The newly established Ligier JS F4 Series kicks off this weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park with a blend of familiar and new faces on its 14-car grid. Feeder Series tells you all you need to know about the 2024 season of the series, the new lowest step on the SVRA package.

By Laura Anequini

When FR Americas and F4 US announced their calendars in October 2023, a surprising addition came with it: the introduction of a new championship called Ligier JS F4, designed to bridge the gap between karting and F4 racing. As F4 US switched to using the second generation of Ligier chassis this year, the creation of the new championship aimed to repurpose the first-generation chassis that had been used through the 2023 season. This move not only helped in utilising existing resources but also made the championship more budget-friendly by keeping entry fees low.

JS F4 is formed from the ashes of the Formula Development series, which served as a stepping stone to F4 US who were too young to compete in the main series. That championship, however, never had more than two entrants per round and ran all its sessions with other classes of cars on the SVRA package.

Like its predecessor, JS F4 accepts drivers aged 14 and above. Unlike FR Americas and F4 US, this championship is sanctioned not by the FIA but by Parella Motorsports Holding (PMH). While its format closely resembles both series, there are differences particularly in areas such as chassis homologation – the first generation chassis is no longer homologated by the FIA – and helmet specifications, which must now adhere to the North American standard. 

JS F4 events will coincide with F4 US SpeedTour weekends but will run separately from F4 US races. As in FR Americas and F4 US, Hankook will supply tyres for the season.

As for prizes, the championship winner will receive a scholarship to compete in F4 US the following year. The champion will also be awarded the use of a Ligier JS F422 chassis and engine from Ligier, race entry fees covered by PMH and two sets of tyres per event from Hankook. In total, the prize package holds a current value of 133,600 USD.

The calendar

The 2024 season will feature five rounds. As in FR Americas, NOLA will host the season opener and Road America the following round. After those come rounds at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, New Jersey Motorsports Park, and the Circuit of The Americas.

Virginia International Raceway was originally set to hold the season finale, but the venue was quietly changed over the winter.

• Round 1: NOLA Motorsports Park, Louisiana (11–14 April)
• Round 2: Road America, Wisconsin (16–19 May)
• Round 3: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio (20–23 June)
• Round 4: New Jersey Motorsports Park, New Jersey (25–28 July)
• Round 5: Circuit of the Americas, Texas (31 October–3 November)

The format

The format of the weekend does not differ a lot from the other two American championships. For each round, there will be at least one practice session taking place on Friday with a minimum duration of 20 minutes and maximum of 45 minutes.

Qualifying can take place either on Friday or Saturday, with each session having a maximum duration of 30 minutes. Subsequently, each event will feature two or three races occurring on Saturday and Sunday. The duration of these races will be specified on the event schedule, but they cannot exceed 30 minutes.

As for grid formation, the starting order for race one is determined by qualifying, while the starting positions for races two and three are determined by the fastest race times achieved by each driver in the preceding race.

Regarding points, the scoring system aligns with F1. First place earns 25 points, second place earns 18, third place earns 15, and the allocation decreases to one point for tenth place.

Where to watch

Though specifics are not yet publicly known, most events can be watched live on the series’ broadcast channels. In addition, streaming of select events will be available on the SpeedTour TV YouTube channel. 

Teams and drivers

Apart from the drivers and teams below, who are confirmed to be racing the full season, more names were announced for this weekend´s round.

Daniel Quimby (#24), who is already confirmed to race in F4 US with Atlantic Racing, will be racing with the team this weekend, but a representative from the team told Feeder Series that he will make the switch later on.

Also on the entry list this weekend are Jacob Pollack (#01) and Parker Wallin (#02) with Jensen, Pablo Benites Jr (#44) and Teddy Musella (#25) with Scuderia Buell, and Jacob Lawter (#72) with IGY6. 

In addition, PMH scholarship winner Ava Hanssen will be joining the championship’s grid in July at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Hanssen is currently only 13 years old and too young to compete in the series, hence why she will be missing the first few rounds. It has not been specified which team she will be joining in July.

Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports

Current F4 US and FR Americas champions Crosslink Kiwi enter the new championship with the largest line-up on the grid. This season, Brad Majman (#95), Kekai Hauanio (#29), Demitri Nolan (#05) and Bacon Zelenka (#45) are the drivers with which the team hopes to replicate their success at the new entry-level series.

After a season in F4 US, Zelenka joins Crosslink Kiwi, aiming for the championship title. Racing under family-run team Bacon Racing in 2023, the 18-year-old had a tough start to the championship but managed to find his way in later rounds. He finished the year 12th in the standings with 39 points and a podium in the first race at New Jersey. His experience in the F4 car will help him adapt to the new environment, as will his job in Crosslink Kiwi’s shop.

Australia’s Majman joins the championship for his first season in single-seaters. A multiple champion in karting, the 14-year-old will be one of the youngest on the grid this year. Majman joins the team to start and boost his career in North America, with his final goal being to get to the IndyCar Series. 

Kekai Hauanio is also one that switched championships to race in JS F4 this year. Last season, Hauanio raced as an independent driver in F4 US but with support from Jay Howard Driver Development, ending up eighth in the standings with 73 points and two podiums. Hauanio’s experience makes him an early favourite for the title.

Nolan’s JS F4 campaign will be his first in single-seaters. Like Majman, Nolan steps up from senior karting, albeit in the US.

Szuch Racing

Szuch Racing, a newly formed team, features Drew Szuch (#28) as both its driver and administrator. This marks the 18-year-old’s debut season in single-seaters following his transition from karting last year. He had been around the paddock last year coaching onetime karting rival Zelenka, and he also raced with Kiwi in the Formula Pro USA Western Series’ F4 class last month.

International Motorsport

Like Crosslink Kiwi, International Motorsport joins the championship after having also competed in F4 US After a tumultuous 2022 marked by an early withdrawal, the team’s return in 2023 went successfully, with Augusto Soto-Schirripa taking third place overall and four wins. 

The team now fields Maite Cáceres (#06), one of three drivers in the series to have won PMH’s Powering Diversity Scholarship. Cáceres was one of Campos Racing’s drivers in the last season of the all-female F1 Academy, but she struggled and finished last with six points. The 21-year-old comes into the season with lots to prove as she returns to the team that fielded her for three rounds in the 2022 F4 US.

IGY6 Motorsports

Having raced in both F4 US and FR Americas last year, IGY6, a team co-owned by FR Americas driver Hayden Bowlsbey’s father Clark, also joins the newly formed JS F4 championship. For this season, the team’s line-up consists of Christopher Parrish (#83) and Jacob Lawter (#72), although it is not confirmed as of now if the latter will be racing the whole season. 

Parrish, who was IGY6’s driver in F4 US, had a tough season last year, finishing 26th in the standings at the end of the championship. His best result was an eighth-place finish in the first race at VIR, though the smaller JS F4 grid and his experience in the series  could help him achieve higher placements this year. 

Berg DMG Racing

Berg DMG Racing is formed from an alliance between the Allen Berg Racing Schools programme, run by former F1 driver Allen Berg, and Doran Motorsports Group, which fielded Alex Berg, Allen’s son, in the past two seasons of F4 US. Now, the team fields Harbir Dass (#49), a mechanical engineering student at Georgia Tech and another recipient of the PMH diversity scholarship.

Although both entities are new to the championship, the partnership is not: Dass raced with Berg Racing in Spec MX-5 during the 2023 season. The team also has a second car, though no driver has been announced.

The announcement of the partnership also included the curious news that the DMG Academy, the team’s development programme, would promote its drivers Asad Nikadambaev and Viyaan Bhindi to the JS F4 squad in 2025 and 2028 respectively, once each of them becomes old enough to compete in the series.

Header photo credit: Ligier JS F4 Series