Just days before the Lone Star Le Mans weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, four Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda teams announced changes in their driver lineups in an effort to make a final push for the team championship. Global Racing Group, Group-A Racing, Indy Motorsport Group and Jay Howard’s Motorsports Driver Development each added a new driver for the penultimate event.
Pierre Thiriet of Epinal, France, Russ McDonough IV of Little Rock, Arkansas, Nick Andries of Pinellas Park, Florida, and Dalton Peak of Taylorsville, Kentucky, join the F4 U.S. roster for COTA.
“After the last event at Virginia International Raceway, the margin of difference in the top-five team standings is considerably closer,” SCCA Pro Racing Vice President Steve Oseth said. “Teams are feeling the pressure and filling every possible seat to get an advantage.”
GRG trails second-place Kiwi Motorsport by just two points heading into Event 6. The Seattle-based team signed 24 Hours of Le Mans veteran and European Le Mans Series champion Thiriet to fill its fourth F4 U.S. seat in a strategy to close the points gap.
While Cape Motorsports leads the team championship by 134 points, only 15 points separate second through fifth place. Kiwi Motorsport jumped from fifth to second place after its two drivers, Dakota Dickerson of San Diego and Brendon Leitch of Invercargill, New Zealand, collectively scored four top-10 finishes and a podium at Virginia International Raceway.
“Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was our turning point this season,” Kiwi Motorsport team principal Teena Larsen said. “We are proud that both Brendon and Dakota have consistency and are chipping their way to the top of the charts. Cape Motorsports will be hard to beat and our New Zealand/Dallas-based team will keep fighting until the season is over, at least drawing us closer in the points spread and creating a gap between us and third place overall.”
JDX Racing dropped to fourth in the team championship battle after its three drivers were shut-out in at VIR. IMG racing, who signed former Indy Lights driver Andries to drive the No. 35 Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh gold and white car for Event 6, rounds out the top-five.
The F4 U.S. teams join FIA World Endurance Championship at COTA Aug. 14-16. For full team standings visit F4USChampionship.com.
