LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 25, 2023) – Patrick Woods-Toth rallied to win Race 3 in Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. After missing the podium in Race 1 and finishing third in Race 2, the Canadian came from a fifth-place starting position to earn his third-career F4 U.S. win.
Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) started from the pole—his first—after setting fast lap in Race 2. Michael Costello (No. 19 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) started next to him in second, but it was Augie Soto-Schirripa (No. 24 International Motorsports Ligier JS F4) who jumped forward to overtake second after gridding in the third position. Frankie Mossman (No. 6 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) was the next to overtake Costello, moving the No. 19 into the fourth position while Mossman overtook third.
As the clock ticked down, Sherlock’s mirrors were filled with a freight train of Soto-Schirripa, Mossman and Lewis Hodgson (No. 30 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) all running nose to gearbox. With just 20 minutes remaining, Hodgson pulled inside Mossman in the Keyhole to move into third. Meanwhile, tight racing among the front four allowed Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) to join the train, making it a five-car battle. By the time they reached Turn 4, it was Soto-Schirripa looking to make a move, overtaking the point position from Sherlock. Riding the momentum with Soto-Schirripa and Hodgson while picking up positions was Woods-Toth, who moved into fourth by lap 6 and third by lap 8.
A full-course yellow brought another chance to mix up the running order when the race restarted with just under 10 minutes remaining. Soto-Schirripa led the field back to the green with Hodgson, Woods-Toth and Sherlock in tow. As they reached Turn 4, Woods-Toth pulled to the outside of Hodgson and stayed on the gas to complete the pass as they raced through Turn 5. With less than five minutes on the clock, Woods-Toth had moved within a second of Soto-Schirripa. With three minutes remaining, Woods-Toth pulled next to Soto-Schirripa on the backstretch to once again run into Turn 4 on the outside, looking to pick up a position. Completing the pass by the exit of the turn, Woods-Toth took control of the race and never looked back.
As they crossed the line, Woods-Toth led Soto-Schirripa, followed by Hodgson.
READ MORE: Race 3 Provisional Results
“We struggled in the last race with front grip—we were just understeering everywhere,” explained Woods-Toth from the podium. “We made a change before this race, and I made sure to take care of the tires so we could be there at the end. We got really lucky getting a yellow and had an amazing restart. The pace at the end was just incredible. I saved my stuff for the end, and it paid off.”
Notes of Interest:
Augie Soto-Schirripa was named the winner of the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race following a breakthrough performance in his second F4 U.S. race weekend.
Three countries were reflected on today’s podium, with Woods-Toth from Montreal, Canada, Soto-Schirripa from Miami, and Hodgson from Sydney, Australia.
With nine rounds complete, Woods-Toth maintains the points lead. The 19-year-old has accumulated three wins and seven podium finishes in nine races.
F4 U.S. is back on track next month at New Jersey Motorsports Park, July 28-30. Follow the championship on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or use Race Monitor to follow live timing and scoring. Tickets for the event are available at NJMP.com/SpeedTour.
WATCH THE STREAM: F4 U.S. Race 3 at Mid-Ohio
Photos by Gavin Baker Photography.
