F4 U.S. Championship #Round 6
Round #6
Circuit of the Americas
Austin, TX
November 2nd – 4th, 2022
Hello everyone in the Berg Brigade,
I am sad writing this newsletter, as it marks the end of the 2022 F4 U.S. Championship Powered by Honda!
Although we had some misfortune this past weekend at COTA, I am happy to say that we came out of the season finale as the highest-finishing single-car team effort in the entire F4 paddock.
Results were mixed, starting with qualifying. We had technical issues before I started my first flying lap, which sent me spinning into the fast big uphill corner of T1. Thankfully, I did not hit anything (or anyone), and after doing a full 360-degree spin in the braking zone, I rolled to a stop in a safe place. I was okay, but the car was a different story.
My two crew members this weekend, Brandon Reed, car engineer, and Jesse Mata, had to spend over six hours fixing my damaged racecar. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could’ve done to prevent this, as this sort of stuff happens in racing from time to time.
This meant we had to start last (P25) in Race #1. After a grueling race, we ended up gaining 16 spots and ended up finishing P9. I am going to make a video compilation of all my passes from this weekend, as I drove up through the field, not once, but twice this weekend!
Race #2 was really the only “normal” race that we had. Since we were quick in Race #1, I started on the 2nd row of the grid in P4. On the first lap, we made the jump to snatch P3 and almost took the lead on the second lap. Things got a bit messy from here, as the leader dropped from 1st to 4th in a matter of a few laps. I was running 3rd for most of the race to the end, which is ultimately where I was officially classified. Andre Castro (#8 Car) passed me for 3rd lap before a full course caution came out. Unfortunately, the race ended behind the pace car. I crossed the line in 4th, but due to a driver ahead of me getting penalized, I ended up finishing 3rd, taking the team’s fourth podium this season. Not the way I wanted to get a podium, but I will take it.
Race #3 on Friday morning was a little strange, to say the least. It was raining quite heavily at the start, and starting from P9, I was in the top 6 by the halfway point of the first lap. I was tagged in the rear by another driver (I will not say who, as I am close friends with him) into a brake zone, which spun me around and sent me to P25 (last). The race was shortened due to the many full course cautions over the course of the 20 minutes, but in that time, I was able to regain 13 spots to claim P12.
If I am being honest, I am a little saddened that I was not able to give the team the result that they deserved after the fantastic season in which we had, but I can say that I have learned a lot throughout the year, and if there was an award for most overtakes in total, I am pretty sure I would have won it!
This year would not have been possible without the amazing team I was blessed to have an opportunity to represent.
We started the year off with our team planning to run two FRs, and two F4s, but by the first race, I was the only F4, and by the 5th race of the season, I was the only car at all on my team in the FR / F4 paddock. Max Papis may have said it best: “Racing can be a tough world, but it is those who can arise from their knees with forces pushed against their shoulders who will be the ones who excel”. Our little team was by far the smallest of the top-10 championship finishers, but that did not stop us from taking P5 in Doran-Kroll Competition and my first season of the F4 U.S. Championship Powered by Honda.
I like to believe everything happens for a reason, and although we have faced many tough situations this season, I look at it as if we never faced those, would I be as good of a driver as I am right now? I certainly do not believe so.
I have met so many people and made so many memories, and for that, I am grateful. To anyone looking to run FR Americas, the F4 U.S. Championship, or FR or F4 on the West Coast in 2023, I urge you to speak with Francois Doran, the team owner. Please contact me and I will put you in touch with him.
As some of you may know, I was tight on a budget coming into this weekend. I was fortunate enough to have costs covered by my new partners this season, Jevitty Life Science, DAE Systems, and Veloce Garage. I want to give a huge thanks to them for giving me a chance to complete my 2022 F4 U.S. campaign.
Please make sure to visit the links below to learn more about my supporters. Racing would not be possible if it was not for them.
I will miss this season a lot, but now it is time to put my head down and focus on continuing to work to build value for my current and future partners to find the funding required to race next season and beyond!
Cheers!
Alex Berg
You can follow me live Via the Race Monitor App or through my Social Media channels (listed below). I would like to thank my partners for supporting me throughout my career, you can find them listed below, without them, my racing would not be possible.
Make sure to follow my 2022 racing exploits on the MySim.CA chassis and on the real race track at the following:
Instagram: @alex8erg
Facebook: @alexbergracing
Linkedin: Alexander Berg
Twitter: @alex_8erg
E-Mail: ABJR@AllenBergRacingSchools.com
Doran-Kroll Competition: https://www.doranmotorsports.com/
Penn Elcom: https://www.pennelcomonline.com/
Jevitty Life Science: https://jevitty.com/
MySim.CA: https://www.mysim.ca
RRG Roofing: https://rrofga.com/
Stilo USA: https://www.stilohelmets.com/
Foxxr Digital Marketing: https://foxxr.com/
DAE Systems: https://dynamic-air.co.uk/
F1 Geeks Official: https://www.f1geeks.com/
Please feel free to contact me in any of the ways listed above to learn more about me or my partners who make racing possible!!