More Points and Results for Canadian Ryan MacDermid in F4 Program

Rookie driver moves up running order throughout weekend

 

Taking on the 3.27-mile, 17-turn Virginia International Raceway (VIR) road course with the Alliance Racing Sponsored by Gas Monkey Energy team, Canadian Ryan MacDermid checked off more boxes in his 2019 rookie season. Scoring a pair of results in the top-ten and adding more points to his championship total, the Canadian driver is quickly becoming one to watch in the F4 United States Championship Powered by Honda with three event weekends remaining on the 2019 calendar.

 

With a new engineer in the fold for the Indianapolis based team, it took some time for Ryan and him to gel and get the most out of his Gas Monkey branded machine. Working through practice to find the necessary speed on the ultra-fast Virginia International Raceway, MacDermid was only able to secure the 14th quickest lap in Saturday's qualifying session and was forced to start race one from outside row seven.

 

"The weekend did not start out as we would have liked, and I was very disappointed with qualifying, discouraged with our lack of speed," explained MacDermid. "I never gave up, and we continued to push hard through the entire weekend. We consistently ran better each time on the track, and if we could have started the event where we finished on Sunday, I think the results would have been even better."

 

The first wheel-to-wheel action of the weekend was anti-climatic as a static running order produced very little opportunity to advance forward. Working to utilize the draft and advance up the grid, MacDermid finished just outside the points in the twelfth position, and would start Sunday morning's race from P13 based on lap times from the race one on the weekend.

 

Back to the track on Sunday morning after pouring through data and video Saturday afternoon, an increase in speed was found and MacDermid was back to feeling comfortable behind the wheel. Starting round eight from 13th, the rookie Canadian marched his way forward to the top-ten, eventually claiming the eighth position on track and four more points towards the end of the year championship battle. On route to his eighth place finish, MacDermid also secured the tenth fastest race lap and would begin race three from outside row five, the highest starting position amongst him and his teammates.

 

In a race that saw a lot of aggression and drivers failing to finish, MacDermid continued his streak of running at the finish of all events so far in 2019 as he turned his tenth place starting position into a sixth place result. Finishing less than two seconds from the driver that claimed the third and final podium position, it was a solid close to an eventful weekend for the young Canadian.

 

MacDermid continued, "My results this weekend pretty much match the results for the first six races this year. Throughout the race weekend we consistently get better and find speed to move up the running order. Our goal for the next event is to qualify better and be further up the grid earlier in the weekend. I think this will help set the tone for the weekend and provide greater opportunity for better race results earlier on in the events. If we can do that and continue our natural progression, who knows what could come as we work through the weekend?"

 

The F4 United States Championship Powered by Honda enjoys very little time off as in less than a week, teams and drivers will be traveling to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Kentucky over the August 9-11 weekend. Visit F4USChampionship.com for live timing, results, photos, news and information from all series events.

 

Ryan MacDermid would like to thank Gas Monkey Energy, Alliance Racing, K1 Racegear, and Lisa Fayle Real Estate for their continued support. For information on Ryan MacDermid, please visit him online via his social media channels by searching Ryan MacDermid Motorsports on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.