The 2026 Formula Regional Americas Championship (FRAC) continued at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where Kekai Hauanio and Evagoras Papasavvas shared the victories during Round 3.
Hauanio produced an impressive opening lap to claim his maiden FRAC win in Race 1. Meanwhile, Papasavvas followed his runner-up finish with a controlled home victory in Race 2.
Brady Golan also featured prominently throughout the weekend. The Toney Driver Development driver secured pole position and completed both races on the podium. Elsewhere, Whitney Strickland maintained his perfect Masters Cup record with two further class victories.
Golan claims record-breaking Mid-Ohio pole
Golan established the early benchmark during Friday’s Practice session, recording a 1:18.480 lap around the 2.258-mile circuit. Cooper Shipman followed just 0.063 seconds behind, while Papasavvas took third. Harbir Dass and Christian Bogle completed the top five, with the leading six drivers covered by less than half a second.
Golan then improved to a record-breaking 1:18.066 in Qualifying to secure pole position for Race 1. The American beat Papasavvas by only 0.077 seconds, underlining the close margins at the front.
Hauanio qualified third for Crosslink Motorsports, while Shipman and Bogle completed the top five. Meanwhile, Strickland led the Masters Cup runners from 11th overall.
2026 FRAC | Mid-Ohio | Practice | Results
- Brady Golan
- Cooper Shipman (R)
- Evagoras Papasavvas (R)
- Harbir Dass (R)
- Christian Bogle
- Kekai Hauanio (R)
- Aidan Schuh (R)
- James Lawley
- Alejandro Bobadilla (R)
- Barrett Wolfe
- Whitney Strickland (M)(R)
- Eric Wisniewski (R)
- Kevin Janzen (M)
2026 FRAC | Mid-Ohio | Qualifying/Race 1 Official Grid | Results
- Brady Golan
- Evagoras Papasavvas (R)
- Kekai Hauanio (R)
- Cooper Shipman (R)
- Christian Bogle
- Harbir Dass (R)
- Alejandro Bobadilla (R)
- Aidan Schuh (R)
- Barrett Wolfe
- James Lawley
- Whitney Strickland (M)(R)
- Eric Wisniewski (R)
- Kevin Janzen (M)
The official Race 1 grid placed Golan, Papasavvas and Hauanio inside the opening three positions, with only 0.225 seconds separating their Qualifying laps.
Hauanio charges from third to first in Race 1
Although Golan started Race 1 from pole position, Hauanio immediately placed himself in contention when the lights went out. The Crosslink Motorsports rookie launched from third and climbed into the lead during the opening lap. Papasavvas also moved ahead of Golan, allowing the Crosslink teammates to occupy the first two positions.
From there, Hauanio, Papasavvas and Golan ran nose to tail. Less than one second separated the leading trio for much of the 30-minute race as Papasavvas continued to pressure his teammate.
A mid-race Safety Car then erased the gaps and presented the chasing drivers with another opportunity. However, Hauanio controlled the restart and crossed the line with an advantage of nearly half a second.
Behind him, Golan briefly challenged Papasavvas for second. Nevertheless, the championship leader resisted the attack and remained ahead until the chequered flag.
Hauanio secures maiden FRAC victory at Mid-Ohio
Hauanio completed all 22 racing laps at the front and crossed the line 0.513 seconds ahead of Papasavvas.
The result marked his first FR Americas victory and continued his success at Mid-Ohio, where he had previously claimed two Ligier Junior Formula Championship wins in 2024.
Hauanio reflects
After the race, Hauanio said: “I’ve been waiting for this one all season. It feels really good to do it here at Mid-Ohio; this has always been my favorite track. I’ve had a lot of success here over the years and it feels great to be able to pull it off today. It was a really good race. I just put my head down and tried to go forward—I’d look in the mirror maybe once a lap just to see where [Evagoras] was, and then I just kept going.
“The car was hooked up, thanks to the Crosslink Motorsports crew. I also have to thank my grandfather for always supporting me, N-E-Where Transport, [Team Owner] Gill Kaszuba—all of them play a big part in this. I can’t wait for [Race 2]; hopefully we can come back and get another one.”
Papasavvas secured his fourth podium of the season in second, while Golan finished only 0.586 seconds behind the winner in third. Shipman crossed the line fourth and recorded the race’s fastest lap with a 1:18.729. Bogle completed the top five ahead of Dass, Alejandro Bobadilla and Aidan Schuh. Barrett Wolfe and James Lawley rounded out the points-paying positions.
Strickland extends perfect Masters Cup run
Strickland continued his dominant start to the Masters Cup campaign by securing his fifth class victory of the season.
The Hillenburg Motorsports driver battled teammate Eric Wisniewski during the race before finishing 11th overall. Kevin Janzen completed the Masters Cup podium in 13th.
Strickland’s result carried additional significance after a mechanical failure affected the team’s transporter during its journey from Texas.
After the race, Strickland said: “It’s honestly been a pretty rough weekend—we had a rig break down, so we had to tow our cars and trailers and everything to get here. I’m just glad to get up here and be able to race. It was a 19-hour drive from Houston pulling the trailer, so I’m glad we were able to finish it off with a win today. Thanks to the Hillenburg Motorsports crew, Darryl, Danny and everybody on the team. The car was running really good today.”
2026 FRAC | Mid-Ohio | Race 1 | Results
- Kekai Hauanio (R)
- Evagoras Papasavvas (R)
- Brady Golan
- Cooper Shipman (R)
- Christian Bogle
- Harbir Dass (R)
- Alejandro Bobadilla (R)
- Aidan Schuh (R)
- Barrett Wolfe
- James Lawley
- Whitney Strickland (M)(R)
- Eric Wisniewski (R)
- Kevin Janzen (M)
Fastest lap: Cooper Shipman — 1:18.729
Margin of victory: 0.513 seconds
The official classification confirmed that all 13 starters completed the full 22-lap distance.
Papasavvas capitalises on opening-lap contact in Race 2
Shipman secured pole position for Race 2 after setting the fastest lap during the opening contest. Hauanio lined up alongside him, while Papasavvas and Golan shared the second row.
When the race began, Shipman and Hauanio accelerated towards Turn 2 but made contact while fighting for the lead. The incident slowed both drivers and immediately presented Papasavvas with an opportunity.
Starting from third, Papasavvas swept past the delayed pair and claimed the lead. Once ahead, the Crosslink Motorsports driver began to pull away.
Golan moved into second and remained Papasavvas’s closest challenger throughout the race. Dass followed in third on the road, while the rest of the field fought for position behind them.
Two Safety Car periods interrupted Papasavvas’s progress and repeatedly eliminated his advantage. The second restart left him facing a two-lap sprint to the chequered flag.
Nevertheless, Papasavvas maintained his composure, controlled both restarts and completed all 19 racing laps at the front.
Papasavvas claims victory on home soil
Papasavvas crossed the line 0.598 seconds ahead of Golan to secure his third victory of the season. The result carried special significance for the Loveland, Ohio native, who competed in front of family and friends at his home circuit.
Papasavvas reflects
After the race, Papasavvas said: “This is a bsolutely unbelievable. I was able to get the lead in the first lap with a clear track ahead of me. It was just focusing on myself and putting down qualifying lap after qualifying lap. The car felt really good; the Crosslink Motorsports team did an incredible job setting it up. Like I said yesterday, I couldn’t ask for a better team to be on. I’m just super proud and happy to do it here in front of my home crowd.
“My family and friends are here, my sister, Celia—she wanted a specific shoutout for this race, so, Celia there you go. I hope you’re happy. I’m just happy to do it in front of the home crowd.”
Golan’s second-place finish gave him his fourth podium of the season and completed a consistently strong weekend for Toney Driver Development.
Penalties reshape the Race 2 classification
Dass crossed the line third after spending much of the race behind Papasavvas and Golan. However, post-race technical checks found that his engine oil sat below the permitted minimum level.
Officials consequently moved Dass to the final classified position. The penalty promoted his Toney Driver Development rival Bogle to third, handing Bogle his third podium of the campaign.
Shipman recovered from the first-lap contact to finish fourth and recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 1:19.051. Meanwhile, Schuh climbed from ninth to fifth to secure his strongest result of the season.
Lawley finished sixth, while Wisniewski and Strickland followed in seventh and eighth. Janzen placed ninth overall.
Hauanio crossed the line higher up the order but received a 30-second post-race penalty for causing a collision. The sanction dropped the Race 1 winner to 10th in the final classification.
Bobadilla finished 11th, while Dass’s technical penalty placed him 12th. Wolfe retired after completing 14 of the 19 laps.
Strickland completes Mid-Ohio Masters Cup sweep
Strickland finished eighth overall and earned championship points while completing a sweep of the weekend’s Masters Cup races.
He defeated Janzen by three seconds to secure his sixth consecutive class victory of the season. Before reflecting on his own result, Strickland offered his condolences to Janzen following the death of Janzen’s mother.
After the race, Strickland said: “First, I want to send my condolences to Kevin [Janzen] on the loss of his mother—I’ve been through that. As for today’s race, man, this is such a fun track. We’re still trying to figure this car out. But, I feel like maybe later in the season, I might get close to these kids. I’m a couple of hundred yards behind them now, but man, I am hoping to pick a few of them off one day. Today was great fun.
“I had a good time racing with my teammate [Eric Wisniewski] there, so it was a good race.”
2026 FRAC | Mid-Ohio | Race 2 | Results
- Evagoras Papasavvas (R)
- Brady Golan
- Christian Bogle
- Cooper Shipman (R)
- Aidan Schuh (R)
- James Lawley
- Eric Wisniewski (R)
- Whitney Strickland (M)(R)
- Kevin Janzen (M)
- Kekai Hauanio (R) — 30-second post-race penalty for causing a collision
- Alejandro Bobadilla (R)
- Harbir Dass (R) — moved to the final classified position following a technical violation
NC: Barrett Wolfe
Fastest lap: Cooper Shipman — 1:19.051
Margin of victory: 0.598 seconds
Penalties:
- Kekai Hauanio received a 30-second post-race penalty for causing a collision.
- Harbir Dass moved to the final classified position after post-race checks found that his engine oil sat below the minimum permitted level.
Mid-Ohio strengthens Papasavvas’s championship campaign
Although Hauanio claimed the breakthrough victory in Race 1, Papasavvas emerged with the strongest overall return from Mid-Ohio. The Crosslink Motorsports driver followed second place with victory on Sunday, maintaining his consistent start to the campaign. Moreover, he secured both results in front of his home crowd.
Golan also strengthened his championship position after claiming pole and recording two podium finishes. Meanwhile, Bogle added another podium, Shipman demonstrated his pace with the fastest lap in both races, and Schuh delivered his best result of the season.
In the Masters Cup, Strickland continued his perfect run by winning both races and extending his early championship advantage.
FRAC will return at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 18–21 June, where the contenders will face Round 4 only days after a tightly contested weekend at Mid-Ohio.
