2024 marks the seventh season of the Formula Regional Americas championship. Contrary to its early years, 13 drivers are confirmed to be racing this season, and the championship is not lacking in excitement. Feeder Series tells you all you need to know about the 2024 season of Formula Regional Americas.

By Laura Anequini

From the 16 drivers that were a part of the 2023 Americas grid, 11 got a seat this year. Ryan Shehan, Nicole Havrda, Kevin Janzen and Oliver Westling are staying for one more season in the championship and. Callum Hedge – the 2023 champion – moves on to race in Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports. As for the rest, there is a diverse path followed by each driver, with Italian F4, USF 2000 and Formula Regional Oceania being some examples.

However, participation from teams has seen a noticeable drop from previous years. Although there are two new ones who are joining the championship this year – Momentum Motorsports and Atlantic Racing – a few teams left the championship. IGY6 Motorsports, Austin Hill Motorsports, Velocity Racing Development and Cameron Racing are not confirmed to be participating this year. Consequently, the absence of teams and drivers raises questions about the underlying issues driving them away and the impact it will have on the overall landscape of the championship.

Also, a significant difference from the previous season comes from the prizes. This year, the champion will receive a $25,000 USD cash prize provided by Parella Motorsport Holdings. The altered package prize differs from the one of previous years, when the winners of the championship were also given a Honda Motor Company Scholarship and an engine supply agreement to race in Super Formula. 

The calendar

This season will feature seven rounds, one more than last year’s. There will also be an invitational round, where championship points will not be awarded. Rounds one and two remain at the same location, with NOLA being the season opener and Road America the following round. Notably, the introduction of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to the championship marks the biggest differences from previous calendars.

• Round 1: NOLA Motorsports Park, Louisiana (11-14 April)
• Invitational Round: Laguna Seca, California (2-5 May)
• Round 2: Road America, Wisconsin (16-19 May)
• Round 3: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana (13-16 June)
• Round 4: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio (20-23 June)
• Round 5: New Jersey Motorsports Park, New Jersey (25-28 July)
• Round 6: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario, Canada (29 August-1 September)
• Round 7: Circuit of the Americas, Texas (31 October-3 November)

The format

The format of the weekend remains the same. On Friday, there is one 20-minute free practice session followed by a 20-minute qualifying session that happens either on Friday or Saturday. 

The first race of the weekend occurs on Saturday while the second and third both happen on Sunday.  The grid formation also remains the same. Race one is determined by the qualifying results, and both grids of races two and three are determined in order of the fastest race time achieved by each driver in the preceding race. The race duration is established by each event schedule, but they usually have a maximum time of 35 minutes. 

The points system is the same as the F1 one, awarding 25 points for first place, 18 for second, 15 for third and all the way down to one point for tenth. There are no points for pole positions or fastest laps.

Where to watch

Although it is not specified which ones, streaming of some races will be available on the SpeedTour TV and Formula Regional Americas YouTube channels. For the races that are not live-streamed, it is possible to follow the action via live timing on the Formula Regional Americas social media channels. 

Teams and drivers

Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports

Similarly to the 2023 season, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports comes with the most drivers taking part in their line-up, housing a mix of experience and new faces with great potential. Last year, the team finished on a high with 724 points, winning both the teams’ and drivers’ championships with Callum Hedge.

As for one of the returnees that will race this season, Ryan Shehan (#66) will have experience on his side to fight for the championship win. The 19-year-old had a great season in 2023, finishing the year in second with 279 points. Shehan was on the podium for 13 of the 18 races last season, winning two of them. Therefore, his talent alongside his experience makes him a serious contender for this year’s title.

Kevin Janzen (#24) comes now for his fourth season in the championship. The Canadian joined Crosslink Kiwi in 2022 and has been racing with them in the category ever since. Last season, he finished 14^th in the standings with 26 points.

Nicole Havrda (#6) is the defending champion of the Formula Pro USA Western Championship. Last year, she competed with Crosslink Kiwi in select races in Formula Regional Americas to get experience for a full campaign this year. Havrda’s performance was impressive, finishing in the top five in three out of the six races she competed in the year. Hence, her proven track record definitely puts the 18-year-old as one to watch for this year.

