2022 Formula Regional Americas Championship

Last updated

The 2022 Formula Regional Americas Championship powered by Honda was the fifth season of a FIA-sanctioned F3 series across North America, and the third season under the Formula Regional moniker after a rebrand in 2020. The series was promoted by SCCA Pro Racing, the professional racing division of the Sports Car Club of America. Drivers competed to win a Honda-backed Super Formula seat in 2023. [1]

Contents

After not racing for two full years, Raoul Hyman won the drivers' championship with two races to spare. His team, TJ Speed Motorsports, defended the teams' championship title.

Teams and drivers

All drivers competed with Honda-powered Ligier JS F3 cars on Hankook tires.

TeamNo.DriverRounds
Flag of the United States.svg Jensen Global Advisors 2 Flag of Sweden.svg Oliver Westling [2] 5–6
Flag of the United States.svg IGY6 Motorsports3 Flag of the United States.svg Hayden Bowlsbey [3] 1–3, 5–6
Flag of the United States.svg Doran-Kroll Racing8 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Kirby [4] 1–4
95 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Marco Kacic [5] 1–3
96 Flag of the United States.svg Athreya Ramanan [6] 3–4
Flag of the United States.svg Velocity Racing Development 10 Flag of Bolivia.svg Rodrigo Gutiérrez [7] 1–2, 4–5
22 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nico Christodoulou [8] 1–2
Flag of the United States.svg Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport [9] 14 Flag of the United States.svg Dylan Tavella [10] All
24 Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Janzen [11] All
78 Flag of New Zealand.svg Ryan Yardley [10] All
91 Flag of the United States.svg Cooper Becklin [10] All
Flag of the United States.svg Future Star Racing25 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mac Clark [12] 1–3, 5–6
Flag of the United States.svg Aaron Jeansonne [13] 4
Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports [14] 27 Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman [15] All
29 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Persing [16] All
77 Flag of the United States.svg Jason Alder [17] All

Race calendar and results

The 2022 calendar was announced on 23 September 2021. Each round featured three races. A pre-season invitational non-points event was scheduled to be held on 24–27 March at Road Atlanta. [19] After a round in Canada was attempted to be held for the last two years, but was cancelled both times, the 2022 schedule once again only consisted of races inside the US. [20]

RoundCircuitDatePole positionFastest lapWinning driverWinning teamSupporting
1R1 NOLA Motorsports Park, Avondale 9 April Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mac Clark Flag of the United States.svg Future Star Racing Formula 4 United States Championship
SVRA
R210 April Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports
R3 Flag of the United States.svg Jason Alder Flag of the United States.svg Dylan Tavella Flag of the United States.svg Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport
2R1 Road America, Elkhart Lake 21 May Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports Formula 4 United States Championship
SVRA
R222 May Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Jason Alder Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports
R3 Flag of the United States.svg Jason Alder Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports
3R1 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington 25 June Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports Formula 4 United States Championship
SVRA
Trans-Am Series
R226 June Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports
R3 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mac Clark Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports
4R1 New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville 30 July Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports Formula 4 United States Championship
SVRA
R2 Flag of the United States.svg Dylan Tavella Flag of the United States.svg Dylan Tavella Flag of the United States.svg Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport
R331 July Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Dylan Tavella Flag of the United States.svg Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport
5R1 Virginia International Raceway, Alton 8 October Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Jason Alder Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports Formula 4 United States Championship
SVRA
Trans-Am Series
R2 Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports
R39 October Flag of the United States.svg Cooper Becklin Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports
6R1 Circuit of the Americas, Austin 3 November Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Jason Alder Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports Formula 4 United States Championship
SVRA
Trans-Am Series
R2 Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Jason Alder Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports
R34 November Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports

Season summary

The championship began in early April at NOLA Motorsports Park with Raoul Hyman topping the qualifying session on his return to single seater racing. Mac Clark started alongside him for race one, and was faster off the line to take the race lead. Hyman put pressure on Clark at different points throughout the race, but was not able to make a pass. Dylan Tavella completed the podium, more than 25 seconds behind. Hyman fared better in race two, converting pole to victory. Behind him, Clark and Tavella fought for second place, with Tavella eventually coming through. The third race saw Hyman once again lose his lead at the start. This time, he slipped back to third, behind eventual race winner Tavella and Jason Alder. Hyman and Tavella left Avondale equal on points, with Clark eight points behind in third. [21]

