Clemente Huerta Raab heads back to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) this weekend with renewed confidence after two podium finishes transformed the direction of his 2026 F4 U.S. campaign.
The 17-year-old Kiwi Motorsport driver enters the fifth round of the season fifth in the standings on 96 points, only six behind fourth-placed Cole Medeiros. CTMP begins a busy September for the Chilean, who will also contest the championship’s sixth round in Virginia later this month around Chile’s Independence Day celebrations.
Huerta Raab already knows the 2.459-mile Canadian circuit after racing there in 2025. He believes the combination of that previous experience and his recent improvement should put him in a stronger position this time around.
Huerta Raab arrives at CTMP with New Jersey momentum
Huerta Raab endured a difficult opening three rounds of his second F4 season, with car problems limiting his ability to convert his pace into results.
A team switch ahead of the fourth round at New Jersey Motorsports Park changed the trajectory of his campaign. After rejoining Kiwi Motorsport, Huerta Raab immediately returned to the podium and scored two third-place finishes across the weekend.
Those results lifted him to fifth in the championship and significantly reduced the gap to the drivers immediately ahead.
“With the pace I’ve built since the last race, I’m arriving in Ontario feeling very confident, as I know the track and its challenges. The double podium finish in New Jersey has boosted my morale even more to keep fighting for the championship,” commented 17-year-old Huerta Raab, a senior in high school.
The New Jersey results represented his strongest weekend of the season so far and provided an important boost before returning to a circuit that produced both promise and frustration last year.
CTMP gives Huerta Raab chance to rewrite 2025 ending
Huerta Raab first raced at CTMP during his rookie F4 campaign in 2025 and immediately demonstrated his potential by finishing third in the opening race.
His weekend became more difficult in Race 2. An off-track excursion two laps from the finish sent him into the tyre barrier, leaving him eighth before medical precautions prevented him from participating in Race 3.
The Chilean has spent the intervening year analysing the incident and believes he now understands what led to the mistake.
“I’ve spent the whole year analyzing my mistakes, and I’m very clear on why what happened happened that time. Now I’m arriving more confident and with more experience, which makes me very calm.”
That previous podium provides evidence that Huerta Raab can compete near the front at CTMP. His greater experience and stronger recent form now give him an opportunity to produce a more complete weekend.
Kiwi Motorsport return provides immediate improvement
Huerta Raab’s switch back to Kiwi Motorsport has become one of the key turning points in his season.
His opening rounds produced several solid finishes but lacked the podium results required to remain close to the leading championship contenders. The move ahead of New Jersey immediately delivered two top-three finishes and pushed him further up the standings.
The challenge at CTMP will be sustaining that improvement rather than treating the NJMP results as an isolated breakthrough. Three more races give Huerta Raab an opportunity to close on Medeiros while also reducing the larger gap to the championship’s top three.
Uruguayan Gastón Irazú currently leads with 198 points after taking control of the standings at New Jersey. Canadian Caleb Campbell sits second on 161, while South African Zach Fourie occupies third with 147.
Medeiros follows on 102, leaving Huerta Raab only six points away in fifth, while Luca Day sits sixth on 70.
Familiar CTMP layout offers useful reference
CTMP’s fast and flowing characteristics place considerable emphasis on confidence, precision and commitment, making previous circuit knowledge especially valuable.
Huerta Raab already understands the rhythm of the 10-turn layout and enters this year’s event with significantly more F4 experience than he had 12 months ago. That should allow him to focus more quickly on extracting performance rather than spending the early sessions learning the circuit.
Thursday’s programme includes three test sessions before Practice and Qualifying take place on Friday. The first two races follow on Saturday, with Race 3 completing the Canadian weekend on Sunday.
Weather could add another variable, particularly during Thursday’s testing and potentially Sunday’s finale. Conditions are expected to improve for Qualifying and Saturday’s races, placing additional importance on adapting quickly if the circuit changes significantly across the weekend.
Huerta Raab targets championship progress through September
CTMP begins an important month for Huerta Raab as F4 U.S. moves into the second half of its season.
After the Canadian round, his attention will turn towards Virginia later in September for the sixth event of the campaign. That weekend will coincide with Chile’s Independence Day period, giving the Chilean another significant event as he continues climbing back into championship contention.
His immediate objective remains closing the six-point gap to Medeiros while maintaining the momentum established at New Jersey. Catching the championship leaders will require a considerably larger swing, but the recent double podium has demonstrated how quickly a strong weekend can alter his position.
For Huerta Raab, CTMP now offers the opportunity to combine familiarity with renewed confidence. A year after his first visit ended prematurely, he returns with more experience, stronger form and a clear understanding of the mistakes he wants to avoid.
