AVONDALE, La. (March 29, 2025) – Drew Szuch earned his first-career win in the Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) on Saturday afternoon at NOLA Motorsports Park. Rebounding from a freak accident in Race 1 where a loose engine cover hit the master switch and cut power to his car, Szuch (No. 28 Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) drove from fifth to first in a drive of determination.
Notes of Interest:
- After competing in Ligier JFC last season for his family-owned team, Drew Szuch teamed up with Berg Racing to make a run at the 2025 Ligier JFC Championship.
- Saturday’s victory marks the first of Szuch’s career, and the second time he’s finished on the podium. Prior to Race 2, Szuch’s best career finish was a second-place result at Circuit of The Americas.
- Gastón Irazú earned his second-career podium after winning Race 1 earlier in the day.
- Harbir Dass earned back-to-back third place finishes on Saturday at NOLA.
- Max Mokarem drove through the field from a last-place starting position to finish the race in sixth with his Momentum Motorsports team.
- With Szuch’s victory, Berg Racing earned their first win since July 2023, when the team visited New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Victory Lane while competing in F4 U.S. Championship.
Race 2 at NOLA Motorsports Park saw many of the same frontrunners that contested for the victory in Race 1. Gastón Irazú (No. 42 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) led the field down the starting grid with Daniel Cará (No. 10 Tenuta Foppa & Ambrosi Wines/WorkHub Ligier JS F4) to his outside. Irazú pulled out to an early lead, while the Berg Racing teammates, Harbir Dass (No. 23 Northcoast Medical Group / Dass Psych LLC/Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) and Szuch, who started third and fifth, respectively, raced through the field. Dass reached Irazú’s gearbox by the time the field completed their third circuit on the 2.75-mile track. Making a pass for the lead the following lap, it wasn’t long before Dass fell back into Irazú’s grasp as the Uruguayan once again took control of the field. With Irazú out front, Szuch settled in to second. The minutes ticked down as the race neared its halfway point, which is when Szuch pulled around the outside of Irazú entering Turn 3 and dove to the inside of Turn 4 to complete the pass.
While Irazú stayed on the rear wing of Szuch, he couldn’t find the right opportunity to overtake the lead before the safety car deployed to retrieve a car stuck deep in the grass. Without enough time to restart the event, the safety car led the field to the checkered flag, with Szuch winning, Irazú finishing second and Dass in third. Polesitter Cará finished fourth and PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship winner Augusto Paschetta (No. 27 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4) was fifth.
READ MORE: Race 2 Official Results
“This was a perfect way to get redemption [from Race 1],” said Szuch atop the podium. “We’ve been so hooked up all weekend. The Berg Racing car has been running great, the team’s been working great and I’m so glad that we can finally represent what we’re capable of. It was a good race; it was a lot of fun. The track was still pretty sketchy because there were a couple damp spots out there, so you really had to watch out. I just knew that you have to make every pass count in this series, because you never know when you’ll get a safety car or what will happen. I have to thank the team, of course. It’s my first weekend with Berg Racing, and I’ve been just so happy with how we’ve done. They’ve been really good to me.”
Ligier JFC will contest their final race of the NOLA SpeedTour tomorrow at 9 a.m. CT. The race will air live on SPEED SPORT 1, and also be available to stream live on SpeedTour.TV. With SPEED SPORT 1 available on Amazon Prime Video, Roku, Pluto TV, Sling, STIRR and more, details for how to tune in are available, here. Additional news and updates will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.