BOWMANVILLE, Ontario — A Canadian motorsports legend will once again make a special homecoming this weekend, as Scott Goodyear returns to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with Formula 4 United States Championship and Formula Regional Americas Championship.
One of Canada’s most celebrated international racers, Goodyear serves as the race director for the two championships, leading the series and helping teach and guide the young drivers as they begin their formula racing careers. His connection to CTMP runs deep, as the Toronto native made his auto racing debut at the circuit in 1980.
A five-time IndyCar Series winner and two-time Indianapolis 500 runner-up, Goodyear was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Canadian Hat Trick
If history stands true, a driver must not only win a race at CTMP to lock in the championship in FR Americas or F4 U.S.—they will need to complete the hat trick.
With F4 U.S. first visiting CTMP in 2017, then returning in 2024 and 2025 alongside FR Americas, the CTMP event has been swept by a single driver every single time. And remarkably, each of those drivers went on to win the championship at the end of the season.
Kyle Kirkwood first accomplished the feat in F4 U.S. in 2017. In 2024, Daniel Quimby entered the CTMP weekend second in the championship, trailing by 32 points. A weekend sweep propelled him into the championship lead and ultimately helped him secure the title.
Last season, Titus Sherlock delivered the same story in FR Americas. Entering CTMP third in the standings with a 56-point deficit, Sherlock swept the weekend and carried that momentum through the remainder of the season to claim the championship.
In 2024, Canadian Patrick Woods-Toth carried his winning momentum into the Labour Day Sprints weekend at CTMP and used a strong performance to lock in the FR Americas title. Last season, Cooper Shipman did the same in F4 U.S., arriving at CTMP with the championship lead and leaving with his advantage intact before ultimately capturing the championship.
Every Point Counts
With just three events remaining on the 2026 calendar, every point matters as FR Americas contests the Labour Day Weekend Sprints at CTMP.
Evagoras Papasavvas (No. 71 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) had an up-and-down weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park last month, losing ground in the standings after failing to finish Race 1, while Brady Golan (No. 40 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) finished fourth in the same event.
Papasavvas persevered throughout the remainder of the weekend, edging out Golan by one spot to finish second in Race 2, and taking the win just head of the TDD driver in Race 3. As they head across the border, Papasavvas holds an 8.5-point advantage over Golan.
While 12 drivers remain mathematically eligible for the title, the chips would need to fall just right for several Cinderella stories to unfold. The top five, however, remain firmly in contention, with just 87 points separating first through fifth. Cooper Shipman (No. 10 Driven Dynamix / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) swept the F4 U.S. weekend at CTMP last season, and with a 44.5-point deficit to overcome, the third-place driver will need another strong showing to keep his championship hopes alive.
Mastering Their Craft
The battle for the 2026 Master’s Cup Championship continues to heat up. Whitney Strickland (No. 77 TF Companies / Atlantic Racing Ligier JS F3) won two more rounds at NJMP to extend his championship lead, while Anthony Autiello (No. 07 Hope For The Warriors / Momentum Motorsports Ligier JS F3) closed the gap from third in the standings with a victory in the weekend’s final race.
Consistently on the podium, Kevin Janzen (No. 24 US Power Group / Data Center Solutions / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) has used his lone victory and steady finishes to climb into second in the standings, where he trails nine-time winner Strickland by 34.5 points.
Native Land
All season long Atlantic Racing Team and its driver, James Lawley (No. 88 Pentagon Properties / Atlantic Racing Team Ligier JS F3), have made the trek from Halifax, Nova Scotia across the border to race in the United States. This time, the tables are turned, as the Americans make their way to Canada.
The CTMP Labour Day Weekend Sprints will also mark a homecoming for Master’s Cup competitor Kevin Janzen (No. 24 US Power Group / Data Center Solutions / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3). Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Janzen traded the Canadian winters for Florida sunshine, relocating to Deerfield Beach, where he now calls home.
Lawley Searches For Podium
James Lawley (No. 88 Pentagon Properties / Atlantic Racing Team Ligier JS F3) arrives at CTMP seeking his first FR Americas podium. The Nova Scotian has consistently found success at the circuit, earning a career-best fourth-place finish in 2024—his first top five. Lawley has never finished worse than sixth in six CTMP starts, with five of those results coming inside the top five.
Breakthrough Performances
Three drivers, in particular, delivered breakthrough performances during FR Americas’ most recent round at NJMP. Luke Powers (No. 5 Wallace Heating & Air/Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) returned to the podium for the first time since NOLA, climbing to the top step after taking his first FR Americas victory in Race 1.
