Track Facts:
Circuit: NOLA Motorsports Park
Length: 2.75 miles / 16-turn road course
Race Direction: Clockwise
Podium: Backside of Grandstand by Control Tower
FR Americas Championship
Practice: Friday, March 28 at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. CT
Qualifying: Friday, March 28 at 3 p.m. CT
Feature Race 1: Saturday, March 29 at 8 a.m. CT
Fan Walk: Saturday, March 29 at 12:30 p.m. CT
Feature Race 2: Saturday, March 29 at 1:10 p.m. CT
Feature Race 3*: Sunday, March 30 at 11 a.m. CT
F4 U.S. Championship
Practice: Friday, March 28 at 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. CT
Qualifying: Friday, March 28 at 4 p.m. CT
Feature Race 1: Saturday, March 29 at 9:30 a.m. CT
Feature Race 2: Saturday, March 29 at 2:50 p.m. CT
Feature Race 3*: Sunday, March 30 at 10:05 a.m. CT
Ligier Junior Formula Championship
Practice: Friday, March 28 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT
Qualifying: Friday, March 28 at 4:30 p.m. CT
Feature Race 1: Saturday, March 29 at 11 a.m. CT
Feature Race 2: Saturday, March 29 at 4:35 p.m. CT
Feature Race 3*: Sunday, March 30 at 9:10 a.m. CT
All races will be live streamed at SpeedTour.TV. Raced noted with an asterisk (*) will also air live on SPEED SPORT 1.
NOLA SpeedTour
2025 Season Kicks Off at NOLA Motorsports Park
Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) and Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) will open their 2025 race seasons this weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park. With scholarships on the line for each race group, drivers from around the world compete in the three series that comprise Parella Motorsports Holdings’ (PMH) open-wheel ladder. In its fourth year, the NOLA SpeedTour will again feature racing from PMH’s Formula Championships, as well as Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), Racing Prodigy and Optima’s Ultimate Street Car. Fans have ample opportunity to meet drivers and see cool cars as they stroll through the open paddocks, take in the lunchtime Fan Walk, or wander through Saturday’s Hagerty Cars & Caffeine car show. Tickets for the NOLA SpeedTour are available at SpeedTour.net/NOLA. Kids ages 12 and under are admitted free.
All Races Stream Live in 2025
SpeedTour TV will stream all FR Americas, F4 U.S. and Ligier JFC races live in 2025! Coverage kicks off this weekend with all nine feature races airing from the NOLA SpeedTour. Award-winning broadcaster Ralph Sheheen will serve as the lead announcer for the coverage, and will be joined by drivers from the three championships to call the races. To watch, simply visit SpeedTour.TV, or subscribe to the SpeedTour TV YouTube Channel.
SPEED SPORT 1 to Broadcast Select Races from NOLA
SPEED SPORT 1 (SS1) will broadcast Sunday’s FR Americas, F4 U.S. and Ligier JFC races live from the NOLA SpeedTour. Coverage begins at 9 a.m. CT, and will air in a three-hour time block. SS1 presents hundreds of live events and thousands of hours of premiere motorsports content and lifestyle programming to viewers around the globe, and can be watched on Amazon Prime Video, Roku, Pluto TV, Sling, STIRR and more. Click here for more information on how to watch Sunday’s races.
Key Partners Return
Ligier Automotive, Hankook Motorsports and Mountune USA all return as key partners for the 2025 season. Ligier Automotive remains the official chassis manufacturer, with the JS F3 serving as the exclusive chassis for FR Americas, the Ligier JS F422 in its second season as the F4 U.S. chassis, and the first-generation Ligier JS F416 serving as the chassis for Ligier JFC. Hankook Motorsports continues as the official tire of the championships. While the Ligier Storm powers F4 U.S., Mountune USA continues to develop and engineer the Honda K20C1 engines that power FR Americas and Ligier JFC. Our partners play a vital role in keeping the championships on track, and in the scholarships that take drivers to the next step of their careers.
FR Americas Championship
Stellar Field at NOLA Opener
With 17 cars entered in this weekend’s NOLA SpeedTour, FR Americas welcomes entrants from the United States and Canada, and as far away as Brazil and Australia. Drivers from around the globe will compete for the $160,000 prize fund that is divided among the top-five points finishers and the top rookie at the end of the season.
