Port Alberni filmmaker wins award for motorsport media

Published 5:30 am Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Port Alberni’s Warwick Patterson and his production company, Formula Photographic Inc., based in the city have earned the RACER Creator Award for their work on Subaru Launch Control, a long-running documentary series produced for Subaru Motorsports.

The award recognizes excellence in storytelling and production in motorsport media.

Subaru Launch Control is on its 13th season and takes a behind-the-scenes look at Subaru’s factory racing efforts, following drivers Travis Pastrana, Brandon Semenuk and Scott Speed through the challenges, triumphs, and chaos of top-level competition. The series focuses on authentic storytelling, cinematic visuals and the human side of motorsports. Over those 13 seasons there have been more than 160 episodes and the series has a worldwide audience.

“This award means a lot because it recognizes not just Subaru’s commitment, but the creative effort that goes into telling these stories,” said Patterson in a news release. “It’s great to see work produced from right here in Port Alberni reach audiences around the world.”

The RACER Creator Awards were made to honour the best in motorsport filmmaking, photography and digital storytelling across North America. Winners are selected by an independent panel of industry professionals for their innovation and impact.

New episodes of Subaru Launch Control are available on YouTube at youtube.com/Subaru.

Alongside managing his production company, Warwick Patterson is also active in the local community as owner of the Vancouver Island Soaring Centre and a board member of the Alberni Valley Tourism Association.

FR Americas Driver Champion: Titus Sherlock, Crosslink Motorsports

Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Rayne Nutrition / Ronald McDonald House Charities / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) won the 2025 Driver Champion and the $100,000 cash prize that accompanied the accolades. Competing in his second FR Americas season, the Texan tallied eight wins—including two weekend sweeps—13 podiums, 17 top fives, one pole and two fastest race laps in the 20-race season.

Despite a dominant performance to start the season, his race to the title was anything but guaranteed. The first driver to claim a checkered flag, Sherlock took the win in in the opening race at NOLA Motorsports Park in March. That victory, paired with a weekend sweep at Road America, placed the 21 year old atop the standings after winning four of the first six rounds. However, a winless drought over the next three rounds dropped him all the way to fourth in points. Rallying to return to the top of the box with another weekend sweep at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Sherlock kicked off a seven-race podium streak, which changed the trajectory of his season. Taking the points lead with a runner-up finish in the penultimate round at VIRginia International Raceway, Sherlock carried the momentum forward to win the championship and cap off his season with one last win during the final race at Barber Motorsports Park.

“First of all, I want to thank Gill [Kaszuba, Crosslink Motorsports team owner] so much for believing in me this year and giving me this amazing opportunity,” said Sherlock while accepting his championship award. “What a group of guys you put together this year. There’s so much talent under our tent, and they’ve all done such a great job.

“Mark, you’ve been amazing. No mistakes from you, and you’ve made it a really fun time. Moses and Larry, the car’s been on point the whole year—thank you both so much. Everyone under the tent and working on my car, it’s been such a great time with you guys.

“Thank you, FR Americas, as well. I’ve been here for a couple of years and it’s been such a fun time here learning and developing. Of course, thank you to my family—my mom, my uncle, and Bailey back home. Thank you to everyone that’s been watching this season.”

In addition to the $100,000 cash prize and valuable FIA Super License Points, Sherlock earned a variety of other prizes, including a carbon Bell helmet, custom OMP racing suit, bespoke Omologato timepiece, Haas F1 Team guest experience at a 2026 F1 event, and an invitation to the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony.

READ MORE: 2025 FR Americas Driver Points Championship Standings

FR Americas Driver Vice Champion: Nicolas Ambiado, Kiwi Motorsport

After running a partial season in 2024, Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) returned to FR Americas to make a run at the championship title. With four wins, 11 podiums, 15 top fives and 17 top 10s, the Chilean stayed in the hunt until the series’ final round at Barber Motorsports Park, but ultimately finished the year as the Vice Champion, earning a $25,000 cash prize.

“I did my best this year,” said Ambiado while accepting his award. “It was a very difficult year and it was so competitive with all the drivers. We had great drivers racing, with Jett [Bowling], Bruno [Ribeiro], Titus [Sherlock], and Brady [Golan]. I’m very happy with the level of competition this year. It was very impressive.

