Szuch keeps Ligier JFC title hopes alive with VIR win

Drew Szuch kept his championship hopes alive with a race one victory in Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) competition at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). In one of the tightest races this season, Szuch (No. 28 Trend North / TEAM Concept Printing / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) covered both offense and defense, as he led for the first half of the race, fell back to fourth with less than 10 minutes left on the clock, but still fought back to win.

Following a strong showing in practice and qualifying, Szuch led the field down the starting grid and immediately jumped out to the front of the pack. Behind him, championship points leader Gastón Irazú (No. 42 Elia Group / Baly / Canal 4 / Ancap / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) rolled off third, but climbed to second by the completion of the first lap. Keeping his focus out front, Irazú was in the process of catching Szuch when the field slowed for a full-course caution. With another shot at the lead on the ensuing restart, Irazú pulled side-by-side with Szuch as they raced into the horseshoe to kick off a heated battle for position. With each taking a turn at the helm, the five-minute battle was some of the best racing Ligier JFC has seen this season. 

With less than 10 minutes left on the clock, the two were still wheel to wheel when Szuch hit the rumble strips, getting some air and slowing his progress. Irazú used the miscue to jump to the point, but with Alex Berg (No. 98 Atna Pharma Consulting / Rohde & Liesenfeld Inc / Easydrift Technologies Inc / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) hot on their tails when the incident happened, he immediately looked to challenge Irazú. Overtaking Irazú in the horseshoe, Berg slowed the pace just enough to allow his teammate to rejoin the fight. Exiting Turn 11, Szuch made a run and was able to overtake both frontrunners to retake the lead with around five minutes left on the clock. From there, Berg continued to put the pressure on Irazú, and close racing led to Irazú spinning on the circuit, while the Berg Racing teammates Szuch and Berg continued toward the finish line. 

Szuch was the first driver to see the checkered flag, followed by Berg and Roman Felber (No. 73 BioLongevity Labs / TownHall / Rebol / DWT / Matrix Mind Water / Phantom Fireworks / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4).  

After the race, the stewards reviewed a report of defensive driving by Berg and determined that he made more than one defensive move on Irazú, preventing a potential overtake. He was issued a drive-thru penalty, which was converted to a 30-second time penalty, dropping him to 12th on the official results. 

In addition, Irazú was issued a five-second penalty after the stewards determined that he made a false start, dropping him from sixth to seventh on the official results. 

Roman Felber was promoted to second on the official results, and his twin brother Cash Felber (No. 11 BioLongevity Labs / TownHall / Rebol / DWT / Matrix Mind Water / Phantom Fireworks / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) was scored third.

“I’m glad we were able to get it done today,” said Szuch after climbing from the car. “I knew we had the pace right from the start. I knew we were good in practice, and qualified on pole – and I knew Alex [Berg] was just as fast. I think it was just a matter of time. I’m super excited that we got it done today, and we’ll try to get it done again tomorrow. It was a really hard-fought race, but it was a really clean one – that’s what I love about this series. It’s very respectful racing, and we really give it everything.”

Ligier JFC will be back on Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET for race two from the VIR SpeedTour. The race air live on SPEED SPORT 1 and will also stream on SpeedTour.TV. Additional news and updates will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

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