Returning Drivers Look for Another Go at Championship Prize
Nearly half of the drivers in FR Americas at the NOLA SpeedTour are returning for an additional season in the eight-round championship. There’s a lot on the line with cash prizes for the top-five point finishers, including $100,000 cash awarded to the Champion, $25,000 to the Vice Champion and $15,000 to the Third-Place Champion. Those returning include:
- Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 Velox USA Ligier JS F3)
- Anthony Autiello (No. 07 Hope For The Warriors / Momentum Motorsports Ligier JS F3)
- Jett Bowling (No. 22 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3)
- Nicole Havrda (No. 6 Valley Kitchens Ltd. Ligier JS F3)
- Kevin Janzen (No. 24 US Power Group/Data Center Solutions Ligier JS F3)
- James Lawley (No. 88 Pentagon Properties Ligier JS F3)
- Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3)
F4 U.S. and Ligier JFC Alum Climb Ladder to FR Americas
The FR America’s grid at NOLA is proof that the PMH open-wheel ladder works, as six drivers join the grid after competing in F4 U.S. and Ligier JFC last season:
- Daniel Quimby (No. 42 Atlantic Racing Team Ligier JS F3)
- Nicolas Stati (No.15 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3)
- Connor Roberts (No. 46 Apexspeed.com / Entropy Cellars Ligier JS F3)
- Barrett Wolfe (No. 13 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3)
- Lincoln Day (No. 95 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3)
- Athan Sterling (No. 2 JENSEN Ligier JS F3)
Additionally, two drivers will be competing in their first full season of FR Americas after joining the grid for just one race last year:
- Alex Benavitz (No. 5 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3)
- Jake Pollack (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F3)
Back for More After COTA Success
Fans quickly learned the names Bruno Ribeiro (No. 01 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Brady Golan (No. 80 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) during the 2024 season finale at COTA. With just two races to learn the circuit and the JS F3 chassis, each earned podiums during the final race. Ribeiro, who will join Kiwi Motorsport for his 2025 campaign, earned a maiden victory for both himself and the IGY6 Motorsports team, while Golan finished second, marking his first-career podium and the first podium for the debuting Toney Driver Development.
Nicole Havrda Racing Dual Schedule with F1 Academy
Nicole Havrda (No. 6 Valley Kitchens Ltd. Ligier JS F3) will have her busiest season yet in motorsports. The 19-year-old Canadian will not only compete in FR Americas, but will also take on F1 ACADEMY, as one of just 18 drivers selected to compete in the highly-contested championship. Racing with Hitech TRG and American Express, Havrda will race on the same stage as FORMULA 1 while competing in Shanghai, Jeddah, Miami, Montreal, Zandvoort, Singapore and Las Vegas. In FR Americas, Havrda was the sole driver selected to the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship, which empowers drivers from a variety of backgrounds to compete in PMH-owned race series.
Crosslink and Kiwi Face Off, While Atlantic Racing Team, Toney Driver Development and JENSEN Join the Mix
With 10 drivers competing under the Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport banner last season, they were the team to beat. The organization swept the top-four positions in the championship, and their drivers occupied seven of the top-10 positions. Given their success together, fans will likely be surprised to see Crosslink Motorsports and Kiwi Motorsport go head-to-head for this year’s championship. However, with new powerhouse teams joining the field, no one is guaranteed success.
Atlantic Racing Team expands to a three-car operation in FR Americas with returning driver James Lawley (No. 88 Pentagon Properties Ligier JS F3), and the promotion of both Daniel Quimby (No. 42 Atlantic Racing Team Ligier JS F3) and Connor Roberts (No. 46 Apexspeed.com / Entropy Cellars Ligier JS F3). Toney Driver Development returns after a successful debut at COTA with drivers Brady Golan (No. 80 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) and Lincoln Day (No. 95 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3). As the 2023 Team Vice Champion, JENSEN will return to the series with two full-time entries, as Jake Pollack (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F3) and Athan Sterling (No. 2 JENSEN Ligier JS F3) compete for the organization.
Autiello and Janzen Set Masters Championship Rematch
Anthony Autiello (No. 07 Hope For The Warriors / Momentum Motorsports Ligier JS F3) and Kevin Janzen (No. 24 US Power Group/Data Center Solutions Ligier JS F3) are set to again battle for the Masters Championship in FR Americas. Available to drivers over the age of 35, the two finished the 2024 season separated by just 10.5 points, as Janzen took the year-end honor.