Behind him, Alejandro Bobadilla (No. 8 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) scored a career-best second-place finish, earning his first podium at the Formula Regional level. Meanwhile, Harbir Dass (No. 9 Northcoast Medical Group / Alpha Micron / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) returned to the podium for the first time since Round 4 at Road America. His third-place finish marked his second podium of 2026 and matched his career-best result.
Hitting a Rhythm
Rookie driver Aidan Schuh (No. 14 Homes For Our Troops / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) is starting to hit his groove. After making the switch from two wheels in competitive downhill mountain biking to four wheels in formula racing, Schuh joined AJ Foyt Racing in partnership with Crosslink Motorsports and began to hone his skills through the team’s driver development program.
The rookie is now starting to see that work translate to his results on the track. Schuh recorded three seventh-place finishes at NJMP last month, moving up two positions in the championship standings and breaking into the top 10 with just three event weekends remaining on the 2026 calendar.
Championship Battle
Toney Driver Development (TDD) and Crosslink Motorsports remain locked in a tight battle for the FR Americas Team Championship. Brady Golan (No. 40 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) and Luke Powers (No. 5 Wallace Heating & Air/Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) have delivered six wins for this season, giving the Brownsburg, Ind., organization an eight-point advantage over Crosslink Motorsports.
Crosslink has been to victory lane five times this season with drivers Evagoras Papasavvas (No. 71 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) and Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N-E-Where Transport / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3), but holds the edge when it comes to podium finishes. With Crosslink’s 16 top-three results to TDD’s 15, the Team Championship fight continues to be incredibly close.
Championship Shakeup
Caleb Campbell (No. 68 Steele Auto Group / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) heads to his home race at CTMP looking to rebound from a challenging weekend at NJMP. After entering that round as the points leader, Campbell missed the podium in all three races, opening the door for Gastón Irazú (No. 27 Elia Group / Baly / Canal 4 / Ancap / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F422) to make his move. Irazú swept the NJMP weekend, taking the championship lead for the first time this season.
With just seven rounds remaining on the 2026 calendar, every point matters in the battle for both the championship title and the scholarship to compete in FR Americas next season. Irazú currently leads Campbell by 37 points, while Zach Fourie (No. 15 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) sits third, 51 points behind the leader.
Canadians Flock Home
When F4 U.S. goes green at CTMP this weekend, three Canadians will get the thrill of racing in their home country with a crowd that includes their family and friends. After making his CTMP debut last season, Caleb Campbell (No. 68 Steele Auto Group / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) will return to the 2.459-mile circuit for his second F4 U.S. weekend at the track.
With experience on his side, the Cambridge, Ontario native will look to improve on a career-best CTMP fourth-place finish. Meanwhile, Luca Day (No. 54 Zimperium / Momentum Motorsports Ligier JS F422), a native of Ile Bizard, Quebec, will make his Canadian debut, racing a formula car on Canadian soil for the first time. Ayr, Ontario’s Cole Medeiros (No. 77 Firano Motorsports / MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) will also make his first F4 U.S. start at CTMP, though he already has experience on the circuit this season with another race group.
Clemente’s New Groove
Returning to F4 U.S. for his sophomore season, Clemente Huerta Raab (No. 17 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) endured a challenging start to 2026. While the Chilean recorded four fifth-place finishes in the opening eight races, a return to the podium remained just outside his grasp.
With the season reaching its halfway point, Huerta Raab made a change ahead of last month’s NJMP round, rejoining Kiwi Motorsport for the remainder of the year. The move back to a familiar team and car paid immediate dividends, as Huerta Raab returned to the podium with a third-place finish in Race 1 and added another podium before the NJMP weekend ended.
Now, he heads back to CTMP looking to build on that resurgence—and rebound at a circuit where a crash during the final minutes of Race 2 brought an early end to his weekend last season.
The Distance
For Zach Fourie (No. 15 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422), racing in F4 U.S. means more than just traveling to seven race weekends—it means flying halfway around the world from his home in South Africa to compete in North America.
The long-distance journey brings its own challenges, from weather and airline delays to adjusting to new time zones and ensuring his body and mind are ready to perform when the green flag waves.
To combat the effects of travel, Fourie typically arrives at each venue on Sunday or Monday before load in, giving himself several days to adjust before climbing into the race car. That routine brought him to Toronto on Sunday ahead of this weekend’s CTMP event, where he’s had time to explore the city, visit the CN Tower and catch up on schoolwork before turning his attention to the track.
