Group-A Racing Commits to F4 United States Championship With 4 Cars

Lindenhurst, New York (October 1^st, 2015) - This time last year Group-A Racing was making preparations to compete in the inaugural season of the Formula Lites Series. The Formula Lites cars are built by Crawford composites, powered by Honda engines, run on Pirelli tires and sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. Twelve months later Group-A Racing is pleased to announce the expansion of operations into the new F4 United States Championship. The F4 United States Championship is a new FIA sanctioned international series, with the cars built by Crawford Composites, powered by Honda engines, run on Pirelli tires and sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing with the FIA affiliation. The series will serve as a starting point for drivers making the transition from karts to cars. It will also serve as a feeder series to the Formula Lites Series after drivers have competed in the F4 Championship and are ready to move up.

Group-A Racing has already purchased four cars from Crawford and will have some of the first cars coming out of the factory. The aggressive approach is to make sure the team can be ‘first in best dressed’ for the inaugural season. This same approach was used for them with Formula Lites in 2015, which allowed the team to have a lot of success winning races, including a 1-2 sweep at VIR.

F4 is a global concept created by the FIA being used around the world. All the series are spec series with carbon chassis cars, paddle shift, and engines making 160HP. The concept is brought in to make economical equipment and operating cost while still giving all the latest technology and safety to the drivers. The series will be the only junior category in the United States at the moment that a driver can earn points to one day achieve a FIA super license to race in the pinnacle of motorsports - Formula 1.

“Formula 4 is the perfect introduction class for our program as a team,” said team manager Jonathan Scarallo. “We are all about driver development and we have been missing a proper introductory series to transfer the drivers from karts to cars. Formula 4 gives the drivers all the tools they need, with modern state of the art cars and fantastic commercial partners such as Honda, Pirelli, Crawford, SCCA, FIA etc. On top of that, it’s an economical series to run in creating a lot of value for the drivers. It will be a great training platform for drivers to get their start in cars and then move up the ladder with us to Formula Lites.”

The team is already in deep negotiations with numerous drivers to fill the four seats they are offering. Interested drivers can contact the team via 631-974-4379 or GroupARacing@aol.com.

Group-A Racing Earns 2-3 Finish at Pikes Peak

Lindenhurst, New York (September 10, 2015) - Rounds 9 & 10 have come and gone this past weekend for Group-A Racing in the inaugural Formula Lites Series at Pikes PeakInternational. Group-A Racing drivers Jackie Ding & Jose Armida earned a 2-3 finish in both rounds after showing vey strong pace throughout the weekend.

The weekend started off with the promoters test day. Jackie Ding finished the morning quickest on the time sheets with Jose Armida not far behind. The next day gave the drivers official practice sessions & qualifying for race one.

Qualifying turned into a very exciting battle for pole position. Group-A Racing’s Jackie Ding initially put the car on the pole to end up on the outside pole nipped by .03 of a second. Jose Armida earned 3^rd only four tenths off.

“From one perspective I am incredibly pleased, but the competitor in me is very bitter at the moment” said team manager Jonathan Scarallo. “I am very proud of the cars we put on track and the effort both drivers and the team put in, but it’s tough to come so close to earning the pole and not getting it.The last two races we have missed the pole by a total of 1 tenth of a second when you add up the difference from both events. It’s all good though, we’ll try and get it in the race when it really counts.”

In race one Jackie Ding & championship leader Pappereli battled it out for the lead, trading fastest lap of the race back and forth. As the race went on Pappereli was able to stretch abit of a lead taking the win over Ding. Jose Armida was tremendously consistent and ran 3^rd the whole race to add another podium to his tally forthe year.

Race two, the top four were inverted placing Jose Armida on the outside pole and Jackie Ding in 3^rd for the start. Going into turn one both Group-A Racing drivers and Pappereli were three wide and had some minor contact during the fierce tight battle. Coming out of turn one the running order was Bell, Armida,Papereli and Ding all nose-to-tail. Jose immediately pounced on Bell in turn two on lap one to take the lead. Armida led the first few laps with Pappereli and Group-A Racing team mate Jackie Ding chasing him down. The three battled it out the first third of the race. Eventually when the checkered flag flew,Group-A Racing would earn another 2-3 finish with Ding 2^nd and Armida 3^rd.

Post EventQuotes:

Team manager Jonathan Scarallo: “Overall I am happy with everything from this weekend. We were part of very close battles in qualifying and both races, but sadly come up a bit short. I am very happy with the way we have developed our cars; both drivers told us the cars were perfect during the races for them which is great to hear. Now we will keep working hard on developing our package and developing our drivers to hopefully finally earn a pole at MSR Houston and hopefully a couple more wins.”

Jackie DingDriver #86 Huawei, EVE Energy, Zone District FL-15: The results certainly weren't bad, but I'm also frustrated about the fact that we couldn't get a first place or a pole, or just a fastest lap! Frustration aside, I'm really happy about how far we have come from the first race in Thompson. I would love to end the season strong in MSR Houston, so that's what I'll work toward until then!

Jose Armida Driver #7 MSR Houston FL-15: "It was a good weekend. Even though I didn't achieve the results I was looking for, I was able to be very consistent. Second race was more exciting than first one, I lead some laps but I couldn’t quite get the win. I will continue to work, so I can be better at my home race at MSR Houston."

Group-A Racing Earns 1-2 Finish at VIR

Lindenhurst, New York (June 28, 2015) - Group-A Racing had a record setting weekend this past weekend during the Formula Lites event at Virginia International Raceway. The team was the first ever in series history to achieve a 1-2 sweep with its drivers Jackie Ding & Jose Armida. It had been 5 weeks since the last race at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Group-A Racing kept busy during the break with a testing program to further develop their car setups, as well as coaching its drivers to improve doing race simulations and qualifying simulations. After successful couple of days the team and its drivers were feeling confident going into the event.