Meet the Drivers of FR Americas
Fans are invited to join the drivers of FR Americas for a special pre-race Fan Walk before Race 2 on Saturday afternoon. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., fans are invited out on Pit Lane to meet the drivers, collect autographs and photos, and get an up-close-and-personal look at the cars just minutes before the start the race. Series officials will be distributing limited-edition commemorative posters to all fans in attendance.
F4 U.S. Championship
Scholarship On the Line
F4 U.S. returns to NOLA Motorsports Park for its season opener. Drivers will be focused not only on wins, but also on laying a solid foundation for a championship bid, as they compete for a scholarship that would enable them to race in FR Americas in 2026. With championship partners Ligier Automotive, Mountune USA, Hankook Motorsports and PMH joining forces, the prize provides the winning driver with the lease of a Ligier JS F3 chassis and Mountune engine, three sets of Hankook tires per event, and race entry fees.
Popow Enters NOLA as Only Veteran of JS F422
Alex Popow (No. 55 Dr. Michael Thompson MS DDS PPLS Ligier JS F422) enters the NOLA SpeedTour as the only driver in the field with race experience in the new Ligier JS F422 chassis. At COTA last November, Popow claimed victories in two of the three races while competing for MLT Motorsports.
Hauanio Gets a Second Go at F4 U.S.
Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422) will kick off his second full-time season in F4 U.S. at NOLA, but the championship looks vastly different than it did when he competed in 2023. The 18-year-old first raced the Ligier JS F416 chassis and Honda K20C1 engine in F4 U.S.; however, when the championship upgraded to the Ligier JS F422 chassis and Ligier Storm engine last season, Hauanio kept with the original package and raced in Ligier JFC. After finishing as the Vice Champion last season, Hauanio returns to F4 U.S. competition in 2025 to experience the second-generation Ligier F4 car, which features all the latest in performance, safety and reliability standards set forth by the FIA.
Drivers Making F4 U.S. Debuts
In addition to Hauanio, three others will move up after competing in Ligier JFC last season. Demitri Nolan (No. 5 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422) contested the full Ligier JFC campaign, while Conor Grant (No. 54 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F422) and Caleb Campbell (No. 68 LC Racing Academy Ligier JS F422) move up to F4 U.S. after making their Ligier JFC debut during the 2024 season finale at COTA.
Meanwhile, three drivers will make their first appearance in any series on the PMH open-wheel ladder when F4 U.S. goes green at NOLA:
- Ty Arbogast (No. 32 RASE Marketing Ligier JS F422)
- Clemente Huerta (No. 17 Velox USA Ligier JS F422)
- Cooper Shipman (No. 14 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422)
Rookie Partners with a Past Champion
It may sound odd to say Caleb Campbell (No. 68 LC Racing Academy Ligier JS F422) has experience on his side as he makes his F4 U.S. debut, but he has a secret advantage going into the season opener. Campbell will partner with fellow countryman and back-to-back F4 U.S. and FR Americas Champion Patrick Woods-Toth as his driver coach. The duo go back to their karting days, where they trained on the same team and Patrick mentored the then-nine-year-old Campbell. Now, seven years later, the two will once again team up as Campbell looks to follow in Woods-Toth’s footsteps as a Canadian-born F4 U.S. champion.
Driving Diversity in F4 U.S.
Two drivers will represent the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship’s Class of 2025 while competing in F4 U.S.: Venezuelan-American Alex Popow (No. 55 Dr. Michael Thompson MS DDS PPLS Ligier JS F422) and Irishman Conor Grant (No. 54 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F422) were both selected as scholarship recipients.
Arbogast Graduates from Karts to Cars
Ty Arbogast (No. 32 RASE Marketing Ligier JS F422) was one of three drivers who attended the Radford Racing School F4 U.S. “Karts to Cars” Scholarship School in December. Selected to the program by New Castle Motorsports Park, the accomplished karter raced in the United States Pro Kart Series, Cup Karts North America, Kart Racers of America, Route 66 Sprint Series, World Karting Association and more. Successfully completing the three-day course with Radford Racing School, Arbogast learned the basics of handling and car control, while getting acclimated to an F4 racecar and preparing for his F4 U.S. debut.
