Seventeen-year-old Alex Crosbie secured a dominant win in the final race of the F4 US Championship at Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) on Saturday morning to put the icing on his breakthrough campaign.
Crosbie started from pole position and led all the way, stretching his lead to almost four seconds at the halfway point of the race only for a safety car intervention with ten minutes to go allowing the field to close up.
When the lights went green for a restart there was just a one lap dash to the finish. Crosbie made another good start to lead again, only for a full course yellow which allowed him to cruise to victory, his second of the championship.
Australian Daniel Quimby, Connor Roberts of the United States, debutant Alex Popow and Nicholas Stati of Australia followed him across the line, the result giving Quimby the championship.
“It was a good race and I’m glad I finally found the speed I needed this weekend,” said Crosbie from the podium before acknowledging Golden Homes in the Southern Lakes and his parents.
Second placed Quimby said, “Alex was just so quick out there.”
Crosbie had started the weekend well by qualifying second fastest, just .192 of a second behind series newcomer, Venezuelan American Alex Popow, with Stati, Quimby and Roberts all behind him.
The first two races brought their challenges. From second on the grid in the opening race, Crosbie got a damaged wing after being cut off in an early skirmish and finished fourth at the end of the 30-minute race.
The following day he started third in the second race and was back in sixth early on after some early jostling before working his way back to fourth before a lengthy safety car period. At the restart he began challenging Stati for third but time ran out and he crossed the line fourth. He had real pace during the race, around half a second quicker than his rivals and the fastest lap of the race meant Crosbie would start the final race of the championship from pole.
Later stewards handed out several penalties and Crosbie copped a 5 second one that dropped him to fifth, a penalty that potentially cost him third in the championship.
The final race the following day saw Crosbie speed away from the field in his Crosslink / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422 for his dominant victory.
Crosbie ended the championship fourth overall just 4½ points off third with two wins and six podiums in a fine debut season in the championship.
Crosbie now makes the trip back to New Zealand to compete in the Tony Quinn Foundation’s $70,000 CTFROC Shootout at Hampton Downs.
