Kennedy Sweeps Ligier JFC Gen. 2 at NOLA, Bainotti Earns First Ligier JFC Gen. 1 Win

Winning Race 3 at NOLA Motorsports Park on Sunday afternoon, Edward Kennedy and MLT Motorsports completed the weekend sweep in the Ligier Junior Formula Championship (Ligier JFC) Gen. 2 Class. Meanwhile, Lazaro Bainotti dominated the Ligier JFC Gen. 1 Class to earn his first-career win for Speed Factory.

Notes of Interest:

• Edward Kennedy swept the weekend, topping the speed charts for every practice, qualifying and winning all three races in the Ligier JFC Gen. 2 Class.
• Lazaro Bainotti won his first Ligier JFC race in the Gen. 1 Class. Driving for Speed Factory, the Argentinian driver made his series’ debut this weekend at NOLA.
• After winning Race 1 and 2 yesterday, Beckham Jacir finished second in the Ligier JFC Gen. 1 Class on Sunday afternoon. Jacir has finished on the podium in the last four Ligier JFC races, spanning back to the 2025 season finale at Barber Motorsports Park.
• Truly Adams earned his third consecutive podium in the Ligier JFC Gen. 1 Class. The rookie driver finished second in the first two races of the season and kept his podium streak alive with a third-place result today.
• With Ligier JFC set to recognize both a Gen. 1 and Gen. 2 champion with the Champion’s Scholarship program, Edward Kennedy left the Racing America at NOLA event as the points leader in the Ligier JFC Gen. 2 Class, while Beckham Jacir left as the Ligier JFC Gen. 1 Class champion.
• With three wins to sweep his debut weekend, Edward Kennedy was awarded the Omologato One to Watch Award and recognized by the stewards for an outstanding performance this weekend. The award includes a bespoke Omologato timepiece.

With the Gen. 2 cars lining up behind the Gen. 1 cars, Edward Kennedy (No. 30 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) once again rolled off first in class. Tasked with racing through the field, the MLT driver again proved he was up to the task as he made his way through the slower traffic and took the race lead in less than seven minutes. Once in the lead, Kennedy stayed focused and consistently hit his marks, going on to win the race and sweep the Racing America at NOLA weekend.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Kennedy after climbing from the car. “It feels good to be back here [in the Winner’s Circle]. It was great dominating the whole weekend. Jack [Speth] had me so much under pressure; I was scared I was going to lose my momentum, but I got it through to the end. I have to thank my parents and the team, MLT Motorsports. Thank you all very much.”

Beckham Jacir (No. 7 Stonica / Bell / OMP / P1DOKS / Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) led the field to the starting lights, lining up first in class after winning both Race 1 and 2 in the Ligier JFC Gen. 1 Class. Jacir faced immediate pressure when the lights went out, with challenges emerging from both second-place starter Ava Hanssen (No. 26 One Powersports / Chiropractic Center of Elkhorn / NGK / Badger Mats Ligier JS F4), and then third-place starter Truly Adams (No. 47 Adams Motorsports Park / Troy Adams Coaching / OSRX / Mileage Quest / Berg Racing Ligier JS F4). With Adams completing the pass on both drivers, he took the race lead before the completion of the first lap. Behind them, Lazaro Bainotti (No. 11 Fundacion Fangio Rus seguros Cordoba deportes / Speed Factory Ligier JS F4) was making his climb through the field after starting sixth in class. About the same time that Edwards took the overall lead, Bainotti made his way around Adams to take the Gen. 1 Class lead. Quickly opening a multi-second advantage, Bainotti continued to lead the race all the way to the checkered flag.

“It was a tough race climbing from the sixth position,” said Bainotti after the race. “The car was just really good, though, and I was able make it to P1 after about two laps. It was a lot of fun.”

>> SEE MORE: Round 3 Official Results

Ligier JFC is back on track for Racing America at Road America, May 14-17. Live timing and scoring will be available on the Race Monitor App, with additional news and updates shared on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Prospective drivers looking to learn more about Ligier JFC should visit the series’ website, LigierJFC.com.

-Photo credit: Ligier JFC.