2025 Formula Pro USA Western Championship

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The 2025 Formula Pro USA Western Series was the sixth season of the championship for Formula Regional and Formula 4 cars established in the West Coast of the United States. The championship was promoted and organized by Exclusive Racing and Exclusive Auctions, and was ran under the same sporting regulations as the FIA-sanctioned Formula Regional Americas Championship and Formula 4 United States Championship.

Contents

It began in March, with the championship spanning six weekends until November. [1] World Speed Motorsports driver Larry Schnur claimed the FPUSA-3 title with two races to spare when his closest competitor, Charles Duncan, did not enter the final round. The FPUSA-4 class was won by Ridgeley Welsh, also driving for World Speed Motorsports, while Kiwi Motorsport's Carolyn Fitzgerald took victory in the Women's Racing Series class.

Teams and drivers

Drivers were able to enter either the FPUSA-3 or the FPUSA-4 class, with the former using a Ligier JS F3 car and the latter a Ligier JS-F4 car. All cars were powered by Honda and used Avon tires. [2]

TeamNo.DriverClassRounds
Formula Pro USA 3 (FPUSA-3) entries
Jensen Global Advisors 1 Flag of the United States.svg John O'Donnell5
11 Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya6
World Speed Motorsports3 Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur1–3, 5–6
38 Flag of the United States.svg Dan Decker4–5
63 Flag of the United States.svg Charles Duncan2, 4–5
Crosslink Motorsports13 Flag of the United States.svg Barrett Wolfe3
Kiwi Motorsport15 Flag of the United States.svg Jake Bonilla4
01 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Ribeiro3
Atlantic Racing Team88 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Lawley1
177 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nicolas Stati 1
Formula Pro USA 4 (FPUSA-4) entries
Jensen Global Advisors 1 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Martin3
Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie1
153
2 Flag of the United States.svg Ana PalestroFAll
3 Flag of the United States.svg Robert Arana4, 6
Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya3
74–5
Flag of the United States.svg Max Parker3
World Speed Motorsports14 Flag of the United States.svg Ridgeley WelshAll
15 Flag of the United States.svg Christopher DeFreitas1–2
16 Flag of the United States.svg Yashom KapoorAll
17 Flag of the United States.svg Austin Tiller5
Crosslink Motorsports20 Flag of the United States.svg Austin Kaszuba6
34 Flag of the United States.svg Ayden Schuh6
134 Flag of the United States.svg Joshua Griffith3
Kiwi Motorsport26 Flag of the United States.svg Ayden Kohut3
123 Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn FitzgeraldFAll
Sources: [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
IconStatus
FFemale driver entered in the Women's Racing Series class

Race calendar

The 2025 calendar was held over twelve races spanning across six weekends. [1] The series raced at the same four circuits as it did the previous year.

RoundCircuitDateSupport billMap of circuit locations
1R1 Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma March 15 SCCA Majors Championship
Formula Car Challenge
R2March 16
2R3 Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows April 5San Francisco Region SCCA Series
Formula Car Challenge
R4April 6
3R5 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey June 28San Francisco Region SCCA Series
Pacific F2000 Championship
R6June 29
4R7 Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma September 13NASA Northern California Region
Formula Car Challenge
R8September 14
5R9 Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows October 24San Francisco Region SCCA Series
Formula Car Challenge
R10October 25
6R11 Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Buttonwillow November 15California Sports Car Club
Formula Car Challenge
R12November 16

