2023 Formula Regional Americas Championship

The 2023 Formula Regional Americas Championship powered by Honda was the sixth season of a FIA-sanctioned F3 series across North America, and the fourth 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 for 2024.^[1]

Callum Hedge won the Drivers' Championship with two races to spare after winning 13 of the 18 races, while his team, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, had already clinched the Teams' Championship shortly after the mid-point of the season.

Teams and drivers

All drivers competed with Honda-powered Ligier JS F3 cars on Hankook tires. This was the last season of the championship using a Honda powertrain, with a switch to Ligier engines planned for 2024.^[2]

Team	No.	Driver	Rounds
Jensen Global Advisors	1	Oliver Westling[3]	All
	2	Everett Stack[4]	5–6
IGY6 Motorsports	3	Hayden Bowlsbey[5]	1–2
	22		3–6
		Max Hewitt[5]	1–2
Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports	6	Nicole Havrda[3][6]	4–5
	12	Manuel Roza[5]	1–3, 5–6
	17	Callum Hedge[7]	All
	19	Cooper Becklin[5]	All
	20	Jake Bonilla[8]	6
	24	Kevin Janzen[5]	1–3, 5–6
	39	Bryson Morris[5]	1–2
		Max Hewitt[9]	3–6
	66	Ryan Shehan[10]	All
Austin Hill Motorsports	8	Austin Hill[5]	1–5
Velocity Racing Development	10	Rodrigo Gutiérrez[11]	2
	11	Cole Kleck[9][8]	3
Speed Factory			6
Cameron Racing	29	Nick Persing[5]	1–2

Race calendar

The 2023 calendar was announced on 9 October 2022, and visited the same locations as the season before. Each round featured three races, bringing the total to 18 races over the season.^[12]

Round		Circuit	Date	Supporting	Map of circuit locations
1	R1	NOLA Motorsports Park, Avondale	11 March	Formula 4 United States Championship SVRA Sprint Series Trans-Am Series Ultimate Street Car Association	NOLA Road America Mid-Ohio New Jersey Virginia COTA
	R2		12 March
	R3
2	R1	Road America, Elkhart Lake	20 May	Formula 4 United States Championship Road America SpeedTour SVRA Sprint Series
	R2		21 May
	R3
3	R1	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington	24 June	PERMCO Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Formula 4 United States Championship SVRA Sprint & Endurance Trans-Am Series
	R2		25 June
	R3
4	R1	New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville	29 July	New Jersey SpeedTour Formula 4 United States Championship SVRA Sprint Series FRP (F2000, F1600)
	R2		30 July
	R3
5	R1	Virginia International Raceway, Alton	7 October	VIR SpeedTour Formula 4 United States Championship SVRA Sprint & Endurance Trans-Am Series
	R2
	R3		8 October
6	R1	Circuit of the Americas, Austin	3 November	Austin SpeedTour Formula 4 United States Championship Trans-Am Series SVRA Sprint Series
	R2
	R3		4 November

Race results

Round		Circuit	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning team
1	R1	NOLA Motorsports Park	Ryan Shehan	Ryan Shehan	Ryan Shehan	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R2			Cooper Becklin	Ryan Shehan	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R3			Nick Persing	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
2	R1	Road America	Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R2			Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R3			Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
3	R1	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Callum Hedge	Ryan Shehan	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R2			Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R3			Austin Hill	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
4	R1	New Jersey Motorsports Park	Callum Hedge	Cooper Becklin	Oliver Westling	Jensen Global Advisors
	R2			Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R3			Hayden Bowlsbey	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
5	R1	Virginia International Raceway	Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R2			Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R3			Cooper Becklin	Cooper Becklin	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
6	R1	Circuit of the Americas	Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
	R2			Callum Hedge	Oliver Westling	Jensen Global Advisors
	R3			Callum Hedge	Callum Hedge	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports

Season report

First half

The 2023 season began at NOLA Motorsports Park, just like the year before. Crosslink Kiwi's Ryan Shehan took pole position for the opening race and led that encounter lights-to-flag. Cameron Racing's Nick Persing was trying to attack him, but then made a mistake and had to spend the rest of his race defending from Shehan's teammate Cooper Becklin. Race two started the same way, before Persing went off at the halfway point and had to retire his car. This allowed Beckling into second and promoted his teammate Callum Hedge onto the podium closely behind. Becklin had pole position for the first race, but was quickly overtaken by Hedge and Persing. He then held on to third before locking up and being hit by Shehan behind. He fell down the order, and Shehan took his third podium of the weekend to leave Avondale with a 17-point lead over Hedge.^[13]

