Ambiado, Shipman, Irazu take Sunday Formula Regional/F4US/Ligier JFC wins at NJMP

Nicolas Ambiado had a story of redemption on Sunday afternoon at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). Rebounding from a penalty in yesterday’s Race 1, the Chilean was victorious in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) Race 2. Starting on pole, the 17 year old held off the advances of his competition and endured multiple restarts en route to the checkered flag, marking his fourth win of the 2025 race season. 

As the lights went out, Ambiado immediately took control of the race, but a stalled car at the rear of the field made it a short battle as the safety car was deployed during the first lap. With Jett Bowling (No. 22 Bullhorn / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) following Ambiado on the restart, Bruno Ribeiro (No. 01 Alfa Cem / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) was immediately behind in third. Taking advantage of their nose-to-tail placement on the restart, Ribeiro worked his way around Bowling to overtake the second position. The Brazilian hoped to make a run at Ambiado, but the two maintained a half-second gap for nearly 15 minutes. With about five minutes left on the clock, Ribeiro had pulled within three-tenths of Ambiado, but with tire wear at a premium, he ran out of Hankook rubber to chase Ambiado down. As they crossed the line, Ambiado was the first to see the checkered flag, with Ribeiro following in second and Bowling in third. 

 RACE 2 RESULTS

“Lots of close racing, but I dominated all race and didn’t have the pressure like at Mid-Ohio,” said Ambiado after the race. “It was a tire race. Before the safety car, I had a good start. I think I lost some time with the second, but I tried to make good laps all race, and I was able to take the win. I have to thank my team, the Chilean people, my family, and everyone at SVRA, FR Americas and SpeedTour. Thank you.”

FR Americas will return to the track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park later this month. Taking place August 28-31, Saturday and Sunday’s races will stream live on SpeedTour.TV, with live timing and scoring available on the Race Monitor app. Additional news and updates from the weekend will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Gavin Baker Photography

Cooper Shipman swept the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour in Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) competition this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). Starting from the pole, Shipman (No. 14 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) was outpaced early in the race by his championship rival Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N-E-Where Transport / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422), but was able to close in and take the lead with just 10 minutes left on the clock before cruising off with the victory. As they raced toward the green flag, third-place starter Hauanio got a good run and was able to swing wide to pass Shipman as the field entered Turn 1.

With Hauanio in control out front, competitors started jockeying for position behind him, with a few off-track excursions mixed in. Two brief safety car deployments meant Hauanio had to hold off the field as they all lined up nose to stern. Able to do so on the first restart, he faced a real challenge from Shipman on the second. With Hauanio showing immense speed as they fired off, Shipman had to pace himself and wait for a longer run for his car to show its strength.

Finally having his chance with just over 10 minutes left on the clock, Shipman swept around the outside of Turn 1 and completed the pass to take the lead. Pulling away from the field as the clock ticked down, Shipman took the race win, with Hauanio following in second and Alex Popow (No. 55 Dr. Michael Thompson MS DDS PPLS / MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) in third.

After the race, the stewards reviewed a report of a defensive movement by Popow on a restart. Ruling that Popow did impede another driver, they issued a five-second time penalty, which dropped him to fourth on the final results, and promoted Clemente Huerta Raab (No. 17 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) to the third and final podium position.

RACE 2 RESULTS

“It was an awesome race,” said Shipman after climbing from the car. “The Kiwi Motorsport guys made sure that my car had the pace to win. I knew that Kekai [Hauanio] and the other guys were firing off pretty good on the short runs, but I knew as soon as we got an extended period of green that I was going to be pretty good. Once everybody kind of settled down, I just took my time and then took the lead when I got the chance. From there, I knew I could manage the race and was able to get the win.”

FR Americas and F4 U.S. will return to the track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park later this month. Taking place August 28-31, Saturday and Sunday’s races will stream live on SpeedTour.TV, with live timing and scoring available on the Race Monitor app. Additional news and updates from the weekend will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Gavin Baker Photography

For the second time in two races, Gaston Irazu was victorious in Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) competition at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). Leading the charge for Champagne Racing, Irazu (No. 42 Elia Group / Baly / Canal 4 / Ancap / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) placed first in the team’s first-ever Ligier JFC podium sweep, with teammates Cash Felber (No. 11 BioLongevity Labs / TownHall / Rebol / DWT / Matrix Mind Water / Phantom Fireworks / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) and Roman Felber (No. 73 BioLongevity Labs / TownHall / Rebol / DWT / Matrix Mind Water / Phantom Fireworks / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) taking the checkered flag behind him.

Irazu led the field down the starting grid, but a slow jump off the lights dropped him to fourth, leaving him to claw his way back through traffic. Meanwhile, third-place starter Harbir Dass (No. 23 Northcoast Medical Group / Dubby Energy / Dass Psych LLC / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) took it three wide off the lights to secure the lead as the field raced toward Turn 1.

Leading the early laps, Dass faced intense pressure during a mid-race restart, as both second-place Roman Felber and third-place Irazu looked to the outside, hoping to make a move. Irazu completed the overtake on Roman Felber, and then turned his focus to Dass. Just over five minutes were left on the clock when Irazú finally reached Dass’ rear wing.

Pulling to the inside as they raced toward Turn 1, the Uruguayan completed the pass to take the race lead. With Hankook racing slicks at a premium and tire degradation a factor, both Felber brothers were able to challenge Dass in the final minutes of the race, sliding into the final two podium positions to mark the first time they finished on the Ligier JFC podium together. Taking the checkered flag, it was Irazu, followed by Cash Felber and his twin brother Roman Felber. 

“It was a really good race,” said Irazú after the checkered flag. “It was good to work with Champagne Racing and get a 1-2-3 finish. I’m happy I was able to win again and get good points for the championship. I had a bad start, but luckily, I was able to win in the end, so I’m very happy. I have to thank my team, my sponsors and my father for all we’re able to do here.”

ROUND 11 RESULTS

After a brief hiatus, Ligier JFC will return to the track for their penultimate round of the 2025 season at VIRginia International Raceway, September 18-21. The event is set to stream live on SpeedTour.TV, with Race Monitor providing live timing and scoring. Additional news and updates will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.