Crosslink Motorsports will take its 2026 Formula Regional Americas Championship (FRAC) Teams’ title fight to the season finale after leaving VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) with an outright victory, three overall podiums and a sweep of the Masters class.
Kekai Hauanio led the team’s charge by winning Race 1 before finishing second in Sunday’s finale, while Aidan Schuh claimed his maiden FRAC podium with third place in Race 2. Kevin Janzen won the Masters classification in both races to close further on championship leader Whitney Strickland, while Alejandro Bobadilla scored in both contests. The weekend came only days after Crosslink enjoyed multiple FRAC victories and Fernando Rivera’s maiden F4 U.S. podium at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Crosslink did lose its opportunity to win the FRAC Drivers’ Championship at VIR, as Evagoras Papasavvas endured two non-scoring races while Brady Golan secured the title for Toney Driver Development. However, the Teams’ Championship remains undecided, with only 14 points separating Toney and Crosslink before the final two races at Barber Motorsports Park.
Hauanio strikes late to win Race 1
Hauanio started the opening race from third after Golan claimed pole and Kiwi Motorsport’s Cooper Shipman joined him on the front row. The Crosslink driver immediately moved into contention, passing Shipman through the Esses during the opening phase before settling behind Golan and waiting for an opportunity to attack.
Rather than forcing an early move, Hauanio spent much of the contest applying pressure from second. His patience paid off with approximately five minutes remaining when he attacked into Turn 1. Golan ran slightly wide, allowing Hauanio to complete the move and take control before a late full-course caution prevented any final response. He crossed the line 0.288s ahead to claim his third FRAC victory of the season. The full VIR Race 1 report also saw Crosslink place several cars inside the points.
Bobadilla produced one of the strongest recovery drives of the race, climbing from 10th on the grid to fourth, while Schuh finished fifth after starting eighth. Janzen crossed the line ninth overall and first among the Masters runners, adding another class victory after his successful Canadian weekend. Papasavvas’ race proved considerably more difficult after contact with Shipman at Turn 4 forced both drivers into the pits and removed them from meaningful points contention.
Hauanio narrowly misses VIR sweep
Hauanio’s fastest lap in Race 1 earned him pole for Sunday’s finale and placed him in position to complete a sweep of the weekend. He converted the start into the lead and controlled much of the race, eventually building an advantage of more than four seconds before a late Safety Car erased his margin.
The neutralisation transformed the closing stages. Hauanio initially resisted Golan at the first restart, but a second caution produced a one-lap shootout to the chequered flag. Golan attacked into Turn 1 as the green and white flags appeared together and emerged with the lead, leaving Hauanio to finish only 0.281s behind. Although he missed a second victory, the runner-up result gave Hauanio his eighth podium of the season and completed a 43-point weekend.
That haul has significantly changed the battle for third in the Drivers’ Championship. Hauanio entered VIR 48.5 points behind Shipman but now trails the Kiwi Motorsport rookie by only 15.5, with 50 still available at Barber. He sits fourth on 186.5 points compared with Shipman’s 202, giving Crosslink another significant championship position to fight for during the finale. The complete standings after VIR underline how much ground Hauanio recovered during the weekend.
Schuh claims maiden FRAC podium
Schuh also enjoyed one of his strongest FRAC weekends to date. Fifth place in the opening race placed him firmly inside the leading Crosslink group before he took another step forward on Sunday.
The Race 2 podium initially appeared likely to be decided among the championship’s established front-runners, but incidents reshaped the order. Papasavvas had moved ahead of Golan into second before crashing at Turn 12, while Schuh maintained his position through the subsequent Safety Car interruptions. When the race finished after the one-lap shootout, he crossed the line third to claim the first FRAC podium of his career.
The result lifts Schuh to ninth in the Drivers’ Championship on 91 points and provides another milestone during a season in which he has increasingly established himself as a regular points scorer. Bobadilla followed seventh in Race 2, taking his weekend total to 105 and moving within only three points of Harbir Dass in the fight for seventh overall.
Janzen sweeps Masters class to keep title fight alive
Janzen continued his recent Masters Cup momentum by winning the class in both VIR races. The Canadian had already taken two Masters victories during the previous event at CTMP, meaning he has now claimed four consecutive class wins across the last two weekends.