Race results

RoundCircuitPole positionFPUSA-3FPUSA-4FPUSA-WRS
Fastest lapWinning driverFastest lapWinning driverWinning driver
1R1 Sonoma Raceway Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Lawley Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nicolas Stati Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Lawley Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn Fitzgerald
R2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Lawley Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nicolas Stati Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Lawley Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn Fitzgerald
2R3 Thunderhill Raceway Park Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur Flag of the United States.svg Yashom Kapoor Flag of the United States.svg Yashom Kapoor Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn Fitzgerald
R4 Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur Flag of the United States.svg Ridgeley Welsh Flag of the United States.svg Yashom Kapoor Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn Fitzgerald
3R5 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Ribeiro Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Ribeiro Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Ribeiro Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie Flag of the United States.svg Ana Palestro
R6 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Ribeiro Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Ribeiro Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Ribeiro Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie Flag of the United States.svg Ana Palestro
4R7 Sonoma Raceway Flag of the United States.svg Jake Bonilla Flag of the United States.svg Jake Bonilla Flag of the United States.svg Jake Bonilla Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya Flag of the United States.svg Robert Arana Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn Fitzgerald
R8 Flag of the United States.svg Jake Bonilla Flag of the United States.svg Jake Bonilla Flag of the United States.svg Jake Bonilla Flag of the United States.svg Yashom Kapoor Flag of the United States.svg Yashom Kapoor Flag of the United States.svg Ana Palestro
5R9 Thunderhill Raceway Park Flag of the United States.svg Dan Decker Flag of the United States.svg Dan Decker Flag of the United States.svg Dan Decker Flag of the United States.svg Ridgeley Welsh Flag of the United States.svg Ridgeley Welsh Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn Fitzgerald
R10 Flag of the United States.svg John O'Donnell Flag of the United States.svg John O'Donnell Flag of the United States.svg John O'Donnell Flag of the United States.svg Ridgeley Welsh Flag of the United States.svg Ridgeley Welsh Flag of the United States.svg Ana Palestro
6R11 Buttonwillow Raceway Park Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur Flag of the United States.svg Austin Kaszuba Flag of the United States.svg Austin Kaszuba Flag of the United States.svg Ana Palestro
R12 Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya Flag of the United States.svg Austin Kaszuba Flag of the United States.svg Austin Kaszuba Flag of the United States.svg Ana Palestro

Season report

The 2025 season commenced Sonoma Raceway with Atlantic's James Lawley claiming two pole positions. He then continued to head teammate Nicolas Stati and WSM's Larry Schnur in both races, with Stati setting the fastest laps on each day. The F4 class saw Jensen's Zach Fourie sweep the weekend, leading WSM's Ridgeley Welsh in both races, with his teammates Christopher DeFreitas and Yashom Kapoor each taking a third place. The standings after the weekend saw Fourie and Lawley leading their respective classes. [9]

Thunderhill Raceway Park held round two, and the top two in F3 were absent, leaving Schnur to dominate in their stead, leading WSM's Charles Duncan in both races to take maximum points and the championship lead in class. The F4 class saw a similar picture, with an absent Fourie replaced by Kapoor as the man in front. Kapoor won both races to take a five-point lead in the standings, while Welsh claimed two more second places and Kiwi Motorsport's Carolyn Fitzgerald finished third on both occasions. [10]

Round three at Laguna Seca brought yet another new face to the front in the F3 class, as Kiwi's Bruno Ribeiro and Crosslink's Barrett Wolfe formed the top two in both races on their series debut. Schnur collected two more third-place finishes to bolster his championship lead. The F4 class saw ten cars entered, a high-point for the series, but it was returnee Fourie who was once again on top in both races. Second and fourth place for Kapoor were enough to retain a one-point lead, with Welsh now ten points behind. [11]

Formula Pro USA returned to Sonoma for round four, where Kiwi's Jake Bonilla dominated proceedings in F3, winning both races and taking the F3 track record in the process. Duncan claimed two more second places, leading teammate Dan Decker to close up to Schnur in the standings. The F4 class saw a new winner in race one in Jensen's Robert Arana, before Kapoor was back on top in race two to bolster his points lead again. Jensen's Aiden Zelaya and Welsh also claimed two further podium finishes. [12]

A second round at Thunderhill was up next, where Decker won race one in F3 before race two went to another debutant in Jensen's John O'Donnell, despite dropping to the rear of the field at the start. Duncan meanwhile took two more second places to slightly close up to Schnur in the standings. Welsh dominated the field in F4 by taking two wins, taking the lead in the standings off of Kapoor, who had held it since the second round of the season. He finished third in both races, behind Zelaya, who built on his podium streak. [13]

The season final was held at a rainy Buttonwillow Raceway Park. With Duncan and Decker both absent, Schnur was able to seal the F3 class title without opposition, sharing wins in the two races with Zelaya, who was the only other competitor in F3 when he made the mid-season step up from F4. Two second places for Welsh were enough to claim the F4 class title as both wins went to Crosslink's Austin Kaszuba on debut. Fitzgerald meanwhile narrowly became the inaugural Womens' Racing Series champion in third overall. [14]

