ALTON, Va. — Edward Kennedy and Beckham Jacir each collected class wins in Ligier Junior Formula Championship’s (Ligier JFC) Race 1 at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday afternoon.
While Jacir once again won the JFC Gen. 1 class with a clear margin, Kennedy held a mere 0.014-second advantage over his competition to claim the JFC Gen. 2 win.
Edward Kennedy scored his ninth win of the 2026 season in the Ligier JFC Gen. 2 class. With the victory, Kennedy will also take over the championship points lead.
Taking the checkered flag in the Ligier JFC Gen. 1 class, Beckham Jacir won his 10th race of the 2026 season.
Lazaro Bainotti scored his 11th podium of the season with a second-place result.
Ava Hanssen returned to the podium for the fifth time this season after scoring a third-place finish.
With the Gen. 1 class lining up ahead of the Gen. 2 class for the lights, Jacir (No. 7 Stonica / Bell / OMP / P1DOKS / Behind the Wheel / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) led the field down the starting grid with Ava Hanssen (No. 26 One Powersports / Chiropractic Center of Elkhorn / NGK / Badger Mats Ligier JS F4) lined up to the outside. Hanssen timed her launch perfectly to race off the line the instant the lights extinguished and pulled an early lead as the field raced toward Turn 1. Jacir stayed close to her gearbox before making his move as they entered the Uphill Esses. Taking the point position, Jacir turned his focus forward, hoping to open a gap. No sooner did Jacir take the lead than the safety car was deployed to retrieve a car stranded on the circuit.
Edward Kennedy (No. 30 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) and Jack Speth (No. 07 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) had both climbed into the top five before the caution flag waved and the ensuing restart just gave them another opportunity to pick up positions. Before they reached the Uphill Esses, Speth completed the pass to move into second, while Kennedy reached third by the top of the Esses.
Jacir continued out front in his Gen. 1 car while the Gen. 2 machines chased him down. Speth made his move to pass Jacir racing down the Backstretch, while Kennedy waited until Turn 1 on the following lap to make his move. Jacir stayed close to their gearboxes while Speth and Kennedy battled for the top position. After a drag race down the backstraight, Kennedy ultimately used the entrance to Rollercoaster to complete his pass and pull ahead.
As the minutes ticked by, Kennedy and Speth stayed as close as they could, putting on a thrilling show for fans and viewers at home. Meanwhile, Jacir drove away from his Gen. 1 competitors.
Coming to the checkered flag, Speth used the draft to pull side by side with Kennedy. Mere feet separated the two as they crossed the finish line, with Kennedy taking the JFC Gen. 2 win and Speth scoring second.
In the JFC Gen. 1 class, Jacir led them across the finish line, while Bainotti and Hanssen followed in second and third, respectively.
“That was fun; the battle [with Jack Speth] was really nice,” said Kennedy after climbing from the car. “I wasn’t expecting Jack to make it three wide into Turn 1—that surprised me. Then we had to get past the Gen. 1 cars. There was a little collision in front of us, which was a bit scary, as I thought I was going to hit one of the Gen. 1 cars. After the full course yellow, I just tried to catch [Jack]; the draft was huge. I caught him and then we had a nice battle until the end. At the end, it was a photo finish. The whole battle was great.”
“We didn’t get the best start and fell back to P2, but thank goodness for VIR’s big straightaways,” said Jacir after climbing from the car. “We passed Ava on the first lap, but then we had a full course yellow. We went back, had a bit of traffic with the G2 guys, but I was able to stay with them for a bit. It was fun; just kept it nice and clean. The car was great the whole time—I can’t thank my team enough, Champagne Racing, for giving me such a great car.”