His VIR sweep proved especially important because championship leader Strickland did not compete. Janzen therefore reduced a sizeable deficit to 16.5 points, moving to 124.5 compared with Strickland’s 141. Anthony Autiello remains third on 91. The Masters standings after VIR consequently leave the title open heading into the final two races at Barber.
Janzen’s recent run represents a substantial change in the championship picture. His Masters victory at CTMP had already begun reducing Strickland’s advantage, but consecutive sweeps in Canada and Virginia have now turned Barber into a genuine title decider.
Papasavvas’ Drivers’ Championship bid ends at VIR
The most significant disappointment for Crosslink came through Papasavvas, who entered VIR only 10.5 points behind Golan and still firmly involved in the fight for the Drivers’ Championship.
His Race 1 contact with Shipman proved costly for both contenders, as Papasavvas lost nearly a lap while repairs were completed and failed to score. He responded strongly in Race 2 by passing Golan for second and briefly putting himself in position to keep the championship alive, but an incident at Turn 12 ended his race. Golan subsequently won and expanded his advantage to 53.5 points, more than the 50 remaining at Barber.
Papasavvas therefore remains second on 228.5 points but can no longer challenge for the title. His focus now shifts towards securing championship runner-up, with Shipman 26.5 points behind and Hauanio another 15.5 further back.
Rivera delivers another consistent F4 U.S. weekend
Crosslink’s F4 U.S. programme produced fewer headline results at VIR, but Rivera continued his recent improvement with sixth place in both races.
The Mexican had earned his maiden F4 U.S. podium only one event earlier at CTMP, charging from seventh to third in Race 2. That breakthrough Canadian result was followed by a more consistent VIR weekend in which Rivera again scored in every race.
Rivera qualified seventh before finishing 14.555s behind winner Gastón Irazú in Race 1. He repeated sixth place in Sunday’s finale as Irazú completed a weekend sweep and secured the Drivers’ Championship. Those two finishes added 16 points to Rivera’s total and moved him to 97 for the season, leaving him eighth in the standings before Barber. The complete F4 U.S. VIR weekend also confirmed Irazú as champion with one event remaining.
Although the F4 title is settled, Rivera still has an opportunity to improve his championship position during the final two races. Ayden Kohut sits only seven points ahead on 104, while Luca Day holds seventh with 100, placing Rivera within reach of both before the finale.
Crosslink takes positives despite missing Drivers’ title
Team Owner Gill Kaszuba highlighted the breadth of Crosslink’s VIR performance despite the disappointment of seeing the FRAC Drivers’ Championship move beyond Papasavvas.
“It was another weekend that showed just how much strength we have throughout this Crosslink Motorsports program,” explained Team Owner Gill Kaszuba. “Though we fell short of the overall FR Americas driver’s championship with Evagoras, Kekai getting the win in Race 1 and then coming back for another podium was fantastic, and seeing Aidan earn his first FR Americas podium was a really special moment for the team. Kevin also continued his incredible consistency in the Masters class. Fernando had two solid sixth-place finishes in F4, so there are a lot of positives we can take from this weekend.”
The team’s collective FRAC strength remains particularly important heading into Barber. Toney Driver Development arrived at VIR 14 points ahead in the Teams’ Championship, and remarkably both squads scored exactly 70 points across the two races. The gap therefore remains unchanged, with Toney on 538 and Crosslink on 524.
Teams’ and Masters championships head to Barber
Crosslink consequently enters the season finale with two major championships still available and several individual positions unresolved.
Hauanio has moved firmly into the battle for third overall, Bobadilla sits only three points away from seventh and Schuh will attempt to consolidate his place inside the championship top 10 after securing his first podium. Papasavvas can still complete the year as runner-up, while Janzen heads into Barber with a realistic opportunity to overturn Strickland’s 16.5-point Masters advantage.
Most significantly for the wider team, Crosslink needs to recover 14 points from Toney Driver Development across the final two races to take the FRAC Teams’ Championship. Neither squad gained ground at VIR despite a weekend containing victories, podiums and setbacks for both, ensuring the contest will reach the final event unchanged.
Rivera will simultaneously conclude Crosslink’s F4 U.S. campaign, with seventh in the Drivers’ Championship only three points away and sixth seven points ahead.
Barber Motorsports Park therefore provides Crosslink with considerably more than an opportunity to simply finish 2026 strongly. The Drivers’ Championship may now belong to Golan, but the Teams’ title, Masters Cup and several important individual positions remain unresolved when the season concludes from 16-18 October.
