DORAN-KROLL COMPETITION’S ATHREYA RAMANAN WINS IN SONOMA WHILE MARCO KACIC ADDS PODIUM RESULTS

Doran-Kroll Competition made the trip to the famed Sonoma Raceway and Sonoma, California near the end of June for rounds five and six of the 2021 Formula Pro USA Championship. Competing under the Doran-Kroll Competition banner were F3 driver Marco Kacic and Athreya Ramanan, who would do battle in F4 as the series championship reached the halfway mark.

“It was a good weekend for us, and the team started out on the right foot with both drivers having great qualifying sessions,” explained Francois Doran. “Athreya qualified in the second position for the F4 race and Marco earned the pole position for the F3 race. At the end of the weekend, we were able to leave with one win and four podium results. Congrats to Athreya on his first career F4 win!”

In the first F3 race of the weekend, Kacic controlled most of the race until a slow car ruined his run for the top spot. Although lapped traffic was an issue, it was looking like the young Canadian had the race under control and was on his way to another victory. Unfortunately, with only a handful of laps remaining, lapped traffic substantially slowed the #95 entry and forced him to go wide in one of the slowest corners on the track. The loss of momentum allowed the second and third place competitors to overtake and Kacic simply ran out of time to regain the lost positions. Forced to settle for the third step of the podium, Kacic and Doran-Kroll Competition knew that they had the speed to run at the front of the field.

In race one on the F4 side of the program, Athreya Ramanan showed great pace, bringing his Lordco Auto Parts F4 car home in second position. Battling hard at the pointy end of the grid, Ramanan added to his 2021 podium total as he continues to gain experience and knowledge in the Ligier JSF4.

The second F3 and F4 races of the weekend took place on Sunday as Kacic and Ramanan were excited to see if they could improve on their Saturday results. Battling for the top spot throughout the second wheel-to-wheel action of the weekend, Kacic managed to secure the second position with his Lordco Auto Parts Ligier JSF3, his second podium result of the weekend. Also on Sunday, Ramanan had a spirited drive to the front of the F4 field making a pass for the lead late in the race and driving to his first career F4 victory.

“I am extremely happy with my weekend at Sonoma Raceway. I managed to make large strides in my driving and secured my first ever race win on Sunday,” added Athreya Ramanan. “I’d like to thank my parents for their generous support which had allowed me to reach my goals. Also huge thanks to the entire team for providing an excellent car to drive all weekend. I hope to keep up the momentum for the remainder of the season.”

“Overall, it was a good weekend for us,” added Kacic. “I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time with only a few test days. I’m definitely excited for the next one where I will be pushing harder than ever to return to the top step of the podium.”

For more information on the Doran Motorsports Group, please contact Francois Doran at 951-922-3411 or via his cell phone at 951.897.0550. To contact him via email, Francois can be reached at f.doran@doranmotorsports.com or visit them online at www.DoranMotorsports.com.

Photos: Francois Doran – Doran Motorsports Group