STEAM CORNERS, Ohio — As the summer heats up, so, too, does the competition in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) and Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) with all three series working steadily toward the halfway point of their season.
The three will join Sportscar Vintage Racing Association and International GT at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, bringing fans an action-packed weekend with open paddocks, autograph sessions, pit lane fan walks, car shows and three full days of racing.
Winners Repeat
FR Americas tallied its first repeat winners of 2026 as Brady Golan (No. 40 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) and Evagoras Papasavvas (No. 71 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) visited victory lane at Road America last month.
Despite being the first driver to notch two wins, struggles in the other rounds have Golan ranked fifth in the standings. Meanwhile, Papasavvas paired his second victory of the season with a runner-up finish in the weekend’s other race to overtake Cooper Shipman (No. 10 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) for the championship lead.
Returning to FR Americas for the first time since 2021, consistency has been key for Christian Bogle (No. 7 Pelican Energy Consultants / Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) who has finished inside the top six in every race to rank third in the standings.
At the conclusion of the season, the championship-winning driver will be awarded $100,000.
Buckeye Battle
Ohio will be well represented on the grid this weekend, as Solon’s Harbir Dass (No. 9 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Loveland’s Evagoras Papasavvas (No. 71 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) face off in this weekend’s doubleheader.
The pair grew up just a few hours away, with Dass 90 minutes northeast of the circuit, and Papasavvas residing two-and-a-half hours southeast in the suburbs of Cincinnati.
Caps Off, Helmets On
Three drivers in FR Americas wrapped up their high school careers since the series was last on track at Road America. Cooper Shipman (No. 10 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) walked across the stage to complete his studies at iUniversity Prep, part of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District back on May 30.
The rookie driver will attend Purdue University in the fall to study mechanical/motorsports engineering. Meanwhile, Eric Wisniewski (No. 25 REMAX Commercial / Hillenburg Motorsports Ligier JS F3) got his diploma along with the rest of the Class of 2026 at Mason High School on May 31.
The Hillenburg Motorsports driver will enroll at Michigan State University to study Mechanical Engineering in the fall. Brady Golan (No. 40 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) wrapped up his high school experience just days ago, graduating from the University of Texas High School, an online school, on June 6.
This fall, he will live on the University of Texas Austin campus while attending Austin Community College to study economics through a transfer program.
Masters of the Track
With bragging rights on the line, the fight for the Masters Cup Championship continues among drivers ages 35 and above in FR Americas.
Whitney Strickland (No. 21 TF Companies / Hillenburg Motorsports Ligier JS F3) currently leads the charge with four wins this season. However, Kevin Janzen (No. 24 US Power Group/Data Center Solutions / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) isn’t far behind after three runner-up finishes to date.
Winning Round 3 at NOLA Motorsports Park earlier this season, Anthony Autiello (No. 07 Hope For The Warriors / Momentum Motorsports Ligier JS F3) continues to rank third.
Two Weekends, Two Sweeps
The drivers competing in F4 U.S. are hungry for the scholarship to advance to FR Americas next season. With two race weekends in the books, we’ve seen two winners in the championship, as each has completed a weekend sweep.
Caleb Campbell (No. 68 Steele Auto Group / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) set the tone, winning the weekend’s three races at NOLA Motorsports Park to start the season and take control of the point standings.
Zach Fourie (No. 15 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) has been among the most consistent drivers this year, and with five podiums across five races — including four runner-up finishes—he ranks second in the standings. However, last year’s Ligier JFC Champion, Gastón Irazú (No. 27 Elia Group / Baly / Canal 4 / Ancap / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F422), showed that he’s ready to fight for the F4 U.S. title, too, sweeping the races at Road America last month.
Birthday Bash
F4 U.S. will celebrate its 10th Birthday in just a few short weeks, but with this weekend’s race contested at the site of the championship’s first race.
A 30-minute contest with a competitive field, Konrad Czaczyk won the race while now-IndyCardriver (and six-time winner) Kyle Kirkwood finished second. Cameron Das went on to win the championship that season before climbing the FIA ladder up to FIA F3 in Europe.
Mid-Ohio remains the most-visited circuit in F4 U.S. history. The venue hosted the series twice during its inaugural season, and the championship has returned to the 2.258-mile circuit every year since.
An OG Returns
One of the drivers who took part in that inaugural race was Austin Kaszuba (No. 34 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422), who makes his return to F4 U.S. competition this weekend at Mid-Ohio.
Spending three seasons in F4 U.S., Kaszuba also competed in FR Americas in 2019. Since then, he’s stayed closely involved with Crosslink Motorsports, regularly coaching the team’s young drivers and contributing behind the scenes throughout the years.
Khan Makes First Start
Zain Khan (No. 10 USNG Racing Ligier JS F422) joins the F4 U.S. grid at Mid-Ohio this weekend after starting his formula career last year in Japan. Off the track, Khan is a successful entrepreneur and the CEO of two leading real estate firms. On the track, he’s looking to gain experience while competing in his rookie season.
Cross Flags
The Ligier JFC season will officially pass halfway this weekend at Mid-Ohio with Rounds 7, 8 and 9 on the docket for the 16-race championship.
A four-time winner this season, Beckham Jacir (No. 7 Stonica / Bell / OMP / P1DOKS / Behind the Wheel / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) continues to top the point standings, holding a 44-point margin over Lazaro Bainotti (No. 11 Fundacion Fangio Rus seguros Cordoba deportes / Speed Factory Ligier JS F4), who is the only other driver in the Gen. 1 class to have secured a win this season.
Currently ranked third in the standings, Ava Hanssen (No. 26 One Powersports / Chiropractic Center of Elkhorn / NGK / Badger Mats Ligier JS F4) is having a breakthrough season. The Wisconsin native has yet to finish outside the top five, has stood on the podium in two races, and led her first laps in Ligier JFC last month at Road America.
Rookies Making Waves
With a trio of rookies, the Berg Racing contingent continues to make strides each race week. At Road America, Tyler Wade (No. 9 Dante’s Inferno / Perlson LLP / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) scored a pair of career-best finishes, improving his previous best result by two positions. Meanwhile, Ella White (No. 52 Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) earned her first top-five finish with a fourth-place result in the weekend’s opening race.
However, it was AJ Abdullah (No. 21 Freedom Detox / Grid State Digital / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) who led the celebration, popping open the sparkling water after scoring a career-best runner-up finish in Race 1.
As all three drivers continue to gain valuable experience and build confidence behind the wheel, expect to see the Berg Racing rookies move up on the results sheets.