Round two of the season was held at Road America, and Hyman was on pole again by almost a second. Nico Christodoulou started second, but stalled at the start of race one and Hayden Bowlsbey crashed into him. This promoted Tavella into second place, and Ryan Yardley completed the podium after battling past Alder and Clark. Race two saw Hyman hold his lead once again, while behind him Alder, Clark and Tavella fought for second. Hyman then spun with two laps to go, gifting Alder the win but still finishing second ahead of Tavella. Hyman recovered to dominate race three. Christodoulou in second went off while battling Tavella, and Alder and Nick Persing then came through to round out the podium. Hyman's strong weekend saw him pick up the championship lead, 23 points ahead of his nearest challenger Tavella. [22]

Next up was Lexington's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and Hyman continued his pole position streak. He and Alder kept first and second place in race one until a late caution bunched the grid back up. This enabled Persing to get past Alder for second, but Hyman could not be stopped. Race two saw a similar domination by Hyman, this time against Clark in second with Persing gaining to positions to finish third. Damp conditions saw eight drivers start race three on wet tyres. Hyman among them was in a league of his own, putting 51 seconds between him and the rest of the field. Slick tyres came into play when the track dried up, and Clark went on a charge, before it started to rain again and he went off. Tavella and Cooper Becklin came second and third. His perfect weekend with a pole and three wins saw Hyman extend his championship lead to 58 points. [23]

Teams and drivers then headed to New Jersey Motorsports Park, where qualifying was once again topped by Hyman. The first race was a simple affair for the poleman as he lapped all bar the top eight drivers. Tavella moved past Yardley at the start and the pair finished second and third. Race two proved more challenging for Hyman, as his charge was interrupted by two caution periods, so Tavella was able to keep close behind him and then pass him for the race win on the last lap. Yardley came third again. Tavella started race three from pole, and fought Hyman off in a close battle that lasted until the final lap, as the pair crossed the line 0.089s apart. The only driver that managed to stick with the duo was Persing in third place. Tavella's two wins meant he outscored Hyman, slightly cutting down his lead to 51 points. [24]

The penultimate round of the season at Virginia International Raceway began with the now familiar sight of Hyman on pole position for race one. At the start, Persing and Alder fought for second, with Persing locking up into turn one, colliding with Hyman and spinning him around. This promoted Alder into the lead, and Hyman had to climb through the order. He did so, only to hit the barriers on the penultimate lap. Alder won the race ahead of Yardley and Tavella. Race two and three were two rather simple lights-to-flag affairs for Hyman. He kept Alder and Tavella at bay in race two and defended against Tavella in race three, before the latter had to pit with an issue. That promoted Yardley into second, before he got overtaken by Becklin. With 75 points on offer at Austin, Hyman had one hand on the championship with his 70-point lead. [25]

Hyman completed his perfect qualifying record with a sixth pole at Circuit of the Americas, this time by over a second. Tavella was able to overtake him on the opening lap of race one, but Hyman was able to take back the lead on lap 13. Tavella came second ahead of Yardley as Hyman claimed the championship title. The second race saw a similar story in reverse, this time Hyman picked up the lead from Alder at the start, but was later repassed when he had a mechanical issue that forced his retirement. The podium for race two was completed by Persing and Tavella. The last race of the season saw Hyman claim his eleventh win of the season in a lights-to-flag race. Oliver Westling came second in only his second weekend in the category, and Yardley rounded out the top three. [26]

Hyman topped every qualifying session and won eleven of the eighteen races, and all his race finishes were on the podium. This utter domination showed Hyman had not lost his pedigree after not racing for two seasons. On the other hand, it also showed the slight lack of competition the series had to struggle with this season, with a field that lacked depth and was spread out very far at times. It remains to be seen if the series will be able to hold its own as an FIA-sanctioned alternative to the Road to Indy.

Championship standings

Points were awarded as follows:

Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th  10th 
Points251815121086421

Drivers' standings

PosDriver NOL ROA MOH NJM VIR COA Pts
R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3
1 Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman 21312111112211111Ret1362
2 Flag of the United States.svg Dylan Tavella3212345422113310237281
3 Flag of the United States.svg Jason Alder5NC241235585Ret129516220
4 Flag of New Zealand.svg Ryan Yardley6543Ret6464336273343204
5 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Persing7465Ret3237547748624178
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mac Clark 135758726454468160
7 Flag of the United States.svg Cooper Becklin NC810877873464562795132
8 Flag of Sweden.svg Oliver Westling89585248
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nico Christodoulou 469Ret4544
10 Flag of Bolivia.svg Rodrigo Gutiérrez109Ret10697Ret8910635
11 Flag of the United States.svg Hayden BowlsbeyRet11RetRetDNS116DNS868Ret97DNS32
12 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Marco Kacic8776Ret10911929
13 Flag of the United States.svg Aaron Jeansonne69325
14 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Kirby9108981210810108Ret24
15 Flag of the United States.svg Athreya RamananRet9NC97520
16 Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Janzen111211119131110NC11RetRet10117108917
PosDriverR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3Pts
NOL ROA MOH NJM VIR COA
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenPoints finish
BlueNon-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole

Italics – Fastest Lap

 — Did not finish, but classified

Teams' standings

Only a team's two best-finishing cars were eligible for teams' championship points.

