F4 Academy: Enzo Peugeot and Garrett Berry put on a show

The Frenchman Enzo Peugeot won Race 1 after a 6th place start and a superb duel with Evan Giltaire. He then came up against a dominant Garrett Berry in a very lively Race 2 in the streets of Pau.

The first two races of the Pau Motors Festival were full of action and emotion. A lot happened at all levels of the field. Enzo Peugeot took 1st and 2nd places on the podium and collected some significant points in the French F4 Championship. In Race 2, American Garrett Berry brought the number of drivers to have won since the beginning of the season to seven.

Race 1: Enzo Peugeot’s first victory in 2023

Canadian Kevin Foster was on pole position but was caught out at the start of the race and Evan Giltaire was able to take the lead before the climb to the Oscar Bridge. A few corners later, Foster lost his car on the rumble-strip of the Foch chicane and went into a spin! The chasing pack led by Huyi Yamakoshi narrowly avoided the Canadian. Enzo Peugeot, who had already moved up from 6th to 4th place at the start, overtook the Japanese driver in the process and set off in pursuit of Giltaire. The race and Championship leader eventually lost out to Peugeot on lap 6, who took the opportunity to set the fastest lap.

Behind the leading trio, Belgian Yani Stevenheydens passed Italian Leonardo Megna for 4th place. Their pursuers had all gained a position after the unfortunate retirement of Louis Schlesser, who was in 6th place. Following a contact that eliminated the Ukrainian Yaroslav Veselaho, the safety car entered the track for two short laps. On the restart, Giltaire tried to intimidate Peugeot, who held on until the finish followed by Yamakoshi, who was a solid 3rd. American Garrett Berry started 9th and made an excellent start, then resisted the Spanish driver Pol Lopez and Adrien Closmenil to finish 6th. Canadian Jason Leung was satisfied to score his first points of the season with a 9th place finish ahead of Paul Alberto.

Race 2: Garrett Berry in two stages

The second race of the day did some damage among the academicians, including among the favourites. As soon as the lights went out, Kevin Foster tried to overtake Hiyu Yamakoshi, who was forced to shift to the left and make contact with Evan Giltaire. For the latter two, retirement was inevitable due to the fact that their cars were damaged in the incident. At the front of the race, Garrett Berry had taken the lead from poleman Pol Lopez, who suddenly lost his handling efficiency due to a shifted front wing, following a contact. Enzo Peugeot, who was still in good shape, and the Belgian Yani Stevenheydens, took advantage of the situation to easily pass the Spaniard.

Things quickly got worse for Lopez, who hit the rail hard on the start straight at the end of the third lap. A cascade of collisions ensued, resulting in the retirement of Kevin Foster, Adrien Closmenil, Paul Alberto and Leonardo Megna. Logically, the red flag was brought out.

Once the cars had been evacuated and the track cleaned, the race restarted for the remaining 12 laps. Harassed until the finish, Berry showed a fierce determination to take his first victory of the season. Already on the podium in Nogaro, Stevenheydens completed the top three. Finally spared by bad luck, Louis Schlesser finished in a promising 4th place, having kept Yaroslav Veselaho, Edgar Pierre and the German Tom Kalender behind him. These three drivers were waiting impatiently to get noticed, and now they have done it! 8th ahead of Germany’s Max Reis and Enzo Richer, Andorran Franck Porte-Ruiz took the last point on offer in this eventful race.

Continuation of the programme in Pau: Race 3, Sunday 14th May from 15:25 to 16:05

> Race 1 ranking
1 Enzo Peugeot (France) with 15 laps
2 Evan Giltaire (France) at 0.417
3 Hiyu Yamakoshi (Japan) at 1.740
4 Yani Stevenheydens (Belgium) at 2.755
5 Leonardo Megna (Italy) at 3.936
6 Garrett Berry (USA) at 4.697
7 Pol Lopez (Spain) at 5.030
8 Adrien Closmenil (France) at 5.710
9 Jason Leung (Canada) at 6.887
10 Paul Alberto (France) at 7.420
11 Tom Kalender (Germany) at 8.035
12 Edgar Pierre (France) at 8.596
13 Romain Andriolo (France) at 8.897
14 Frank Porte Ruiz (Andorra) at 10.929
15 Max Reis (Germany) at 11.018
16 Enzo Richer (France) at 11.370
17 Kevin Foster (Canada) at 11.828
18 Edouard Borgna (France) at 12.725
19 Karel Schulz (France) at 13.415
20 Andrei Duna (Romania) at 14.065
21 Luca Savu (Romania) at 1 lap
22 Joao Paulo Diaz Balesteiro (Colombia), retired on lap 12
23 Finn Wiebelhaus (Germany), retired on lap 11
24 Gabriel Doyle-Parfait (Great Britain), retired on lap 11
25 Louis Schlesser (France), retired on lap 9
26 Yaroslav Veselaho (Ukraine), retired on lap 3
Pole position: Foster in 1:40.459
FL: Peugeot in 1:17.091 (average distance 128.8 km)

> Race 2 ranking
1 Garrett Berry (USA) with 15 laps
2 Enzo Peugeot (France) at 0.377
3 Yani Stevenheydens (Belgium) at 0.699
4 Louis Schlesser (France) at 11.151
5 Yaroslav Veselaho (Ukraine) at 12.364
6 Edgar Pierre (France) at 12.786
7 Tom Kalender (Germany) at 13.725
8 Frank Porte Ruiz (Andorra) at 19.707
9 Max Reis (Germany) at 20.173
10 Enzo Richer (France) at 20.373
11 Joao Paulo Diaz Balesteiro (Colombia) at 27.646
12 Luca Savu (Romania) at 29.069
13 Finn Wiebelhaus (Germany) at 29.157
14 Gabriel Doyle-Parfait (Great Britain) at 29.941
15 Karel Schulz (France) at 44.211
16 Edouard Borgna (France) at 48.856
17 Romain Andriolo (France), retired on lap 11
18 Andrei Duna (Romania), retired on lap 8
19 Jason Leung (Canada), retired on lap 5
20 Pol Lopez (Spain), retired on lap 4
21 Kevin Foster (Canada), retired on lap 4
22 Adrien Closmenil (France), retired on lap 4
23 Paul Alberto (France), retired on lap 4
24 Leonardo Megna (Italy), retired on lap 2
25 Hiyu Yamakoshi (Japan), retired on lap 1
26 Evan Giltaire (France), retired on lap 1
FL: Berry in 1:18.402 (avg. 126.7 km)

FFSA Academy – Press Release / Photo © KSP – Guillaume Veuve