The weekend did not start off as everybody had hoped with the initial expected speed not showing. The drivers mainly worked with their driver coach ,Jonathan Scarallo, to make the necessary improvements to find the time needed.

Qualifying would give mixed emotions for the teams drivers. Jose Armida made a very big improvement yet again and earned the outside pole. Jackie Ding, sadly had a mistake on his third flying lap that forced an early end to his session. With that, he still he managed to qualify 3^rd.

“Overall I am pleased with how the weekend has gone” said team manager and driver coach Jonathan Scarallo. “I have worked really hard coaching the drivers and they have done a great job of taking the coaching, applying it ,and therefore going quicker every time. We hoped we could maybe grab the pole, but still it was a good showing and we can challenge for the win tomorrow.”

At the start, Jackie Ding challenged his Group-A Racing teammate going into turn one. Jose would hold him off and continue to for the next three laps. On lap four Jackie got by his teammate going into turn one and set his sights on the leader who had built a 4 second gap while the two Group-A Racing drivers battled. Ding & Papperlli started to trade fastest lap of the race causing the lead to stay at the 4 second gap. Through persistent pressure applied by Ding, Papperlli made a mistake in the final corner giving Jackie the lead and Jose 2^nd. The Group-A Racing duo kept it that way to the checkered flag giving the team and the Formula Lites Series their first ever 1-2 finish.

In race two Jose Armida started third and Jackie Ding started fourth. Both drivers got good starts moving up to 2^nd and 3^rd. The Group-A Racing duo hounded Nick Neri for the lead. Unfortunately, Jackie’s race would come to an early end, when a parts failure occurred in the left rear. Jose Armida started to run Neri down for the lead, cutting it down lap-by-lap. Armida got to the leader at the very end but did not have enough time to find a way past, coming home with another second place finish.

“This result is such an incredible feeling” said Jonathan Scarallo “We worked really hard during the break and to earn a 1-2 finish the first race back is incredible. Everybody in the team and the drivers have worked so hard this year and it’s great to see the on track results showcasing the work that has been put in. It’s very unfortunate to have the mechanical situation with Jackie in race two. If it was not for that we might have swept both races. It’s the first time one of our cars has had a mechanical DNF since 2009, but that’s racing sometimes. We’ll get it fixed for the next one.”

"I'm extremely happy about the progress that we made and the results that we have achieved together. Not only did my driving improve a lot with help from the team, our understanding of these Formula Lites cars also grew immensely. To come home with a victory feels amazing, not to mention it being a one-two finish for Group-A Racing. It's the perfect way to say "Thank You“ to the team! Before the next race, I'll be working harder than ever to get another victory!” said Jackie Ding

"It was a very good weekend for everyone. The team, Jackie and I worked very hard the last days and I think it payed off. We are the first team in Formula Lites to have a 1-2 and I think that it is pretty special. Looking forward to do it all over again at Carolina Motorsports Park next month!" said Jose Armida.

For more information on race and testing opportunities with Group-A Racing contact them via 631-957-3901 or GroupARacing@aol.com

Group-A Racing Signs Jackie Ding for Formula Lites

Group-A Racing Signs Jackie Ding for Formula Lites

            Group-A Racing is pleased to announce they have signed Jackie Ding as their first driver of a four car planned program in the new Formula Lites Series.

Jackie is a 17 year old Chinese born driver currently living in Washington DC. He started racing just one year ago when he attended the Skip Barber Racing School. From

there he competed in the 2014 Skip Barber Summer Series while working with Jonathan Scarallo as his driver coach. He not only has shown immediate skill, but has worked very hard on and off the track to make tremendous progress in a short amount of time, capturing wins, poles and many podium finishes in his first year of racing. He is continuing to gain more seat time in preparation for his 2015 Formula Lites campaign competing in the Skip Barber Winter Series.

The new Formula Lites series, to be sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing beginning in 2015, is the brainchild of Dennis McCormack, Ryan Arciero and Max Crawford. Created to fill a longtime void in the United States open-wheel market, the FORMULA Lites concept incorporates the latest technology, high-quality engineering and a price point that offers a modern racing experience at a sensible purchase and operating costs.

“We are really excited about having Jackie join us for the inaugural season of Formula Lites,” said Group-A Racing team owner Joe Scarallo Sr. “My son, Jonathan, has been his driver coach basically since the start of his career and we have been able to see his natural

abilities in the car, and also how he is getting better every weekend. He works very hard on and off the track and is a very pleasant person to be around, which is basically everything a team owner can want in a driver. We look forward to continuing to coach him as he runs with us in Formula Lites so he can continue his progress.”

“I am excited to be joining Group-A Racing and Formula Lites this year,” commented Jackie Ding. “Having been a Group-A Racing development driver for the past year, gaining valuable experiences along with successes, I am very proud to be taking the next step into pro racing with them. Moreover, with the strong support from Honda & Pirelli, I think Formula Lites is definitely the series to be in right now. For me to be a part of this series right from the start is very exciting and I can’t wait to get started!”

Jackie will drive FL-15 chassis 007 with partnerships from Zone District Clothing, Autobahn Speedway Karting & iTianpin Gifts.

Group-A Racing is planning a four-car program for the 2015 Formula Lites Series. While more seats are filled, they do still have some opportunities remaining. Interested drivers should contact them via 631-957-3901 or GroupARacing@aol.com