Ronan Murphy is keeping his goals realistic ahead of the final three rounds of the US Formula 4 championship which resumes at Sebring later this month.
The young Kiwi’s maiden international series has been challenging with weekends of triumph mixed in with rounds where he has struggled to get to grips with the car.
The Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport driver’s best result this season has come from a standout drive at Virginia International Raceway back in July where he scored his debut podium.
He has also proven to be one of the best drivers in the field in wet conditions. The opening round in Mid-Ohio saw the circuit flooded after a heavy rainstorm washed over moments before the race. Starting 26th, Murphy expertly navigated himself up 13 positions within half-a-lap before the race was red-flagged.
But unfortunate incidents and poor qualifying results have frequently disrupted Murphy’s season and he had yet to string together a complete weekend before the two-month mid-season break.
However, the break has allowed the 18-year-old to regather his focus and he says he has been keeping a realistic mindset having pencilled out his goals for the rest of the season.
“I think the next round in Sebring will be good,” Murphy told Velocity News. “But I will just need to focus on the areas that need improving such as qualifying, and also set some realistic goals for each weekend and we will see where we end up.
“I think as long as I keep moving forward and making gains then the results will come and hopefully we will be up the pointy end on a more consistent basis over these last few rounds.
“I would love to get that maiden win sometime soon, but in the meantime, we just have to keep it real and hit all the marks and achieve the goals that are currently set.
“In the end I think we just need to see what happens with how these last three rounds play out, and take the opportunities as they come, because so far the championship has been incredibly unpredictable.”
Murphy did return home to New Zealand over the break to reunite with his friends and family ahead of a flat-out conclusion to the season.
Across his time at home, he said he had been focusing on maintaining his fitness levels as well as coming to grips with the unfamiliar circuits on the simulator.
“I returned home to New Zealand after Round 3 for a week and a half due to my VISA,” he added.
“So I got to spend some time going over the last three tracks on the simulator which was great, and it kept my mind onto it over the long break between the rounds.
“I’ve also been working hard on the physical side of things to make sure I am in good shape for these longer and hotter races than what I’m usually used to as well.”
Murphy will visit Sebring, Homestead Miami Speedway and the Circuit of the Americas to wind down the 2020 season, the first of which gets underway with a tripleheader over September 25-27.