Championship standings

Points were awarded as follows:

Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th  10th   FL  
Points2518151210864212

Drivers' standings

PosDriver SON1 THU1 LAG SON2 THU2 BUT Pts
R1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12
Formula Pro USA 3 (FPUSA-3)
1 Flag of the United States.svg Larry Schnur3311333412184
2 Flag of the United States.svg Charles Duncan222222108
3 Flag of the United States.svg Dan Decker331372
=4 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Ribeiro1154
=4 Flag of the United States.svg Jake Bonilla1154
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Lawley1150
7 Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya2147
8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nicolas Stati 2240
9 Flag of the United States.svg John O'Donnell4†139
10 Flag of the United States.svg Barrett Wolfe2236
Formula Pro USA 4 (FPUSA-4)
1 Flag of the United States.svg Ridgeley Welsh222253321122222
2 Flag of the United States.svg Yashom Kapoor431124413337199
3 Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn Fitzgerald F543387565675114
4 Flag of the United States.svg Ana Palestro F6†644†76656†564110
5 Flag of South Africa.svg Zach Fourie1111108
6 Flag of the United States.svg Aiden Zelaya92232291
7 Flag of the United States.svg Robert Arana145655
8 Flag of the United States.svg Austin Kaszuba1154
9 Flag of the United States.svg Ayden Schuh4327
10 Flag of the United States.svg Christopher DeFreitas35RetRet25
11 Flag of the United States.svg Austin Tiller4424
12 Flag of the United States.svg Ayden Kohut4522
13 Flag of the United States.svg Joshua Griffith3917
14 Flag of the United States.svg Max Parker6812
Flag of the United States.svg Marco MartinDNSRet0
PosDriverR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12Pts
SON1 THU1 LAG SON2 THU2 BUT
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenPoints classification
BlueNon-points classification
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired, not classified (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

References

  1. 1 2 "Formula Pro USA Western Championship presented by Exclusive Racing confirms 2025 schedule". RTD Media. November 25, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  2. BDM_FPU, Admin. "About FPUSA". Formula Pro USA. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  3. "Sonoma Regional 1-2 - Group 1 & 2 - Qualify - Speedhive live timing". speedhive.mylaps.com. March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  4. "SFR SCCA Major Regional/National @ Thunderhill Raceway Park - Qualify 1 - Race Monitor". Race Monitor. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  5. "SFR SCCA Regional 7/8 Laguna Seca Results" (PDF). San Francisco Region SCCA . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  6. "NASA NorCal Sonoma Raceway Sept 13-14 Group FPUSA FCC Saturday Qualifying" (PDF). National Auto Sport Association. September 13, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  7. "SFR SCCA Regional 13-14 @ Thunderhill Raceway Park 10/23/2025 - 10/27/2025 Qualify 1". www.race-monitor.com. October 24, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  8. "2025 Formula Pro USA Western Championships FPUSA-3 Points / 2025 Formula Pro USA Western Championships FPUSA-4 Points" (PDF). Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  9. Maurini, Elena (March 17, 2025). "James Lawley and Zach Fourie Dominate Formula Pro USA Western Championship Presented by Exclusive Racing Opening Weekend". Formula Pro USA. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  10. Maurini, Elena (April 9, 2025). "Kapoor and Schnur Dominate Formula Pro USA Western Championship Presented by Exclusive Racing Event at Thunderhill Raceway". Formula Pro USA. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  11. Morgan, Mallory (July 3, 2025). "Formula Pro USA Western Championship Midway Mark Delivers Action-Packed Weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca". Formula Pro USA. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  12. Morgan, Mallory (September 17, 2025). "Formula Pro USA Delivers Thrilling Action at Sonoma Raceway". Formula Pro USA. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  13. Morgan, Mallory (October 27, 2025). "Welsh Dominates F4 at Thunderhill Tightening the Championship Battle & O'Donnell Pulls Off Dramatic F3 Comeback". Formula Pro USA. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  14. Morgan, Mallory (November 18, 2025). "Formula Pro USA Closes Out 2025 Season with Dramatic Rain-Soaked Finale at Buttonwillow Raceway Park". Formula Pro USA. Retrieved December 29, 2025.