Abel Motorsports returns for 2018 season with two F4 U.S. vets
With more than 60 cars purchased and early registration entries already surpassing 25 cars, the 2018 Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda roster is expected to expand to 40 cars by the end of the series’ third season.
Last year during a 20-race season, the F4 U.S. grid averaged 33 cars. The Lone Star Le Mans weekend at Circuit of the Americas exceeded that average with 34 cars, fringing on a world F4 entry record for a single event.
“The excitement from our spectacular 2017 season has carried over to 2018. Early registration opened less than a month ago and entries are topping our 2017 end-of-season projections,” said SCCA Pro Racing Vice President Steve Oseth. “With over 60 cars sold and sales continuing on both the east and west coasts, the Onroak/Ligier/Honda HPD package is a proven product that continues to embrace the low-cost values of our series, both in purchase price and ultimately the cost to compete.”
Sophomore F4 U.S. team Abel Motorsports secured the most recent F4 U.S. entries, bringing back two familiar faces. Jacob Abel of Louisville and Jacob Loomis of Corinth, Texas, will sport the red, black and white colors of Abel Motorsports.
“It’s great to have both Jacob Loomis and Jacob Abel on board with us for the 2018 season,” said Abel Motorsports team owner Bill Abel. “Based on the success Jacob Loomis had in 2017, we feel he will be a great addition to our team. We are looking forward to having Jacob Abel back in the Abel Construction No. 22 car. Throughout his rookie F4 U.S. season, he made a lot of progress and we are looking forward to seeing him continue his success with our team.”
This season will be the first year Abel Motorsports will field multiple cars for an entire season. Last year, Abel Motorsports ran J. Abel as a single entry for the majority of the season. While it started out a two-car team, a race-related injury sustained by one of its drivers during Round 4 placed the driver on reserve until the final event at Circuit of the Americas.
J. Abel completed his rookie season with five top-10 finishes.
“I can’t wait to get the 2018 season underway” J.Abel said. “As a team we put up strong results, learned a ton and also gained an exceptional amount of personal experience. This combined with some solid off-season testing both at the track and on the simulator will hopefully lead to a successful 2018 season. I am also looking forward to Jacob Loomis becoming my teammate. Having him on the team will be a huge advantage. Not only is he a good friend of mine but he is also extremely talented in both car set up and driving. I spent most of last year solo, so having a teammate that is extremely talented like Jacob will benefit us as a team.”
Loomis completed his rookie F4 U.S. season with five top-10 finishes, four podiums and clinched a 2017 Team USA finalist spot. He went on to finish sixth in the F4 U.S. FIA points championship, earning two FIA Super License points to aid in advancing his racing career.
“I am extremely grateful to be able to run another season in F4,” Loomis said. “I think with the knowledge gained last year and partnering with a strong team like Abel Motorsports, we will have a good shot at a championship this year. None of this would be possible without the support from Optima Anesthesia and the Abel family.”
Abel Motorsports and the rest of the large F4 U.S. field will kick off their season at VIRginia International Raceway April 26-29 with Pirelli World Challenge. For more information about F4 U.S. teams and drivers visit F4USChampionship.com.
