AVONDALE, La. (March 30, 2025) – Nicolas Ambiado earned his first win of the season in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), taking the victory in Race 3 at NOLA Motorsports Park. Joining Kiwi Motorsport this season, Ambiado (No. 55 Velox USA Ligier JS F3) finished second in the first two races this weekend before finally breaking through for a win.
Notes of Interest:
- Today’s victory marked the second of Nicolas Ambiado’s FR Americas career. The second-year driver last won at New Jersey Motorsports Park in July 2024.
- Jett Bowling finished on the podium for the first time in 2025. His runner-up result matched his career-best FR Americas finish, which he recorded three times last season.
- Bruno Ribeiro finished third, marking his second podium of the weekend. He also finished third in Race 1.
- Earning his first win of the season and two second-place results at the NOLA SpeedTour, Nicolas Ambiado was awarded the Omologato Perfectly-Timed Move of the Race and recognized by the stewards for an outstanding performance this weekend. The award includes a bespoke Omologato timepiece.
- Kiwi Motorsport recorded the first podium sweep of the season, with their drivers claiming all three podium positions. In total, the Dallas-based organization fielded six FR Americas entries in the NOLA SpeedTour.
- Three nations were represented on this morning’s podium, with Ambiado hailing from Santiago, Chile, Bowling from Dallas, Texas, USA, and Ribeiro from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
After setting the fastest lap in Race 2, Jett Bowling (No. 22 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) led the field down the starting grid with Ambiado to his outside. When the lights went out, Bowling took control of the race, while Bruno Ribeiro (No. 01 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) overtook Ambiado to move into second. With everyone looking to improve their position on the start, tight racing led to Alex Benavitz (No. 5 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) getting stuck in the wet grass and requiring a tow. The safety car was deployed while crews worked to free Benavitz’s machine.
Minutes later, the field came back down the frontstretch with their eyes on the waving green flag to restart the event. Bowling immediately took control of the race, while Ribeiro, Ambiado and Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) raced three wide toward Turn 1. With the preferred line, Ribero claimed second, while Ambiado and Sherlock continued wheel to wheel through Turns 2, 3 and 4. As they exited Turn 4, Ambiado finally pulled ahead, leaving Sherlock to settle for fourth.
Bowling was initially opening up a gap as they raced their way toward the halfway point, and even held a one-second advantage at one point. However, as they raced closer to the finish line, his competition continued to chip away at the difference.
With seven minutes left on the clock, Ambiado had reached the gearbox of Riberio. Keeping his patience, he waited for the right opportunity to overtake his teammate. Working Turns 5 and 6, Ambiado found his opportunity, completing the pass and moving into second. Now with six minutes left on the clock, he turned his focus to Bowling.
Racing toward the white flag, Ambiado finally had Bowling within reach. As they raced through the esses, Bowling struggled with his pedal box, unable to apply the pressure necessary to hold off Ambiado’s charge. As they exited Turn 14, Ambiado completed the pass to secure the lead. With just one lap remaining, Ambiado kept his focus and made it to the checkered flag without incident.
Crossing the line, it was Ambiado, followed by Bowling and Ribeiro.
READ MORE: Race 3 Official Results
“Wow, that was really difficult,” said Ambiado as he climbed from his car. “Bruno was so fast, but I had a little more downforce and was able to pass him. The move in the last part of the race to get around Jett worked nicely—I had to use a little more brake. I have to thank my team and all my teammates at Kiwi Motorsport. We had a good race with Bruno and Jett; it’s just incredible. I also have to thank my family and my friends for their support.”
Today’s races for FR Americas, Formula 4 United States Championship and Ligier Junior Formula Championship were broadcast live on SPEED SPORT 1. An encore presentation of the day’s races will air on SPEED SPORT 1 tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET.
FR Americas returns to the track at Road America, May 15-18. The event, like all 2025 races, will be streamed live on SpeedTour.TV, with live timing and scoring available on the Race Monitor App. Additional news and updates leading up to the race weekend will be shared on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Prospective drivers looking to learn more about FR Americas are encouraged to visit the championship’s website at FRAmericas.com.
