AVONDALE, La. (April 11, 2026) – Edward Kennedy and Beckham Jacir earned their first wins of the 2026 season as Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) contested Round 1 at NOLA Motorsports Park on Saturday.
Notes of Interest:
- Edward Kennedy earned his first-career Ligier JFC victory during his series debut at NOLA Motorsports Park while racing in the Gen. 2 Class.
- In the Gen. 1 Class, Beckham Jacir visited NOLA Motorsports Park’s Winners Circle for the first time. The victory marked the second of Jacir’s Ligier JFC career, with his first win coming at Barber Motorsports Park last October.
- Rookie driver Truly Adams earned his first-career podium in his debut race.
- Representing Argentina, Lazaro Bainotti finished third to lock in his first-career podium during the opening race of the 2026 season.
- Three teams were represented on the Race 1 podium with Champagne Racing winning the event, Berg Racing finishing second and Speed Factory taking third.
With the Gen. 2 Class starting at the rear for Ligier JFC’s standing start, Kennedy (No. 30 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) raced through the field, reaching the race lead just before the halfway point. Consistently hitting his marks, Kennedy drove away with the victory in his first Ligier JFC start.
In the Gen. 1 Class, Jacir (No. 7 Stonica / Bell / OMP / P1DOKS / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) led from lights to checkers in his first-generation Ligier F4 car. Second-place starter Lazaro Bainotti (No. 11 Fundacion Fangio Rus seguros Cordoba deportes / Speed Factory Ligier JS F4) held his position for most of the race, but in the final five minutes of the event, Truly Adams (No. 47 Adams Motorsports Park / Troy Adams Coaching / OSRX / Mileage Quest / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) made his way around to claim the runner-up position, leaving Bainotti to settle for third.
>> SEE MORE: Race 1 Official Results
“Everything was really good today,” said Kennedy from atop the podium. “The car was really fast and we nailed it. We had to fight through the field, but we made it work and everything was great. I’d like to thank the whole team at MLT Motorsports, as well as my mom for being here.”
“It was a pretty good race today,” said Jacir after climbing from the car. “We got an okay start. Lazaro [Bainotti] got beside me, but then we got away a bit and they started fighting behind me. The pace was really good at the beginning, after the restart it was still alright, but then we started to drop off a bit, but it’s okay—we still managed to get the win. I’d like to thank my team, Champagne Racing, for giving me an awesome car, as well as my sponsors P1DOKS, OMP, BELL, Stonica and Behind the Wheel.”
