MILLVILLE, N.J. (July 30, 2023) – After a post-race Steward’s Decision cost him the win in Race 1, Alex Berg got his first Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) win in Race 3 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) on Sunday afternoon. The driver set fast lap in Sunday morning’s race to lead the field off the starting grid and immediately take command of the race. An incident on the track at the end of the first lap led to a red flag for cleanup before the race resumed as a 20-minute sprint to the finish. Berg relinquished the lead for a few corners, but reclaimed the top spot before the field made it back around to the line and went on to open up a 2.627-second lead before the checkered flag waved.
Notes of Interest:
- Alex Berg earned his first-career F4 U.S. win on Sunday afternoon at NJMP. The driver finished third five times before finally getting a second-place result at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last month and then breaking through with a victory this weekend at NJMP.
- Berg’s was the first car to cross the line first in yesterday’s Race 1, but a Stewards’ Decision issued after the race resulted in a 30-second penalty and dropped him to eighth in the official results.
- Titus Sherlock recorded his second podium of the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour weekend. The driver won Race 1 and returned to the podium after finishing second in Race 3.
- Patrick Woods-Toth earned his ninth podium finish in 12 races.
- Just 0.048-seconds separated fifth-place finisher Daniel Cará and sixth-place finisher Alex Benavitz (No. 14 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) as they came to the checkered flag. The result was Benavitz’s career-best in F4 U.S. competition.
- Hannah Greenemeier (No. 74 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) went from last on the starting grid all the way up to 10th by the time the checkered flag waved. With the result, the 20-year-old Parker, Colo. native earned her first championship points in F4 U.S.
- Alex Berg was named the winner of the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race after a breakthrough performance at NJMP, finally earning his first-career win.
Despite a seventh-place result in Race 2, Alex Berg (No. 08 MySim.ca / Rohde & Liesenfeld / Easy Drift / Penn Elcom Online / Dae Systems Ligier JS F4) was able to find the silver lining, setting fast lap of the race and earning the pole position for the third and final race of the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour weekend. With a good jump off the starting block, Berg’s pace was slowed just one lap later when Logan Adams (No. 20 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) and Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N.E. Where Transport Ligier JS F4) made contact on the front stretch while racing inside the top 10 and sent both drivers spinning. The red flag was immediately displayed, bringing cars down pit road while safety crews worked to clean up the debris.
Michael Boyiadzis (No. 3 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) had started the race third and held the position until the red flag was displayed. However, rear wing damage observed by pit road officials during the stoppage resulted in his car being pulled out of line and brought to the attention of his crew for repairs. He restarted the race in 21st and was only able to rebound to 13th by the time the checkered flag waved.
Meanwhile, with the race effectively split into two parts, race director Scott Goodyear called for a 20-minute sprint to the finish when the green flag waved. As they took the green, the top five cars crossed the line with less than a second separating them. Daniel Cará (No. 10 Tenuta Foppa & Ambrosi Ligier JS F4) had a great restart from third, driving past both Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) in second and Berg to overtake the lead going into Turn 1. Now back to second, Berg knew he didn’t want to wait long before making his move to retake the top spot. With Cará leaving the door open entering Turn 6, Berg drove deep into the corner and took control of the race.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) moved into third after starting the race in the eighth position. The 18-year-old was quietly gaining on second place, picking away at Woods-Toth nearly a half second per lap. With just one lap to make the pass, Sherlock had a good run at Woods-Toth heading into Turn 1, but the driver of the No. 27 covered the inside. The move forced Sherlock to drive deep into the corner and out-brake Woods-Toth while driving around the outside to claim the second position.
When the checkered flag waved, Berg led Sherlock and Woods-Toth to the line. Michael Costello (No. 19 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) finished fourth after winning Race 2 earlier in the day. Cará rounded out the top five.
The stewards of the race voted to pick the driver who they felt had with the best performance throughout the course of the weekend, awarding them with the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race and a bespoke timepiece. Finally securing his first F4 U.S. victory, Berg was named the winner.
READ MORE: Race 3 Provisional Results
“I am extremely happy with this result today,” said Berg. “I started on the pole. We had a safety car restart, and I dropped down to second for a couple corners, but I was able to come back up to first. Then I was just able to bide my time, conserve my tires, walk the line and end up with over a two-second lead. I'm over the moon right now; I’m really happy. It's definitely a weekend to remember.”
F4 U.S. will enjoy a brief summer break before finishing out the battle for the 2023 championship this fall. The action will resume at VIRginia International Raceway, October 5-8. Tickets for the event are on sale now at VIRnow.com. Be sure to follow F4 U.S. on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest news and updates.