Hedge was first in qualifying at Road America. He was unchallenged during the first race, with Becklin behind him having to defend from Shehan. The latter's pace eventually proved to be too much and Becklin had to let him through. The second race began with a red-flag interruption because of a crash between Crosslink Kiwi's Max Hewitt and IGY6's Hayden Bowlsbey, but when it restarted, Hedge was similarly dominant to take another win. Shehan did not have to pass anyone this time to come second, and Becklin had to fend off his teammate Bryson Morris to take third. Race three was also interrupted, by two safety car periods, but Hedge remained unbeaten. Shehan was second again, fending off a late attack by Becklin. His triple win took Hedge into the championship lead, four points ahead of Shehan.^[14]

Only nine drivers were on the road at Mid-Ohio. The qualifying session was rained off, meaning Hedge was awarded pole position by virtue of his standings lead. He led Shehan all race long to take his fourth straight win, with Becklin third once again after he fended off Jensen's Oliver Westling at the start and the latter made a mistake. Shehan was on pole position for the second race, but it took less than a corner for Hedge to steal the lead away. Shehan and Becklin kept close to the leader, but the finishing order remained the same for the fifth time in a row. The third race saw another win from pole position for Hedge, with the podium consisting of the same three drivers as it had for the last two whole weekends. A second triple win for Hedge saw his championship lead grow to 25 points.^[15]

Second half

Entry numbers declined even more at New Jersey Motorsports Park, as only seven cars were present. Hedge took pole position once again, but his win streak would come to an end. He defended from Shehan at the start as Westling and Bowlsbey surprised the pair to both get ahead. Hedge had soon repassed Bowlsbey, but could not get past Westling. Shehan also passed Bowlsbey, but the pair made contact and Shehan was penalized, allowing Becklin onto the podium. Normal service returned for the second race, with Hedge starting fourth, but passed Westling, Becklin and Shehan in the first three turns to take the lead and the win. Race three was dominated by Hedge from pole position as he won over twelve seconds ahead of Westling, with Becklin third. Shehan could only manage sixth, losing further ground to Hedge, who now was 55 points ahead.^[16]

Hedge continued his one-lap pace to take another pole position at Virginia International Raceway. He fended Shehan off twice in race one, before spinning and dropping to second. A timely safety car brought him back right behind Shehan, and the latter then also made a mistake to restore the original order, before the race finished under caution. Becklin came third once again. Race two also brought the by now familiar sight of Hedge ahead of Shehan and Becklin, although the latter had to pass Westling for his podium. Hedge looked set for another triple victory, before he was hit with an engine issue that forced him to retire from race three. Becklin inherited first place, fighting off Shehan to take his first win of the season, while Bowlsbey secured his first podium with a late move on Westling. Hedge's retirement saw his points lead reduced to 51, with 75 still on offer.^[17]

The season finale at Circuit of the Americas brought no new sight in qualifying, as Hedge remained on top. He fended off any opposition at the start of race one and sprinted away from the field to take the win and with it the championship. Speed Factory's series returnee Cole Kleck took second at the start and fought with Shehan through the first half. The latter was then passed by Becklin, who also overtook Kleck on the final lap. Race two saw Westling take his second win in a photo-finish after he passed polesitter and race-long leader Hedge through the final corner. Race three brought the season to its end with another trademark unchallenged win for Hedge, with Westling having a lonely race in second ahead of Crosslink Kiwi's Manuel Roza, who took his second podium in a row.^[18]

All but one pole positions, thirteen wins and sixteen podiums from eighteen races - Hedge became the latest in a row of dominant series champions in another year where the series struggled to attract enough drivers to provide deep grids and a high level of competition. Most qualifying sessions only saw the top trio of drivers within a second of the pole position time, and the field was often spread far during the races. With the attraction of a Super Formula scholarship also set to depart the series through the planned powertrain change, it is hard to see how interest in the championship could grow in the coming seasons.

