Track Facts:
Circuit: NOLA Motorsports Park
Length: 2.75 miles / 16-turn road course
Race Direction: Clockwise
FR Americas Championship Powered by Honda
Practice: Friday, March 10 at 10:05 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. CT
Qualifying: Saturday, March 11 at 10:55 a.m. CT
Feature Race 1: Saturday, March 11 at 4:15 p.m. CT
Feature Race 2: Sunday, March 12 at 10:55 a.m. CT
Feature Race 3: Sunday, March 12 at 2:45 p.m. CT
F4 U.S. Championship Powered by Honda
Practices: Friday, March 10 at 9:00 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. CT
Qualifying: Saturday, March 11 at 8:30 a.m. CT
Feature Race 1: Saturday, March 11 at 1:45 p.m. CT
Feature Race 2: Sunday, March 12 at 9:05 a.m. CT
Feature Race 3: Sunday, March 12 at 1:50 p.m. CT
NOLA SpeedTour
2023 Season Kicks Off at NOLA
Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) and Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) will open their 2023 seasons at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, La., for the second year in a row. With FR Americas and F4 U.S. joining the Trans Am Series, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, Radical Cup and OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car on the track, the weekend will have something for everyone, with off-track events like the Hagerty Cars & Caffeine Car Show and Cars & Crawfish Cook-Off. Get tickets for the NOLA SpeedTour at SpeedTour.net/NOLA.
Meet the Drivers of FR Americas and F4 U.S.
Fans will have an opportunity to meet the drivers of both FR Americas and F4 U.S. on Saturday afternoon at NOLA. FR Americas drivers will participate in a Fan Q&A session at the Event Center during the Cars & Crawfish Cook-Off at 2:30 p.m. CT. Later, join F4 U.S. drivers on the second floor of the Event Center for a series autograph session at 3:15 p.m. CT.
Stream This Weekend’s Races
Saturday and Sunday’s races from the NOLA SpeedTour will be streamed free on YouTube and Facebook. To watch, visit YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV, or look up @FRAmericas or @F4USChampionship on Facebook.
Key Partners Return
FR Americas and F4 U.S. return to the track in 2023 with support from key partners. Honda Performance Development (HPD) and Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) return as the title partner for both F4 U.S. and FR Americas. Literally “powering” the series, the Honda K20 C1 2.0-liter engine that is found in the Honda Civic Type R is the same Honda engine used on the track by both championships. Ligier Automotive returns as the official chassis manufacturer for FR Americas and F4 U.S., with the championships running the JS F3 and JS F4, respectively. Hankook Tire America Corp. remains the official tire, with both championships using specially-designed tires.
FR Americas Championship Powered by Honda
Racing for a Super Formula Scholarship
FR Americas drivers will once again race for the chance at a scholarship, as HPD and HRC join forces to present the 2023 FR Americas champion with a scholarship to compete in Super Formula in 2024. Valued at up to $600,000, the scholarship covers a substantial portion of the cost to run a full season, and includes an engine supply to run with a Honda-powered team selected by HRC. Last year’s FR Americas champion, Raoul Hyman, will make his Super Formula debut with B-Max Racing when the season premieres on April 9 at Fuji International Speedway.
F4 U.S. Alums Step Up to FR Americas
Fans will recognize the names of returning drivers like Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 3 Save22 Ligier JS F3), Kevin Janzen (No. 24 US Power Group Ligier JS F3), Nick Persing(No. 29 OPI Commercial Builders Inc. Ligier JS F3) and Oliver Westling (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F3), but we’ll also see two championship contenders from last year’s F4 U.S. battle join the mix in FR Americas. Bryson Morris (No. 39 Ligier JS F3) and Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Ligier JS F3) will make the step to FR Americas and once again be teammates at Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport.
New Faces Join the Championship
Drivers joining FR Americas for the first time in 2023, include:
- Austin Hill, No. 8 SoOhio Equip/Alum Trailers/Ferris Mowers/Big Tex Trailers/PJ Trailers/CM Truck Ligier JS F
- Manuel Roza, No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3
- Callum Hedge, No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3
- Max Hewitt, No. 22 Save22 Ligier JS F3
Local Talent Racing at Home with Bowlsbey
Eight years after first trying a rental kart at NOLA Motorsports Park, sophomore driver Hayden Bowlsbey will once again compete at his home track. Bowlsbey resides in Folsom, La., just 50 miles north of the circuit.
