Back on the Podium for Formula Pro USA Round 3
We just wrapped up rounds 3 and 4 of Formula Pro USA Western Championships at Buttonwillow last weekend. It was nice to get back on the podium in Round 3, but we still have work to do in order to stay competitive with the other top 3 drivers in the series.
This weekend, the series experimented with doing a split start within the Formula Atlantic group, so all the other cars in the FA group (including Pro Formula Mazda, Formula Mazda, and Formula Speed) went in one group, while the F4's followed as a second group in order for the F4's to race head-to-head. It was nice to have all the F4's together, unencumbered by other cars, but at the same time, we missed some good racing and passing opportunities by splitting the groups. With the 2 Qualifying sessions, Kyle would have started Round 3 in P17, but instead, with the F4's moved to the back, he technically started P24. There was a little confusion at the start when one driver jumped the gun, and Kyle ended up in last place as they passed the start line. Over the course of the 25-minute race, Kyle moved from P25 all the way back up to P17 and finished 3rd in F4 to earn his first podium of this series.
For Round 4 on Sunday, the start positions reverted back to the qualifying positions, so he started P4 in the F4 group. The gap between the F4's and the rest of the FA cars was significantly larger in Round 4, so they didn't catch as many of the FA group as they had the day before. He ended that race in P4 for F4, and P19 overall. His lap times were faster than a few of the drivers in the FA group ahead, so if not for the split start, he probably would have been somewhere closer to the top 15.
Rounds 5 & 6 will be at Portland International Raceway. We've never been there and so far, we have not found the track on any of the simulators so it looks like he is going to need to learn the track on practice day with just a few sessions, then qualify and go racing the next day. This series is giving us a chance to learn new tracks and try to quickly get up to speed, so we'll see how that goes!
See the full Event Details from Rounds 3 & 4.
