Back at home and working in the family business after a whirlwind six months competing in the US F4 Championship, 17-year-old New Zealand racing driver Alex Crosbie took time this week to reflect on his campaign.

The Invercargill driver commuted from his home in Invercargill, New Zealand, to various venues in the United States and Canada over a six-month period, competing in the championship in a Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422.

“It was a really good experience. It’s a lot different over there. It’s quite competitive, and everyone is pushing as hard as they can. It’s more aggressive. It’s probably similar to the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship, which I competed in against international drivers at home last summer, but much more aggressive compared to our local domestic racing. It was amazing how big the track setups were and the trucks and transporters over there. Here at home, a lot of guys still have small trailers to move their cars around,” Crosbie said.

The Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport team ran cars in F4 Junior, F4, and Formula Regional.

“At Texas, we had 18 cars. The team was friendly, and the engineers all worked with each other, but the drivers are very, very competitive. The F4 car was good power-wise, but it was a shame we had no standing starts in the series as the F4 car has a long first gear. In comparison, the Formula Regional car has better power and brakes,” he explained.

Crosbie had no hesitation in naming his highlight: his first win on US soil at New Jersey in Round 3 of the championship.

The low point? “The first race at Round 4 in Canada,” Crosbie shared. He arrived at the round just three points behind second-placed Australian Daniel Quimby, but an engine failure on the formation lap of the first race of the round cost him dearly in the championship battle.

Despite the setback, he finished the championship fourth overall, just 4.5 points shy of third, with two wins and six podiums in a fine debut season.

Crosbie’s favorite circuit of the five he raced at was the demanding 3.41-mile, 20-turn Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Texas.

“The circuit, used for the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix, has so much run-off and is wider and longer than what I’m used to. The first part of the lap is fantastic!” he said.

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Mid-Ohio featured significant elevation changes, a rarity on New Zealand circuits. “The challenge was learning where to place the car before you can see over the rise,” he added.

While Crosbie primarily focused on racing, he had some time to explore the United States, a country he had never visited before.

“I was there two to three days before the New Jersey round and spent a day and a half in New York. After that round, I spent two days in Washington, DC. It’s a very different culture over there,” he said.

Alex competed in the F4 US Championship with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, supported by Golden Homes in the Southern Lakes. He acknowledges the support of his parents for his racing and appreciates all those who watched and supported his efforts back home in New Zealand during his campaign.

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