Alex Benavitz makes the step-up with the team after racing with them last year in F4 US. Benavitz had a shaky start to that season, only starting to achieve consistent points finishes at the third round of the season. Overall, he finished 15th in the standings with 28 points.

Patrick Woods-Toth is also making the step-up with Crosslink Kiwi. The 20-year-old from Canada is the defending champion of F4 US, one of which he won by virtue of his consistency. Woods-Toth had four wins and only finished outside the points in one race, making him the champion with an 81-point gap. With a season that highlighted his ability to consistently perform at a high level in 2023, the Canadian is certainly one to keep an eye on this season.

Also joining the team is Titus Sherlock, the runner-up in the 2023 F4 US season. The 19-year-old had a great season last year, winning two races and finishing on the podium four times. Similarly from Woods-Toth, Sherlock was consistent all year long and only finished outside the points one time. With his proven ability of quick adaptibility, it will interesting to see how he does in this new racing environment.

Landan Matriano Lim joins the team after one season in F4 US where he competed with Jensen Global Advisors. The 21-year-old had a tough season in the championship, finishing in 35^th place with zero points. Despite this setback, Lim brings valuable experience and determination to Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports as he embarks on the next chapter of his racing career.

The last one that moves with Crosslink Kiwi from F4 US to race with the team in Formula Regional Americas is Jett Bowling. The 18-year-old did not race in all rounds of the championship last year and finished in the points in one race. Consequently, he ended the year 30th in the standings with only one point in his bag.

Also joining the team is Ricco Shlaimoun. The American competed in the last three rounds of the 2018 F4 US season and also took part in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS division and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo programmes. With that, his diverse background definitely adds depth to the Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports lineup. 

Jensen Global Advisors

Jensen’s line-up last year consisted of Oliver Westling (#1), who competed in all rounds and will stay with them this year, and Everett Stack, who participated only in rounds five and six. Although only having two drivers, Jensen managed to finish the year second in the teams’ championship with 245 points.

Westling comes now for his sophomore season in Formula Regional Americas. The 20-year-old from Sweden finished fourth last year with 217 points. His consistency, alongside podium appearances and victories in two races, showed his skill and determination on the track. Now, with a year of valuable experience behind him, the Swedish is certainly a contender for this year’s title.

Speed Factory

Speed Factory competed in the last round of the 2023 championship with Cole Kleck as their driver. With Kleck´s results, one of them being a third-placed finish, the team ended up finishing sixth in the championship with 35 points. 

This year, the team’s line-up consists of Justin Garat, who makes the step-up to the championship after also competing with the team in F4 US. Garat competed only in one round of F4 US in 2023 and it is possible to say that his results were not the best: he finished races one and two in 18^th and 24^th and did not finish the third. This resulted 41st-placed ranking in the standings with zero points, highlighting the challenges he faced in his brief stint on the championship.

Momentum Motorsports

Returning to the championship this year is Momentum Motorsports after competing in two rounds of the 2020 season. In 2023, the team returned to F4 US and will follow the same path this season for both the Ligier JS F4 Series and Americas, although their driver Anthony Autiello (#07) is committed for only a partial campaign.

Autiello started racing in Formula Continental 14 years ago. The 41-year-old driver has experience in sports cars and prototypes and will drive in Americas for the first time in his career. Momentum and Autiello have already worked together in F1000 and in the development of his Radical SR3, so it will be interesting to see how they tackle this season together. 

Atlantic Racing

Also joining the championship this season is Atlantic Racing, whose line-up consists of James Lawley (#77). The team enters the championship following a season in F4 US, and this year, they will have one spot available in all three of the American championships: Formula Regional Americas, F4 US and Ligier JS F4 Series.

Lawley makes the step-up with the team after competing with them last season in several championships. The Canadian competed with Atlantic Racing in the 2023 Western Winter Series and Western F4 series and made a mid-season switch to F4 US where he ended-up finishing 23rd with 10 points. The wins he had in the Western championships – alongside his switch to F4 US – shows how he quickly adapts to a car and can get the most out of it, proving his skill in different racing environments. 

Header photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography