The 2026 Formula Regional Americas Championship (FRAC) continued at Road America, where close qualifying margins, changing weather and race-altering incidents shaped a dramatic second round of the season.
Across the completed races, Brady Golan became the first repeat winner of 2026, while Evagoras Papasavvas responded with a composed victory in a chaotic wet-weather Race 2. Meanwhile, Whitney Strickland continued to lead the way in the Masters Cup, adding more class victories to his early-season tally.
However, the weekend was ultimately shortened, with Race 3 cancelled due to inclement weather.
Papasavvas secures Road America pole
Evagoras Papasavvas made another strong statement in qualifying, claiming pole position for Crosslink Motorsports with a fastest lap of 2:03.619. It marked his second-career pole in FR Americas competition.
Brady Golan lined up second for Toney Driver Development, just 0.153 seconds behind. Cooper Shipman qualified third, while Christian Bogle and Harbir Dass completed the top five. Notably, the leading five drivers were separated by less than one second, underlining the competitiveness of the field at Road America.
Earlier in practice, Golan topped the speed charts with a 2:03.954. Shipman followed in second, 0.419 seconds adrift, while Papasavvas ranked third.
In the Masters Cup, Whitney Strickland led the class in qualifying, beating Kevin Janzen.
2026 FRAC | Road America | Practice | Results
- Brady Golan
- Cooper Shipman (R)
- Evagoras Papasavvas (R)
- Christian Bogle
- Harbir Dass (R)
- Kekai Hauanio (R)
- James Lawley
- Luke Powers (R)
- Alejandro Bobadilla (R)
- Aidan Schuh (R)
- Barrett Wolfe
- Eric Wisniewski (R)
- Whitney Strickland (M)(R)
- Kevin Janzen (M)
2026 FRAC | Road America | Qualifying/Race 1 Official Grid | Results
- Evagoras Papasavvas (R)
- Brady Golan
- Cooper Shipman (R)
- Christian Bogle
- Harbir Dass (R)
- James Lawley
- Kekai Hauanio (R)
- Luke Powers (R)
- Aidan Schuh (R)
- Barrett Wolfe
- Eric Wisniewski (R)
- Alejandro Bobadilla (R)
- Whitney Strickland (M)(R)
- Kevin Janzen (M)
Golan becomes first repeat winner of 2026
Although Papasavvas started Race 1 from pole, Golan immediately seized his opportunity when the lights went out. Starting from second, the Toney Driver Development driver made the better launch and took control of the race.
Behind him, points leader Cooper Shipman challenged near the front after starting third. However, the order continued to shift as the race developed. Papasavvas dropped as low as seventh in the opening phase, but he steadily recovered and brought himself back into contention.
A mid-race restart gave the field another chance to attack. Golan maintained control out front, while Papasavvas used the opportunity to gain more ground. Racing three-wide down the front straight, he emerged in second place.
Meanwhile, Harbir Dass also moved forward impressively. The Kiwi Motorsport rookie settled into third and went on to secure his first FR Americas podium. The result completed a standout eight-day stretch for Dass, who became both a college graduate and an FR Americas podium finisher.
Golan ultimately crossed the line first, 1.042 seconds ahead of Papasavvas, while Dass completed the podium. The result made Golan the first repeat winner of the 2026 season and put three different teams on the podium.
Golan reflects
After the race, Golan said: “Honestly [Road America] has been one of my weaker tracks, so to win here just shows how good our car is this year. I’m stoked with the team; they’ve done an amazing job and I’m really proud of these guys. The race was good; it’s hard to escape the cars behind in this place, but I think we did a good job of it. We got one at the start and had some competition going into [Turn] five on lap one, but we kept the lead the whole time. It feels great to win here. Thanks to everybody on the 40 crew; everybody’s done an amazing job. I have to thank some of my teachers, too—I just took a final this morning.”
Strickland continues Masters Cup charge
Alongside the overall battle, Strickland delivered another strong Masters Cup performance. Driving the No. 21 TF Companies / Hillenburg Motorsports Ligier JS F3, he was the first Masters Cup driver to reach the chequered flag.
The result marked Strickland’s third Masters Cup win of the season, strengthening his early position at the front of the class.
After the race, Strickland said: “Man, that was fun. Y’all wait until the next race; I’ll be right there in the middle of it. I actually had a broken car—the vibration was terrible and there was something wrong with my turbo. I think I would’ve done tremendously better without those problems, but I’m glad for the win.
He continued, “I appreciate TF Companies letting me come out here. Everyone who is back there managing the company for me—I appreciate those guys. I also want to thank my wife for being the team cook and Hillenburg Motorsports.”
2026 FRAC | Road America | Race 1 | Results
- Brady Golan
- Evagoras Papasavvas (R)
- Harbir Dass (R)
- Christian Bogle
- James Lawley
- Kekai Hauanio (R)
- Luke Powers (R)
- Cooper Shipman (R)
- Eric Wisniewski (R)
- Alejandro Bobadilla (R)
- Whitney Strickland (M)(R)
- Kevin Janzen (M)
NC: Barrett Wolfe, Aidan Schuh (R)
Papasavvas survives chaotic wet-weather Race 2
Race 2 brought a very different challenge. Inclement weather affected the morning at Road America, and evolving track conditions turned the race into a contest of survival.
The usual standing start was aborted after a car reversed on the grid. As a result, Papasavvas and Golan led the field away for a rolling two-by-two start. Papasavvas timed it well and quickly built a 1.779-second lead by the end of the opening lap. Behind him, Kekai Hauanio made one of the strongest starts of the race. From sixth on the grid, the Crosslink Motorsports rookie charged into second during the opening lap.
However, light rain began to fall in parts of the circuit, causing drivers to slip and slide. A multi-car spin soon brought out a full-course caution. The field stayed on slick tyres for the restart, but the conditions remained treacherous. Multiple cars spun through Turn 1, before contact at Turn 3 triggered a red flag. Race control then mandated a switch to Hankook rain tyres for the remainder of the event.
When the race restarted, there was only enough time for a green-white-checkered finish. Papasavvas and Hauanio pulled clear and exchanged the lead during the final laps. Behind them, Shipman climbed from sixth to third on the road.
However, another off-track incident brought out a late caution before the race reached its full green-flag conclusion. Papasavvas crossed the line first, followed by Hauanio. Shipman finished third on the road, but a 30-second post-race penalty for reversing on the starting grid dropped him to ninth in the official classification. Consequently, Christian Bogle was promoted to third.
Papasavvas reflects
Reflecting on the win, Papasavvas said: “[Leading] has its positives and negatives—being out in front means you’re the first one into all these corners, and especially on slicks, I genuinely had no idea what to expect. I thought I was going to lose it a couple of times, so I was just happy to keep it on track and keep it in one piece. With the warm up lap, we got to experience where it’s wet, where it’s dry, where the grip is. We almost lost it a couple of times, but that’s part of it. It was really fun battling with [Kekai], going back and forth for that whole last lap, especially.”
Strickland wins again in Masters Cup
Strickland once again led the Masters Cup in Race 2. More significantly, he finished sixth overall, earning a career-best FR Americas result in the process.
The Hillenburg Motorsports driver stayed out of trouble during a race defined by changing grip levels, spins and incidents.
“It felt great,” said Strickland after climbing from the car. “It was a nice run in the rain—I love that. I have a lot of experience doing it and I’m quite good at it. My plan was to go around somebody in Turn 1, which I did. Then, my other plan was to go around people in the carousel, but I wasn’t able to get that executed. Luckily, I avoided that big crash right before Turn 14. It was a lot of avoiding crashes, and thankfully, with a lot of the racing experience I have, I’ve been able to avoid that.”
Kevin Janzen finished second in the Masters Cup, giving the class another important storyline across the Road America weekend.
2026 FRAC | Road America | Race 2 | Results
- Evagoras Papasavvas (R)
- Kekai Hauanio (R)
- Christian Bogle
- Luke Powers (R)
- Barrett Wolfe
- Whitney Strickland (M)(R)
- Aidan Schuh (R)
- Kevin Janzen (M)
- Cooper Shipman (R) – 30-second post-race penalty for reversing on the grid
- Brady Golan
- Alejandro Bobadilla (R) – 30-second post-race penalty for causing a collision
NC: Eric Wisniewski (R), James Lawley, Harbir Dass (R)
Penalties:
- Cooper Shipman received a 30-second post-race penalty for reversing on the grid, dropping him from third on the road to ninth in the official results.
- Alejandro Bobadilla received a 30-second post-race penalty for causing a collision.
Notes: Half points were awarded for race.
Race 3 cancelled due to inclement weather
The final race of the weekend was cancelled due to inclement weather. Therefore, Golan and Papasavvas left Road America as the only overall winners from Round 2.
Although the cancellation removed one more opportunity for the championship order to shift, the two completed races still delivered significant momentum swings.
Road America shapes early championship narrative
Following Round 2, the 2026 FR Americas season continues to develop into a highly competitive title fight. Golan’s Race 1 victory confirmed his pace and made him the first repeat winner of the campaign. However, Papasavvas responded immediately with a composed Race 2 win in some of the most difficult conditions of the season so far.
Meanwhile, Shipman endured a more complicated weekend. Although he showed strong pace, especially in Race 2, his penalty proved costly and limited his points return.
Importantly, Road America also produced several standout performances. Dass earned his first podium, Hauanio matched his best finish of the season, Bogle returned to the podium, and Aidan Schuh recorded a career-best seventh-place result at his home track.
In the Masters Cup, Strickland strengthened his championship lead with victories in both completed races. His ability to manage difficult conditions, particularly in Race 2, further underlined his experience and consistency.
As the championship moves forward, Road America reinforced the unpredictability of the 2026 season. Golan has established himself as a repeat winner, Papasavvas continues to combine qualifying speed with race-winning execution, and the chasing pack remains close enough to influence the title battle.
