Ava Hanssen matches best finish with P5 at Mid-Ohio as Kelsey Pinkowski gains crucial experience in Ligier Junior Formula
- MACIEJ JACKIEWICZ
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
Ava Hanssen scored her second rookie podium and second top five of the season during the third round of Ligier Junior Formula Championship at Mid-Ohio. Furthermore, Kelsey Pinkowski gained valuable tracktime and experience in battles during the races.
Ava Hanssen scored her second rookie podium of the season during the third round of Ligier Junior Formula Championship at Mid-Ohio. Furthermore, Kelsey Pinkowski gained valuable tracktime and experience in battles during the races.
The first two rounds of the championship were quite successful for the female drivers. Ava Hanssen scored points in every race and also made it to the rookie podium in the eventful second race at Road America. Kelsey Pinkowski, on the other hand, has finished in the top 10 three times, with her best result to date being an eighth position in the same race where Hanssen scored her class podium.
The race weekend for the Ligier Junior Formula Championship began on Thursday with the optional test sessions. In the first session, drivers gained valuable track time around the Mid-Ohio circuit. The second test, however, was washed out due to rain. Testing continued on Friday with free practices held in dry conditions, alongside the F4 US competitors. Hanssen and Pinkowski were able to further explore and learn the track. While the times did not match those at the front of the field, both female drivers showed promising glimpses of pace.
From the very beginning the 40 minute qualifying, which commenced at 9 am on Saturday, had been a chaotic one. Just three minutes in, a red flag was brought out due to F4 US driver Demitri Nolan encountering issues. After around ten minutes the qualifying session resumed: both Hanssen and Pinkowski went out on track. After the first quick laps Hanssen was classified in sixth among the Ligier JFC competitors, while Pinkowski sat in fifteenth. With 20 minutes remaining the Ava Hanssen Racing driver improved to fifth, while Pinkowski, driving for Crosslink Motorsports, couldn’t advance higher.
The session calmed down with fifteen minutes to go, with Pinkowski steadily improving, but unable to improve her position. After thirty minutes of driving, Hanssen went into the pits and just as she came back out on track, a red flag appeared again, which was effectively the end of qualifying. Ava Hanssen finished the qualifying in P8, with a 1:27.922, while Kelsey Pinkowski ended the session in fifteenth, after setting a 1:30.957 lap time with six minutes to go.
Race one for the Ligier Junior Formula Championship commenced at 4:25 pm local time, and thanks to the penalties up front, Ava Hanssen started in P4, while Pinkowski began the competition in P11. Drama unfolded across the whole grid on the first lap, as four drivers were involved in an accident, which brought out the safety car. Hanssen held P4, while Pinkowski advanced to eighth place. The neutralization ended on lap 3, and the race got back underway with 20 minutes to go.
The restart was not the best for female competitors, as Hanssen lost a position to Drew Szuch and Kelsey Pinkowski dropped to P12. On lap 7 the American-German driver, despite great defending, dropped another position, this time being overtaken by the provisional qualifying winner, Beckham Jacir. On the following lap Kelsey Pinkowski spun, but was able to continue running in the twelfth position. The race calmed down for the next few laps, but on lap 14 Zach Fourie was able to overtake Ava Hanssen, despite the young American’s good defensive drive.
The championship leader, Gaston Irazú, went wide in turn 4 on lap 15, which caused him to drop behind Ava, but at the same time she was overtaken by Harbir Dass, which resulted in her retaining P8. The race ended with Ava Hanssen - who reportedly struggled all weekend with some setup issues - scoring good points, while Kelsey Pinkowski gained valuable mileage around the tricky Mid-Ohio track.
The second race of the season took place on Saturday morning local time. Hanssen started the race from ninth and Pinkowski began the competition from fifteenth on the grid. After the start of the race the American-German driver remained in her starting position. Pinkowski had an amazing start and advanced to P11, but on lap 2 she dropped one position down. The following lap saw the safety car make its way on the circuit, as Luca Day crashed his Ligier JS F4 on the exit of the last corner.
The race restarted on lap 7, with 15 minutes to go. Hanssen dropped to P11 and Pinkowski defended her twelfth position. However, she was not able to keep the place and on lap 10 the young American was down to thirteenth. On lap 13 another safety car was deployed, as Michael Fatutta briefly stopped on track. Race resumed on lap 15, but the NASCAR saying "cautions breed cautions" came into effect, as four cars were involved in a turn 1 incident, including Kelsey Pinkowski. The race ended under yellow flags, and in the end Ava Hanssen finished in P11 and Pinkowski, despite not finishing the race, was classified in thirteenth.
The race direction shortened the third race to 20 minutes. It started with Hanssen positioned in seventh and Pinkowski in fourteenth. After the first two laps both drivers kept their positions, but on lap 3 the Crosslink driver dropped behind Canadian Luca Day. Ava Hanssen meanwhile started driving away from Zach Fourie, safely keeping her seventh place.Â
Lap 8 was the beginning of a dramatic ending to the race, as Gaston Irazú spun in turn 4.
Later, another South American, Daniel Cará made a mistake which allowed Ava Hanssen to pass him. At the same time Pinkowski’s teammate, Josh Griffith, crashed which caused a full course caution, and later a safety car. This led to the race finishing under yellow flags, with Ava Hanssen in P7 and Kelsey Pinkowski in P14. After the race Beckham Jacir and Roman Felber were penalized, which allowed Hanssen to score her second rookie third place, with a P5 finish. Pinkowski on the other hand, ended up with a twelfth position.
All in all, this weekend was successful for the female drivers. Both of them gained valuable experience around a very difficult track to navigate, and Hanssen equalled her best result in the championship. The next occasion for these young talents to show their talent in the Ligier Junior Formula Championship will be at the end of July, as the stars of tomorrow will visit the New Jersey Motorsport Park.
