Kiwi Motorsport showcased depth, talent, and teamwork this past weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), claiming multiple podiums and race wins across all three competing series: FR Americas, F4 U.S. Championship, and the Ligier Junior Formula Championship (JFC). Originally scheduled for three races per category, the weekend program was condensed to two races due to an on-track incident early Sunday that required significant schedule adjustments.
In the FR Americas Championship, Kiwi Motorsport wasted no time setting the tone during qualifying. Jett Bowling earned pole position, Bruno Ribeiro locked out the front row with second, and Nicolas Ambiado lined up fourth. In race one, Ribeiro capitalized on the front-row start to take second originally, but a post-race penalty struck teammate Ambiado in first, promoting Ribeiro to first. Ambiado’s post-race penalty dropped him to fifth. Bowling, caught in the middle of on-track chaos, recovered to ninth.
Race two was a banner result for the Kiwi FR squad — a clean sweep of the podium. Ambiado stormed to victory, followed by Ribeiro in second and Bowling completing the Kiwi 1-2-3 in third.
“Our FR drivers showed incredible pace and composure all weekend,” said Team Owner Teena Larsen. “To lock out the podium in such a competitive series speaks volumes about their preparation and resilience. It’s moments like these that remind us why we do what we do.”
In the F4 U.S. Championship, Cooper Shipman and Clemente Huerta led the charge. Qualifying saw Shipman in fifth and Huerta in seventh for the start of race one. Undeterred by the challenge, Shipman charged to victory with Huerta originally finishing fourth, but later promoted to third, giving Kiwi a strong team finish. Race two repeated that success with Shipman once again taking the win and Huerta once again claiming a post-race third after crossing the finish line in fourth.
In the Ligier Junior Formula Championship, Zach Fourie made steady progress through the weekend. After qualifying eighth, he climbed one position to finish seventh in race one. Race two proved more difficult after Fourie was involved in an incident that prevented him from completing the full distance, resulting in a 13th-place finish.
“Our F4 and Ligier programs continue to show growth every round,” Larsen added. “Cooper and Clemente were incredibly consistent, and Zach is developing well in the JFC category. These weekends are all about building momentum and experience — and we’re seeing that payoff.”
Kiwi Motorsport will now prepare for one of the most anticipated events of the season, the only international stop on the schedule, as they head north to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, August 28-31. With championship implications growing by the round, all three series will return to action as the 2025 season charges into its final phase.
For more information on Kiwi Motorsport, please contact Teena Larsen via email to kiwimotorsportnz@gmail.com.
Photo Credit: Gavin Baker Photography