Golan, Huerta Raab, Speith take Barber Race 1 wins in FR Americas, F4 U.S. and Ligier JFC

The Formula Regional Americas, F4 U.S. and Ligier Junior Formula Championships began their final weekend of the season at Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday.

FR Americas: Golan takes eighth win

Brady Golan earned his eighth win of his championship campaign in FR Americas. At Sunday’s Year-End Awards Celebration, Golan will be presented with a $100,000 check as part of the champion’s prize.

After leading early, Kekai Hauanio finished second in Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park to record his ninth podium of the season.

Cooper Shipman earned his ninth podium of the season with a third-place result in Race 1.

Anthony Autiello earned his fourth win in the 2026 Masters Cup Championship season.

With Kevin Janzen finishing second and the race scoring just half points, Whitney Strickland clinched the FR Americas Masters Cup title.

Earning his first pole of the season, Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N-E-Where Transport / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) led the field to the starting lights with Brady Golan (No. 40 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) to his outside. With a solid launch off the line, Hauanio took control of the race, but his pace slowed a few turns later, as yellow flags were displayed and the safety car picked up the field.

When the race went back to green, Golan had another shot at the lead, passing Hauanio as they raced through Turn 6. It seemed like Hauanio might be able to close in on Golan’s gearbox, but the Crosslink Motorsports driver wasn’t able to retake the lead and followed Golan to the checkered flag.

Crossing the finish line, it was Golan, followed by Hauanio and Cooper Shipman (No. 10 Driven Dynamix / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3).

“I got a pretty atrocious start, but then I was able to charge back up after that on the restart. So, it was a pretty solid day,” said Golan. “I have to thank everybody on the Red 40; it's been amazing. The championship is awesome, and to still have some races left to go and be able to win more is even better.”

In the Masters Cup Championship, Anthony Autiello (No. 07 Hope For The Warriors / Momentum Motorsports Ligier JS F3) returned to the top step of the podium after making a late-race pass on Kevin Janzen (No. 24 US Power Group / Data Center Solutions / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3). Whitney Strickland (No. 21 TF Companies / Hillenburg Motorsports Ligier JS F3) was not classified on the final results after contact on the opening lap brought an early end to his day.

“The visibility was really, really tough today [after oil dry was put down on the track],” said Autiello in Victory Lane. “So, it was super hairy. I thought that I'd keep a little distance, stay safe, and I figured it was going to be a war of attrition, then Kevin [Janzen] opened the door for me. I was able to pass him on the corner going onto the main straight; it was a clean fight. So, thank you to him for a nice, clean race today.”

F4 U.S.: Huerta Raab gets breakthrough win

After 10 podium finishes, Clemente Huerta Raab finally captured his first F4 U.S. win in his second season of competition. The victory marked the first in a single-seater race car for the Chilean racer. Just last season he finished third in the very same round at Barber.

2026 series champion Gastón Irazú scored his 15th podium of the season. Irazú stood on the podium in every other race this year. Sunday, Irazú has the chance to tie the F4 U.S. all-time win record, as he races for his 10th career victory.

With a hard-fought third-place finish in Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park, Ayden Kohut earned his first career podium.

Caleb Campbell (No. 68 Steele Auto Group / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) started from the pole and led the early laps. Gastón Irazú (No. 27 Elia Group / Baly / Canal 4 / Ancap / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F422) started the event in fourth, but it didn’t take long for the 2026 champion to work through the field, first overtaking Fernando Rivera (No. 16 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422) and then making his way around Clemente Huerta Raab (No. 17 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422). From there, Irazú locked his focus on Campbell and passed to take the race lead on the next lap. Campbell tried to challenge, but couldn’t find a way around the Uruguayan, instead falling into the grips of his Kiwi Motorsport teammate, Huerta Raab.

Making his way around Campbell to take second, Huerta Raab then turned his focus to Irazú. Trailing for a few laps, Huerta Raab took a chance going around the inside in Turn 6 and made it stick, taking the race lead with just over five minutes left on the clock.

It was smooth sailing all the way to the finish line for the Chilean driver, and as the checkered flag waved, Huerta Raab finished first, followed by Irazú and Ayden Kohut (No. 18 The Builders Source / The Genie Company / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422). Kohut survived a race of attrition, starting fifth and steadily advancing as others ran into challenges in the all-green race.

“It's been a long time since I won the South American Championship in karting,” said Huerta. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the top step of the podium. It feels great. It feels like you’re on top of the world.”

Ligier JFC: Down to the wire in Gen 2

The fight for the Ligier JFC Gen. 2 championship will go down to the final race of the season with Jack Speth narrowing the margin to just six points, as Edward Kennedy continues to lead the standings.

Jack Speth scored his fourth win of the 2026 season with a last-lap pass at Barber Motorsports Park.

Beckham Jacir won his 12th race of the season. Already confirmed as the 2026 Ligier JFC Gen. 1 class champion, Jacir has won every race since Round 9 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in June.

Ava Hanssen tied her career-best finish with a second-place result at Barber. Hanssen is third in the championship standings ahead of tomorrow’s season finale.

Finishing third, AJ Abdullah earned his fourth podium of the season.

Both team championships will go down to the final race of the season, with MLT Motorsports currently leading Kiwi Motorsport by six points in the Gen. 2 class, and Champagne Racing leading Berg Racing by just seven points in the Gen. 1 class.

Starting from the pole, Beckham Jacir (No. 7 Stonica / Bell / OMP / P1DOKS / Behind the Wheel / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) pulled into the point position as soon as the lights went out. Behind him, third-place starter Ava Hanssen (No. 26 One Powersports / Chiropractic Center of Elkhorn / NGK / Badger Mats Ligier JS F4) pulled wheel to wheel to challenge second-place starter, Lazaro Bainotti (No. 11 Fundacion Fangio Rus seguros Cordoba deportes / Speed Factory Ligier JS F4), but Bainotti held on to the position as they raced through Turn 1. While the front three settled into position, Gen. 2 drivers Edward Kennedy (No. 30 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422), Jack Speth (No. 07 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) and Ben Ramirez (No. 32 U.S. Air Force / RASE Motorsports Ligier JS F422) worked through the field, with Kennedy passing Jacir to take the race lead before the completion of the fifth lap.

Kennedy, the Gen. 2 championship leader, had opened up more than a five-second gap before a full-course caution regrouped the field. With everyone stacked up nose to stern and less than three minutes left on the clock, the two-lap dash to the finish line teed up plenty of drama before the checkered flag waved. Racing toward the white flag, Bainotti went wide exiting Turn 17, dropping a wheel off the racing surface, allowing Hanssen, AJ Abdullah (No. 21 Freedom Detox / Grid State Digital / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) and Alexander Savage (No. 33 KymaBoats.com / Triple Aim Medical Solutions / Nature Coast Health Care / G Tech Motorsports Ligier JS F4) to drive by. In the Gen. 2 class, Kennedy led as they took the white flag, but Speth wasn’t going down without a fight. Applying pressure through Turn 1, he hit his marks for the next few turns before sending it into Turn 6 to overtake the lead.

As the checkered flag waved, Speth led Kennedy in the Gen. 2 class, while Jacir led Hanssen and Abdullah in the Gen. 1 class.

“It was a very eventful race,” said Speth. “I tried to put the pressure on in Turn 1, but it didn't work, so I just focused on the exit of 2 and 3 and figured I had nothing to lose going into the hairpin. So, I decided that I’d either go out with a bang or just go home – go big or go home. I sent it into the hairpin and it stuck.”