PosTeam NOL ROA MOH NJM VIR COA Pts
R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3
1 Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg TJ Speed Motorsports212111111122111111652
543422235547728524
2 Flag of the United States.svg Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport321234442211232233525
654376563334363345
3 Flag of the United States.svg Future Star Racing135758726693454468186
4 Flag of the United States.svg Velocity Racing Development 46910457Ret8910683
109RetRet69
5 Flag of the United States.svg Doran-Kroll Racing877681098997577
91089Ret1210910108Ret
6 Flag of the United States.svg Jensen Global Advisors 89585248
7 Flag of the United States.svg IGY6 MotorsportsRet11RetRetDNS116DNS868Ret97DNS33
PosTeamR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3Pts
NOL ROA MOH NJM VIR COA

References

  1. Wood, Ida (February 8, 2022). "FRegional Americas keeps Super Formula scholarship for next two years". Formula Scout. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  2. "Oliver Westling Graduates to Race in the Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered By Honda". F4 U.S. Championships. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  3. "Hayden Bowlsbey is the first announcement in a while for FR Americas!". Twitter. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  4. "Alex Kirby has signed for Doran Motorsporr for their 2022 FR Americas campaign!". Twitter . February 6, 2022.
  5. "Marco Kacic Joins Formula Regional Americas with Doran-Kroll Competition!". Instagram . January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  6. "2022 FR Americas Championship Entry List Mid-Ohio" (PDF). FR Americas Championship. June 21, 2022.
  7. "RODRIGO GUTIERREZ JOINS VELOCITY RACING DEVELOPMENT FR PROGRAM". rtd-media.com. January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  8. Wood, Ida (January 2, 2022). "Nico Christodoulou steps up to FRegional Americas with Velocity". Formula Scout. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  9. "Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport set to attack 2022 season with multi-car program". RTD Media. March 28, 2022. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 "12 drivers make up the provisional start list for round one of FRAmericas". Twitter .
  11. "NOLA-FR-EntryList 20220402" (PDF).
  12. Wood, Ida (February 9, 2022). "James Hinchcliffe protege Mac Clark lands FRegional Americas seat". Formula Scout. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  13. "2022 FR Americas Championship Entry List: Rounds 10 – 12 at New Jersey Motorsports Park" (PDF). Formula Regional Americas Championship . July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  14. Wood, Elliot (January 21, 2021). "Racing engineer Tim Neff sets up own FRegional Americas team". FormulaScout. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  15. "TJ Speed Inks Raoul Hyman to FR Americas Effort Through PMH Diversity Program". FR Americas Championship. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  16. "TJ SPEED ADDS NICK PERSING TO 2022 FR AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP POWERED BY HONDA". RTD Media. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  17. "JASON ALDER LEVELS UP TO FR AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP POWERED BY HONDA WITH TJ SPEED". RTD Media. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  18. Media, R. T. D. (January 6, 2022). "ALLIANCE RACING RETURNS TO TRACK WITH REVAMPED AND IMPROVED PROGRAM". RTD Media. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  19. "2022 Schedule Announced for FR Americas and F4 U.S. Championships". FR Americas Championship. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  20. Wood, Ida (September 24, 2021). "FRegional Americas reveals 2022 calendar, new drivers join latest round". Formula Scout. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  21. Wood, Ida (April 10, 2022). "Hyman happy on racing return as he picks up FRegional Americas win". Formula Scout. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  22. Wood, Ida (May 22, 2022). "Hyman denies himself triple FRegional Americas win with spin". Formula Scout. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  23. Wood, Ida (June 27, 2022). "Hyman finally gets his FRegional Americas triple at Mid-Ohio". Formula Scout. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  24. Wood, Ida (July 31, 2022). "Dylan Tavella does close FRegional Americas double at New Jersey". Formula Scout. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  25. Wood, Ida (October 9, 2022). "Hyman homes in on FRegional Americas title with Virginia double". Formula Scout. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  26. Wood, Ida (November 4, 2022). "Hyman gets Super Formula scholarship with FRegional Americas title". Formula Scout. Retrieved November 8, 2022.