“I just want to thank my team at Kiwi Motorsport, all the Chilean people, my family, my friends, and my dad—he’s my mechanic, he’s my dad, and he’s my friend. Thank you.”

Note: The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the five biggest moments of 2025 in INDY NXT by Firestone in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 27-31.

Myles Rowe ended the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season in style, scoring a commanding victory in the season finale Aug. 31 at Nashville Superspeedway.

Rowe led 20 of 65 laps to earn his second career win in the INDYCAR development series – both coming during a breakout 2025 season.

That feat marked a satisfying conclusion to a year defined by growth and resilience. ABEL Motorsports originally signed Rowe following a difficult rookie INDY NXT campaign with HMD Motorsports/Force Indy in 2024, when he went winless in 14 starts despite entering the series as the reigning USF Pro 2000 champion.

In 2025, he rewarded ABEL’s confidence by delivering two wins in his final six races, providing a timely boost to his upward trajectory.

Winning once – his breakthrough July 12 triumph at Iowa Speedway – would have been meaningful on its own. Winning twice made a stronger statement.

“It’s nice when the results start to match what you believe in your heart,” Rowe said.

Rowe’s rise has been anything but typical. After beginning in karting, he advanced to the Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series in 2017 and 2018, but financial limitations forced him to step away in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated sponsorship prospects, and Rowe shifted his focus to photography while attending Pace University, unsure if he would ever return to racing.

That changed with the launch of Penske Entertainment’s Race for Equality & Change initiative in 2020, which created new pathways for minorities and women in motorsports. From that effort, Force Indy was established. In 2021, Rod Reid – founder of NXG Youth Motorsports – offered Rowe a lifeline with a USF2000 opportunity.

Rowe seized it, becoming the first Black driver to win a race in the series with a breakthrough victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park. He remained in USF2000 in 2022 with Pabst Racing, while Force Indy moved up to INDY NXT. Rowe delivered five wins that season and finished just six points short of the championship, placing second to Michael d’Orlando.

His ascent continued in 2023 with Pabst and continued Force Indy support in USF Pro 2000. Five more wins secured the title and made Rowe the first Black driver to win a North American open-wheel championship.

That achievement earned him a career enhancement scholarship to step up to INDY NXT in 2024. But his rookie year proved challenging, as he finished 11th in the standings. In 2025, he rebounded convincingly with six podium finishes, including an impressive 2.5 average finish across four oval starts. He added three podiums on road and street circuits, underscoring his versatility.

Rowe returns to ABEL Motorsports in 2026, aiming for the championship.

BROOKFIELD, CT — Recent death notices from Brookfield.

Barry David Padroff, 85, died Dec. 21, 2025, the founder, president and CEO of BrewMaster Coffee Service, which he launched in 1965 and led for 28 years, and a longtime enthusiast of stock-market tracking, cruising, beachgoing, estate sales, landscape design and stamp collecting.

Kevin Shail, 70, died Dec. 16, 2025, a longtime lithographic printer with Modern Printing and Quebecor Printing and an avid “Fan Man” known for collecting antique hot air fans and mechanical devices and for regularly attending steam-engine and antique machinery shows.

Christian Richard Chemero, 59, died Dec. 15, 2025, an artist and craftsman educated in studio art whose pursuits included drumming, woodworking, photography, mountain climbing, biking, fishing, wildlife rescue, and documenting the natural world through his lens.

Virginia M. “Ginny” DeLuca, 90, died Dec. 10, 2025, a business owner of NAPROCO LLC and lifelong auto-racing enthusiast who sponsored drivers, founded Petty Cash Motorsports, followed weekly races at the track or on Flo, and centered her days around motorsports, faith, and Christmas.

Francis J. (Fran) Collins, 92, an attorney and longtime public servant who founded a private law practice, served in the Connecticut General Assembly, and enjoyed golf, skiing, hiking and fitness, died Dec. 6, 2025.

Judith “Judy” Bradley, 79, died Nov. 15, 2025, after a long illness, a career executive secretary most recently in municipal Parks and Recreation whose sharp wit, quick humor, and gift for keeping gatherings lively defined her days beyond work.

