April 16, 2026 – Kiwi Motorsport opened its 2026 season in impressive fashion this past weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park, competing across the Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.), and Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC). When the weekend was completed, Kiwi Motorsport left New Orleans with four victories and 12 total podium results.
FR Americas
Kiwi Motorsport showed front-running pace throughout the weekend in FR Americas, led by Cooper Shipman and Harbir Dass. After a strong qualifying performance, Shipman secured a third-place finish in Race 1, while Dass crossed the line in 14th. In Race 2, Shipman improved to second place, continuing his podium streak, as Dass moved forward to finish 11th, despite needing to make a trip to the pit lane for a punctured tire early in the race. The weekend concluded with Shipman delivering a commanding performance to take victory in Race 3, while Dass finished 13th, after being forced back to the pit lane for the second race in a row after contact damaged his front wing. The Kiwi Motorsport crew was able to swap out the nose, allowing Dass to return to the track to continue gaining valuable experience in the competitive field.
F4 U.S. Championship
The team dominated the weekend in F4 U.S. competition, led by Caleb Campbell, Zach Fourie, and Ayden Kohut. In qualifying, Fourie secured pole position, with Campbell lining up second and Kohut qualifying eighth. Race 1 saw Campbell take the victory, leading a Kiwi Motorsport one-two finish ahead of Fourie in second, while Kohut was involved in an unfortunate incident ending his race early. In Race 2, Campbell once again claimed the win, with Fourie finishing second for another team one-two result, and Kohut finishing sixth. The dominance continued in Race 3, where Campbell completed a perfect weekend with his third consecutive win, followed by Fourie in second for the third straight race, with Kohut forced to retire early.
Ligier Junior Formula Championship
In Ligier JFC, Will Franklin and Jack Speth delivered consistent results across all three races. Franklin secured fifth place in the Gen. 1 class in Race 1 and repeated that result in both Race 2 and Race 3. In the Gen. 2 category, Speth delivered an impressive performance with second-place finishes in all three races, showing strong pace and consistency throughout the weekend.
“This was a fantastic way to start the season for the entire team,” explained Teena Larsen. “Cooper showed he is a real contender in FR Americas with multiple podiums and a win, and Harbir made solid progress throughout the weekend. In F4 U.S., Caleb and Zach were exceptional, locking out the top-two positions in every race, and Ayden showed great improvement as the weekend went on. Will and Jack were also very consistent in Ligier JFC, which is exactly what we want to see at this stage. I am extremely proud of the effort from everyone involved.”
With a strong foundation established across multiple programs, Kiwi Motorsport leaves NOLA with significant momentum as it continues its 2026 campaign.
For more information on Kiwi Motorsport, please contact Teena Larsen via email to kiwimotorsportnz@gmail.com.
- Kiwi Motorsport PR
