ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (May 18, 2025) – The Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) put on a thrilling show for fans in Race 3 at Road America with a race that stayed green from lights to checkered. A fierce three-way battle led to jubilation for some and heartbreak for others, as Szuch was declared the winner in a race that included one driver spinning from the lead and another receiving a post-race penalty.
Notes of Interest:
- In a Cinderella story, Drew Szuch rebounded from a wreck during Race 2 on Sunday morning to finish second in Race 3. The result marked his third win of the season, and second this weekend at Road America.
- Gastón Irazú finished second after a penalty resulted in a five-second time penalty. Still, after six rounds, Irazú has yet to finish worse than second in Ligier JFC.
- Making his 2025 Ligier JFC debut at Road America this weekend, Beckham Jacir scored his first podium with a third-place result in Race 3.
- Beckham Jacir was awarded the Omologato Perfectly-Timed Move of the Race and presented a bespoke Omologato timepiece in recognition of a strong performance during his debut weekend. With a fourth-place finish in Race 1 and the second-quickest lap of the race, Jacir started Race 2 on the front row. Unfortunately, mechanical woes plagued the driver in that event, as he failed to score any points and only completed one lap. Starting Race 3 from the back, Jacir drove through the field to score his first-career podium.
- With Szuch and Berg Racing winning the race and Irazú finishing second for Champagne Racing, LC Racing Team scored their first podium in Ligier JFC with Jacir’s third-place finish.
Having shown strength and speed all weekend, Daniel Cará (No. 10 Tenuta Foppa & Ambrosi Wines / WorkHub / Cará Origin Motorsports Ligier JS F4) led the field down the starting grid, as Augusto Paschetta (No. 27 Scuderia Buell / Sport West / Bruno Maquinaria / Brapax Ligier JS F4) lined up to his outside. Cará jumped to the point position when the lights went out, while third-place starter Harbir Dass (No. 23 Northcoast Medical Group / Dubby Energy / Dass Psych LLC / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) jumped ahead of Paschetta. Gastón Irazú (No. 42 Elia Group / Baly / Canal 4 / Ancap / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) was lined up sixth on the grid, but with a slight pause as the lights went out, he fell to around the eighth position as the field raced toward Turn 1. Both Cará and Dass put some room between themselves and the hornet’s nest racing for the third position. Drew Szuch (No. 28 Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) was the next driver to clear the pack, securing third, while Irazú continued to fight through traffic. As they reached Canada Corner, Irazú also got ahead of the fray, taking fourth for himself.
The Uruguayan didn’t stop there; he spent the next lap focused on closing the gap. Reaching Szuch’s gearbox as they raced between Turns 11 and 12, he moved into third, and then he pulled side by side with Dass as they raced down the frontstretch to overtake second with a battle through Turn 1. Within one lap, Irazú completely erased the 0.754-second gap that Cará had the previous circuit. Two-wide entering Turn 2 and through the next several corners, Szuch was able to use their racing to his advantage to pull up and join the fight.
Kicking off a 20-plus minute battle with more lead changes than anyone could count, the three drivers continuously swapped positions based on who was best at any given moment or corner.
With just under 12 minutes left on the clock, Irazú went wide through Turn 12, falling off the track surface and rejoining the field in fourth. While Irazú battled back to third, Cará had a heartbreaking spin from the lead in Turn 1 with just under nine minutes left on the clock. To avoid the melee, Szuch darted left, taking the wide line off the turn, while Irazú darted right, taking the short way around the corner. With the quicker path, Irazú snatched the lead, while Szuch followed in second and Jacir took third. Cará rejoined in eighth, dashing his hopes of victory.
With Irazú, Szuch and Jacir parading around the front of the field, it wasn’t until the final lap when it looked like Szuch may be close enough to make a move on Irazú, but the Champagne Racing driver held off any advances. Irazú was the first to take the checkered flag, while Szuch followed in second and Jacir in third. By the time the checkered flag waved, Cará rebounded from his spin to cross the line fourth.
After the race, the stewards issued a five-second time penalty to Irazú for forcing Szuch off the racing surface during their intense battle. As a result, Irazú fell to second in the official results, with Szuch being promoted to the race win.
READ MORE: Race 3 Official Results
Ligier JFC will contest their next round at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, June 19-22. 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 event will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Prospective drivers looking to learn more about Ligier JFC should visit the series’ website, LigierJFC.com.