The Mid-West Drag Racing Series (MWDRS) has announced a schedule adjustment for its upcoming event at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, along with added prize money across several classes. The move comes as part of the series’ effort to support both the track and the inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals scheduled there in September.

“It is clear that our MWDRS Racers, along with competitors from many other series, have a genuine affection for the Martin, Michigan track,” said MWDRS founder Keith Haney. “We are proud to announce our support for both US 131 and the NHRA, specifically regarding the NHRA’s September race at the venue.”

To help build momentum around that event, MWDRS has elected to shift its US 131 race weekend to July 31–August 1. Haney noted that the schedule change is intended to benefit both organizations.

“We feel that by adjusting our schedule July 31st – August 1st, both organizations will ultimately benefit,” Haney said.

As part of the continued collaboration with US 131 Motorsports Park and the Peterson family, MWDRS also announced additional purse money for racers across multiple categories. Thanks to US 131, bonuses include:

• Pro Mod Slammers: $2,000 added
• Top Sportsman: $1,000 added
• Top Dragster: $1,000 added

MWDRS is also contributing to the purse structure, with an extra $250 going to both the Pro Jr. Dragster and Sportsman Jr. Dragster classes.

Haney emphasized the series’ longstanding relationship with the Peterson family and the track’s Northern Nationals tradition.

“We are thrilled to continue our strong relationship with the Peterson Family and the tradition of their Northern Nationals,” he said. “While we have not hosted a race in July or August for the past three years, we have elected to move our race in order to support our friends and the track, building excitement around the NHRA event.”

The Michigan stop has become one of the most anticipated on the MWDRS calendar, drawing passionate local and regional fan support alongside deep racer participation. The added purse and cooperative scheduling are designed to continue strengthening that footprint while supporting the broader drag racing community.

More information about the Mid-West Drag Racing Series season schedule and class purse structure can be found at www.MidWestDragRacingSeries.com.

This story was originally published on December 29, 2025.

Despite winning a championship and having a couple of the top pit crews in NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports is still working. In the offseason, the pit crew members at Hendrick have been practicing and refining their skills and choreography.

Since the Next Gen car debuted with the single lug wheels, it has changed pit stops and pit crews entirely. We saw Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing try to reinvent the pit stop with a new kind of choreography that was a boom-or-bust style. It either worked or it ruined the stop.

This season, teams implemented a new move for the jackmen that involved swinging the jack around the back as they ran from the right side to the left. The momentum from swinging it around proved to be a slight improvement over lugging it the old-fashioned way.

While we talk about cars and drivers and crew chiefs and pit strategy, the real work is being done behind the scenes. The folks at Hendrick Motorsports know improvement is a must. If you don’t improve, everyone else will. While the No. 9 crew won the Most Valuable Pit Crew Award for 2025, they could easily fall behind without putting in the work now.

“We know we have the right athletes here, so, now it’s finding the right combination to make it work. So, we’ve been doing that,” said Hendrick pit crew coach Jacob Claborn. “That’s been our focus the first couple of weeks this December, focusing on mixing and matching some groupings and trying to find the right combination and bringing along our development guys. They’ve probably been practicing the most of anybody since Phoenix.”

For the 2026 season, we could see more tricks and moves from these pit crew members. Hendrick Motorsports works so hard on making these improvements, no matter how big or small, and it shows during the season. Hendrick might have new choreography for the new year.

“We’re always trying to keep an open mind to choreography – is there a better way?” Claborn said. “I think you saw this year whereas some of our jackmen went to different takeaways on the right side, trying to find speed there, we have some additional practice going into this offseason realizing that while they’re currently fast in the way they’re doing it, there may be a faster way. So, we’ve been practicing some of that choreography with some of the individual positions.”

It sounds like hard work. We are talking about pit crews that can put down 8.5-second stops. So, how do you improve on a time quicker than the world record for the 100m dash? That’s where the small improvements come in.

When it comes to late race pit stops, tenths of a second matter. Winning races in the Next Gen era means having a great pit crew. Hendrick Motorsports is finding new ways to improve. Will we see other teams discover new ways of changing four tires?