The FPUSA Western Championships delivered intense action at Rounds 9 and 10, hosted at Thunderhill Raceway Park. While Ridgeley Welsh cemented his dominance in the Formula 4 class with a flawless performance, the Formula 3 and Women’s Racing Series (WRS) weekends saw fierce, position-trading battles with wins split between top competitors.
Formula 4: Ridgeley Welsh Runs the Table
Ridgeley Welsh proved unstoppable, capitalizing on late-race pace and stellar qualifying to sweep the F4 class.
In Friday’s Round 9, Welsh showed his race-craft, climbing from a P3 qualifying spot. The F4 feature race was a thrilling exhibition of wheel-to-wheel action, with the top three drivers—Welsh, Yashom Kapoor, and Aiden Zelaya—trading the lead multiple times. Welsh ultimately found the speed when it counted, securing the victory after a hard-fought battle.
Saturday’s Round 10 was a masterful demonstration of control. Welsh qualified on pole position (P1) and never looked back, managing the race expertly to convert his qualifying advantage into a commanding win and completing the perfect weekend sweep. Crucially, these two victories now propel Welsh into the F4 Championship lead, holding an 8-point advantage over Yashom Kapoor with only one race weekend remaining in the 2025 season.
Formula 3: Decker and O’Donnell Split Intense Weekend
The Formula 3 category saw two distinct winners, with Dan Decker and John O’Donnell each taking home a victory, highlighted by an unforgettable drive by O’Donnell.
Decker claimed the top step of the podium in Friday’s Round 9 after a grabbing the lead on a restart from fellow competitor Charles Duncan. Duncan and Larry Schnur completed the podium for Friday’s Round 9.
Saturday’s Round 10 was a very different story with the script belonging to John O’Donnell and his incredible resolve. O’Donnell qualified P1 but was immediately challenged when car struggles at the race start forced him to drop to the very back of the field. Undeterred, O’Donnell quickly found his rhythm and mojo, embarking on a breathtaking charge through the 21 car field. He sliced and diced his way past competitor after competitor, remarkably regaining the lead before the mid-point of the race and holding that position for an inspirational victory to the checkered flag.
Women’s Racing Series (WRS): Title Fight Heats Up
The battle for the WRS title continued its captivating run, with Carolyn Fitzgerald and Ana Palestro trading victories and championship points over the weekend.
The two championship rivals were inseparable throughout both rounds. Fitzgerald managed to edge out Palestro in Friday’s Round 9 to take the win, but Palestro returned the favor in Saturday’s Round 10, crossing the line ahead of Fitzgerald. With the season drawing closer to its conclusion, the back-and-forth results confirm that the WRS title fight remains wide open and will likely go down to the final rounds.
CURRENT POINTS
The FPUSA Championship now heads to Buttonwillow Raceway on November 14-16 for Rounds 11 and 12 and the season finale, where the title contenders in F4, F3 and WRS will continue their heated campaigns and the champions will be crowned.
