The 2nd Weekend of the 2016 F4 US Championship was one Momentum fans will not forget.It was full of ups, downs, birthdays, celebrations, and even a little blood. Going into the weekend, Momentum Motorsports added Skylar Robinson onto their dynamic roster that included Argentinian native Baltazar Leguizamon.
After opening weekend, Momentum was anxious to show Leguizamon’s full potential during round 2, knowing that he was capable of a lot more than was shown in the last round. Momentum, having raced against Robinson in other series knew what he was capable of. “We’ve seen Skylar race, he’s fast and poised behind the wheel. And after wanting to work with him for many years we were excited about his interest in this new series and eager to see what he could do and add to our team dynamic”, Team Principal Phil Picard Sr.
After finishing Practice on Thursday with excellent pace, the drivers and team were ready for Qualifying and eager to start the weekend. Due to overnight weather, the track conditions changed significantly. Due to this qualifying did not go as hoped for either driver. Leguizamon car wasn’t coming off the corner with the speed needed to set him up for a competitive lap time. Robinsons’ car wasn’t gripping the track as seamlessly as it had during practice causing him to start P7.
Eager to start the first race of the weekend, the cars lined up on false grid while all eyes were on the sky. Everyone wondered if it would stay dry and for how long. Original set up of dry tires were switched to wets after mother nature decided to open the sky’s up during the formation lap. Once the race started, Leguizamon’s race came to an end during an opening lap collision with another driver whose rain light was not functioning. Robinson, during his debut race managed to fight his way from P7 to earn a spot on the podium at finishing second!
The team worked hard to get Leguizamon’s car ready for race 2. After a competitor’s withdrawal Robinson started on the pole! Race 2 of the weekend was an exciting race as Robinson battled with competitor Jackie Ding to maintain first. Falling back to second in lap 7 Robinson maneuvered his way around the track to claim his spot at first in the last lap. Excited to have won his first F4 US Championship event, Robinson and the team headed to the podium for the second time of the weekend. Ecstatic over his win, Robinson went on the podium and celebrated with his competitors until an accident with a sparkling grape juice bottle caused him to need medical attention. Not to be held back Robinson glued his wound and displayed his bruise proudly ready to take on race 3!
With the damage from race 1 repaired Leguizamon took to the track once more anxious for a chance to shine, but it was not to be. While cornering speeds and techniques seemed to be very similar to his teammate, the lap times did not match with the number one car falling further and further behind. With concerns growing about the health and performance of the Honda racing engine, the HPD engineers were quick to respond and eager to help. After careful consideration and much deliberation the conclusion was reached for Leguizamon to withdraw from the final race of the weekend.
Race 3 of the weekend was spent with a majority of it under a yellow flag. A glitch in Robinsons car caused him to pit and drop back from his spot in fourth. He quickly caught up to the back of the pack and was eager to restart and battle his way forward. However, race three of the weekend was finished under a yellow flag and saw him finish P12.
If the worst thing about the weekend for Robinson was having a visit from the medics after a podium celebration gone awry, we are eager to see what this young man and his teammate have in store. Catch Robinson and Leguizamon at NJMP for the third event of the F4 US Championship on August 26-28!
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Photo Credit- Vaenessae Bryson
Momentum Motorsports 