LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 14, 2026) – Edward Kennedy and Lazaro Bainotti won the Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) Race 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday morning.
Notes of Interest:
- Declared the Race 2 winner in the Ligier JFC Gen. 1 Class, Lazaro Bainotti scored his second victory of the 2026 season.
- Ava Hanssen captured a career-best finish with a second-place result in Race 2. Hanssen has scored a podium finish during each of the three race weekends this season.
- Alexander Savage earned his first podium with a third-place finish.
- Edward Kennedy earned his fifth victory of 2026 with the Race 2 win in Ligier JFC’s Gen. 2 Class.
- Five teams were represented on the Ligier JFC Race 2 podiums. Speed Factory (Bainotti), Ava Hanssen Racing (Hanssen) and G Tech Motorsports (Savage) were on the Gen. 1 Class podium, while MLT Motorsports (Kennedy) and Kiwi Motorsport (Speth) comprised the Gen. 2 Class.
In the Ligier JFC Gen. 1 Class, Beckham Jacir (No. 7 Stonica / Bell / OMP / P1DOKS / Behind the Wheel / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) started on pole and spent the entire all-green race at the front of the field. Lazaro Bainotti (No. 11 Fundacion Fangio Rus seguros Cordoba deportes / Speed Factory Ligier JS F4) did his best to stay near Jacir’s gearbox, applying pressure whenever he could. As the race passed halfway, Bainotti was making a pass on Jacir when he was forced off the track and lost several seconds. Unable to regain the lost ground before the checkered flag, Lazaro crossed the finish line in second, while Ava Hanssen (No. 26 One Powersports / Chiropractic Center of Elkhorn / NGK / Badger Mats Ligier JS F4) took third.
After the race, the stewards reviewed the incident between Jacir and Bainotti, ruling that Jacir forced Bainotti off the track and issued a 30-second time penalty. As a result, Jacir dropped to fourth in class, while Bainotti was promoted to the JFC Gen. 1 Class win. Hanssen moved into second, while Alexander Savage (No. 33 Kyma Boats / G Tech Motorsports Ligier JS F4) rose to third to claim his first-career podium.
>> SEE MORE: Round 8 Official Results
Edward Kennedy (No. 30 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) drove a flawless race with a solid jump off the starting grid to immediately pace the Ligier JFC Gen. 2 Class. After starting in the rear, it took just over 10 minutes for the MLT Motorsports driver to race through the field and claim the overall race lead. Jack Speth (No. 07 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) stalled on the start, but quickly got his engine refired and steadily clicked off laps to race through the field and finish second in his class.
“The track conditions were really slippery, so it was kind of hard to be fast and consistent, but I managed to get away and win,” said Kennedy. “I’d like to thank MLT Motorsports and all my coaches.”
Ligier JFC will contest their final race of the Racing America at Mid-Ohio weekend today at 2:05 p.m. ET. Live timing and scoring will be available on the Race Monitor app, with additional news and updates posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.