the exit of Turn 1, allowing Dass to pull to his inside as they raced over the Ariens tunnel and complete the pass. The safety car was deployed as a car made impact in Turn 8, leading to a caution while safety crews worked to clear the scene. 

Cará was the first driver to see the waving green flag when the race resumed, with Szuch, Irazú, Jacir and Dass in his wake. A green-white-checkered finish, Cará cleared the field by the time they reached Turn 1. Szuch was in second when they took the green, but Irazú challenged, claiming the position by the time they reached the white flag. Determined to put up a fight, Szuch stayed tight on Irazu’s gearbox as they raced around the 4.048-mile circuit, but it quickly became a four-way battle with Jacir and Dass joining the brawl. 

Racing toward the checkered flag, Cará led the way, with a three-wide battle for second behind him. Szuch crossed the line second in the middle lane, Irazú took third in the inside line and Dass crossed the line fourth on the outside. Jacir followed just inches behind, crossing the line in fifth. 

After the race, the Stewards reviewed a lap-one incident, where the No. 10 attempted a late pass on the No. 42 in Turn 12. With the two cars making contact in the apex, the stewards determined that the No. 10 was predominately responsible for the collision and issued a five-second time penalty. As such, Cará dropped to sixth on the final results, and Szuch was promoted to the win, claiming his second victory of the 2025 season. Irazú and Dass moved up to second and third, respectively. 

“It was a really close and tactical race today,” said Szuch after being awarded the victory. “Harbir [Dass] and I fought hard to finish well on the track, so to end up with the win after everything is very gratifying. Berg Racing definitely had to earn the double podium today.”