Championship standings

Points were awarded as follows:

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Points	25	18	15	12	10	8	6	4	2	1

Drivers' standings

Pos Driver NOL ROA MOH NJM VIR COA Pts R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 1 Callum Hedge 6 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 Ret 1 2 1 384 2 Ryan Shehan 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 2 6 2 2 2 10 4 10 279 3 Cooper Becklin 3 2 11† 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 2 5 Ret 251 4 Oliver Westling 4 5 7 4 5 10† 6 4 8 1 4 2 4 4 4 6 1 2 217 5 Manuel Roza 7 6 4 7 7 4 4 6 4 WD WD WD 5 3 3 122 6 Hayden Bowlsbey Ret 9 6 10 Ret DNS 5 5 6 6 6 7 8 5 3 4 7 6 116 7 Max Hewitt 9† 8 9 9 Ret 5 9 9 Ret Ret 5 4 10† 6 6 7 8 8 77 8 Bryson Morris 5 4 5 5 4 6 62 9 Nick Persing 2 Ret 2 6 6 Ret 52 10 Cole Kleck 8 7 7 3 6 4 51 11 Austin Hill Ret DNS 8 11 10† 8 7 8 5 WD WD WD 5 8 DNS 42 12 Nicole Havrda 5 Ret 5 6 Ret 5 38 13 Everett Stack 7 7 7 9 9 7 28 14 Kevin Janzen 8 7 10 12 9 9 WD WD WD 9 9 8 11 10 9 26 15 Jake Bonilla 8 Ret 5 14 16 Rodrigo Gutiérrez 8 8 7 14 Pos Driver R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 Pts NOL ROA MOH NJM VIR COA

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX) Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap † — Did not finish, but classified

Teams' standings

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

Pos	Team	NOL			ROA			MOH			NJM			VIR			COA			Pts
		R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3
1	Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	742
		3	2	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	2	3	2	2	2	2	3	3
2	Jensen Global Advisors	4	5	7	4	5	10†	6	4	8	1	4	2	4	4	4	6	1	2	245
														7	7	7	9	9	7
3	IGY6 Motorsports	9†	8	6	9	Ret	5	5	5	6	6	6	7	8	5	3	4	7	6	136
		Ret	9	9	10	Ret	DNS
4	Cameron Racing	2	Ret	2	6	6	Ret													52
5	Austin Hill Motorsports	Ret	DNS	8	11	10†	8	7	8	5	WD	WD	WD	5	8	DNS				42
6	Speed Factory																3	6	4	35
7	Velocity Racing Development				8	8	7	8	7	7										30
Pos	Team	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	R1	R2	R3	Pts
		NOL			ROA			MOH			NJM			VIR			COA

References

1. Wood, Ida (2022-02-08). "FRegional Americas keeps Super Formula scholarship for next two years". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
2. Wood, Ida (2022-05-25). "Ligier unveils design for F4 Gen2 car to be used in America". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
3. Wood, Ida (2023-02-06). "Nicole Havrda to race in FRegional Americas for first full year in cars". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
4. "2023 FR Americas Championship Entry List: Rounds 13 – 15 at VIRginia International Raceway" (PDF).
5. "2023 FR Americas Championship Entry List: Rounds 1-3 at NOLA Motorsports Park" (PDF).^{[permanent dead link‍]}
6. "2023 FR Americas Championship Entry List - Rounds 10 – 12 at New Jersey Motorsports Park" (PDF). Formula Regional Americas Championship. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
7. "DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT | Callum Hedge joins Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport in Formula Regional Americas!". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
8. "2023 FR Americas Championship Entry List: Rounds 16 – 18 at Circuit of the Americas" (PDF). Formula Regional Americas Championship. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
9. "2023 FR Americas Championship Entry List - Rounds 7-9 at MidOhio Sports Car Course" (PDF). Formula Regional Americas Championship. June 18, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
10. "FR Americas here I come!". Ryan Shehan Racing on Twitter. 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
11. "2023 FR Americas Championship Entry List: Rounds 4-6 at Road America" (PDF). Formula Regional Americas Championship. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
12. "Formula 4 United States and Formula Regional Americas Unveil 2023 Schedule". FR Americas Championship. 9 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
13. Wood, Ida (2023-03-12). "Ryan Shehan starts FRegional Americas season with double win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
14. Wood, Ida (2023-05-22). "Callum Hedge wins all three FRegional Americas races at Road America". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
15. Wood, Ida (2023-06-25). "Hedge wins thrice in nine-car FRegional Americas field at Mid-Ohio". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
16. Wood, Ida (2023-07-30). "Hedge grows FRegional Americas lead as grid shrinks to seven cars". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
17. Wood, Ida (2023-10-08). "Hedge wins twice, but Shehan reduces his FRegional Americas lead". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
18. Wood, Ida (2023-11-04). "Callum Hedge claims the FRegional Americas title in COTA finale". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-11-17.

External links

• Official website: Formula Regional Americas