MILLVILLE, N.J. — After sweeping the weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course just a few weeks ago, Cooper Shipman carried momentum into the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour weekend to win the opening race for Formula 4 United States Championship on Saturday afternoon.
In a race with intense competition and attrition, Shipman (No. 14 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) kept his focus forward to minimize his mistakes and capitalize on the misfortune of others.
Turn 2 was a gremlin for several competitors throughout the race, with both Demitri Nolan (No. 5 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422) and Alex Popow (No. 55 Dr. Michael Thompson MS DDS PPLS / MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) eliminated from competition after contact with the tire barrier.
Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N-E-Where Transport / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422) paced the field for most of the race, but a late-race restart changed everything, as Clemente Huerta Raab (No. 17 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) pulled tight on his bumper and dove to the inside entering Turn 1.
Hauanio dropped two wheels, giving the advantage to Caleb Campbell (No. 68 Kids Help Phone / Camtacc Properties / Legacy Foundation of Canada / LC Racing Ligier JS F422), who had darted forward from third.
As Huerta Raab dropped all four wheels off the racing surface, Shipman slid into the runner-up position to take chase of Campbell.
For the next three laps, Campbell and Shipman raced wheel to wheel, until finally, with just over four minutes left on the clock, Shipman drove deep into Turn 1 to complete the pass. When the checkered flag waved, Shipman led, with Campbell in second and Hauanio in third.
Following the event, the stewards issued Campbell a penalty for causing a collision. The drive-through penalty was converted into a 30-second time penalty, which dropped Campbell to fourth in the final results and promoted Huerta Raab to the third and final podium position.
“It was a pretty crazy race out there,” said Shipman after the race. “I thought we gave it away there in the beginning, but I just kept my head down and waited to capitalize from the mistakes. Thanks to the Kiwi Motorsport team for giving me a great car—one that allowed us to come through from the back. I’m super excited to win today and super proud of our effort.”