Double Duty for Persing
After finishing fifth in the 2022 FR Americas standings, Nick Persing will return to the series at NOLA. Already confirmed for the Pro 1500 Class at the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America, the Boise State University freshman will pull double duty while partnering with Cameron Racing in both programs.
F4 U.S. Championship Powered by Honda
FR Americas Scholarship on The Line
Drivers competing in F4 U.S. this season are once again racing for a scholarship, as the 2023 Champion will be given the opportunity to move to FR Americas in 2024 with support from Ligier Automotive, Hankook Tires and Parella Motorsports Holdings. In addition, the champion will also receive $25,000 from Honda Performance Development, along with several other prizes.
Global Talent
Attracting the best and brightest from around the globe, drivers from near and far will be part of the field when the lights go out at NOLA. Canadian Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) will join Welshman Matthew Higgins (No. 18 Era Motorsport Ligier JS F4), as well as Australians Jesse Lacey (No. 16 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) and Lewis Hodgson (No. 30 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) on the grid. The Americans competing in the weekend’s events will represent 13 states, including Louisiana native, Landan Matriano Lim (No. 2 JENSEN Ligier JS F4), who hails from Shreveport.
New Faces Flock to F4 U.S.
A new crop of drivers will join F4 U.S. with only 29% of the 31-car field having previously competed in the championship. The series will see not only new drivers, but also new teams with Era Motorsport, New’t Racing, Bacon Racing and Scuderia Buell all joining the mix, as well as the return of one of the championships’ earliest teams, Momentum Motorsports, re-entering the paddock after a brief hiatus.
Drivers Back On The Grid
2022 full-time drivers back in F4 U.S. for a second season, include:
- Maddie Aust, No. 09 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4
- Carl Bennett, No. 9 Gonella Racing Ligier JS F4
- Alex Berg, No. 08 MySim.ca/Rhode & Liesenfeld/Easy Drift/Penn Elcom Online/Dae Systems Ligier JS F4
- Tyke Durst, No. 17 Gonella Racing Ligier JS F4
Part-time competitors from last season returning to the grid at NOLA, include:
- Michael Boyiadzis, No. 3 Jay Howard Driver Development/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil/LHP Ligier JS F4
- Daniel Cará, No. 10 Tenuta Foppa & Ambrosi Ligier JS F4
- Lewis Hodgson, No. 30 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4
- Cole Kleck, No. 11 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4
- Titus Sherlock, No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4
PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship Winner Debuts at NOLA
Hannah Greenemeier (No. 74 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) is set to make her series debut at NOLA, where she will represent the 2023 PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship class. The 20-year-old Parker, Colo., native made history when she became the first female driver in SKUSA history to win the X30 ProTour Championship class in 2021, as well as the first female in SKUSA history to win an X30 ProTour race.
Radford Racing School “Karts to Cars” Scholarship Winners Take on F4 U.S.
Two graduates of Radford Racing School’s F4 U.S. Scholarship “Karts to Cars” program will join the F4 U.S. paddock this season—Logan Adams is set to pilot the No. 20 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil/LHP Ligier JS F4, while Patrick Woods-Toth joins Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport. Adams, a native of Greenfield, Ind., has multiple karting championships and was nominated to the Radford Racing School program by his home track, New Castle Motorsports Park. Woods-Toth was nominated to the program by Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship after winning the 2022 Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship, the Motomaster Canadian Karting Championship and the Canadian Open Championship.
SpeedTour Formula Development Champion Graduates to F4 U.S.
Eric Wisniewski (No. 7 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil/LHP Ligier JS F4) will join F4 U.S. after becoming the inaugural champion of the SpeedTour Formula Development Series in 2022. Having celebrated his 15th birthday in January to meet the FIA age requirement for F4 U.S., Wisniewski spent last season gaining valuable track time at the same circuits where the championship competes, and using the same chassis, engine and tire combination required by the series.