RASE Motorsports Joins the Grid
Arbogast joins forces with RASE Motorsports, a new team to contest the F4 U.S. 2025 championship. Owned by Roger Serna, RASE Motorsports enters F4 U.S. after competing as a USAC CRA 410 sprint car team. After meeting at a go kart track, Serna became invested in helping Arbogast’s racing dreams come true, and went as far as purchasing a new Ligier JS F422 to help the 15 year old transition from racing go karts to single-seater racecars.
Ligier Junior Formula Championship
New Name and New Look for Ligier JFC
When cars unload at NOLA for the season opener, the initial step on PMH’s open-wheel ladder will have a new look and feel, as the Ligier JS F4 Series becomes the Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC). Debuting a new name and logo in 2025, Ligier JFC will continue to offer up-and-coming racers with an opportunity to develop their craft while competing in the most cost-efficient ladder system with the lowest cost per mile in North America.
Drivers Return for a Chance at Year-End Scholarship
With a substantial scholarship on the line, three drivers will return for a sophomore season in Ligier JFC, while looking to win a scholarship that would allow them to advance to F4 U.S. in 2026. The full scholarship includes the use of an FIA-approved Ligier JS F422 chassis and Ligier Storm engine from Ligier Automotive, as well as two sets of tires per event from Hankook Motorsports and race entry fees from Parella Motorsports Holdings.
Drew Szuch (No. 28 Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) and Harbir Dass (No. 23 Northcoast Medical Group / Dass Psych LLC Ligier JS F4) both return to the series after finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, in the standings last season, while Daniel Cará (No. 10 Tenuta Foppa & Ambrosi Wines/WorkHub Ligier JS F4) returns after a one-year hiatus.
Part Timers Set to Go Full Time in 2025
Three drivers are set to go full-time racing in 2025 after making their Ligier JFC debut in 2025. Twin brothers Cash Felber (No. 11 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) and Roman Felber (No. 73 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) return to the championship along with South African Zach Fourie (No. 1 JENSEN Global Advisors Ligier JS F4).
New Faces Flock to Ligier JFC
As is the case nearly every season, nearly 60% of the season-opening grid will be drivers making their Ligier JFC debut:
- Luca Day (No. 24 LC Racing Academy Ligier JS F4)
- Michael Fatutta (No. 12 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4)
- Josh Griffith (No. 2 JENSEN Global Advisors Ligier JS F4)
- Ava Hanssen (No. 26 Ava Hanssen Racing Ligier JS F4)
- Gaston Irazu (No. 42 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4)
- Max Mokarem (No. 46 Momentum Motorsports Ligier JS F4)
- Augusto Paschetta (No. 27 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4)
- Kelsey Pinkowski (No. 20 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F4)
Drew Szuch Joins Berg Racing, Looks to Continue Growth
Named the “Most Improved Driver” and recipient of the 2024 Catherine Crawford Award, Drew Szuch (No. 28 Berg Racing Ligier JS F4) returns for a second season of Ligier JFC competition. Joining forces with Berg Racing, Szuch will benefit from the guidance of motorsports legend Allen Berg, while also getting to work with a teammate. Outside of racing, Szuch is a college sophomore, enrolled in a dual program that splits his time between Purdue University-Indianapolis, where he studies motorsports engineering, and Indiana University-Indianapolis, where he studies business.
Champagne Racing Forms Powerhouse
After making their Ligier JFC debut last fall, Champagne Racing has formed a powerhouse team to chase the 2025 Team Championship title. With five drivers competing under their banner, including brothers Cash Felber (No. 11 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) and Roman Felber (No. 73 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4), as well as Ava Hanssen (No. 26 Ava Hanssen Racing Ligier JS F4), Michael Fatutta (No. 12 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) and Gaston Irazu (No. 42 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4), the organization is sure to be a contender.
Five Drivers Receive PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship
Five Ligier JFC drivers received a PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship in 2025. Designed to build more diverse fields and empower drivers of different backgrounds to participate in PMH-owned series, nearly 30 drivers have received the scholarship over the last five seasons. This year’s Class of 2025 are Ligier JFC drivers:
- Harbir Dass (No. 23 Northcoast Medical Group / Dass Psych LLC Ligier JS F4)
- Zach Fourie (No. 1 JENSEN Global Advisors Ligier JS F4)
- Ava Hanssen (No. 26 Ava Hanssen Racing Ligier JS F4)
- Gaston Irazu (No. 42 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4)
- Augusto Paschetta (No. 27 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4)
