SANTIAGO / LEXINGTON, Ohio, U.S.A. / June 14, 2026 – After a strong start that put him in podium contention, Chilean driver Clemente Huerta (Velox Racing USA) suffered gearbox issues with his Ligier F4 FIA car, dropping to sixth place during Race 2 of the third round of the Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.).

With a fifth-place finish on Saturday and a sixth-place finish this Sunday, the young driver demonstrated solid pace during both events at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. However, he was unable to achieve his goal of a top-three finish due to mechanical problems that worsened whenever he had to defend his position near the front of the pack.

Sunday’s race was won by Canadian Caleb Campbell, followed by Uruguay’s Gastón Irazú and South Africa’s Zach Fourie. Rounding out the field behind them were American Ayden Kohut, Mexican driver Fernando Rivera, and Clemente Huerta. Following these results, Campbell remains the championship leader with 151 points. He is followed by Irazú (131), Fourie (111), Medeiros (56), and Huerta (54).

“I arrived at Mid-Ohio with high expectations, but once again, I ran into mechanical issues. We’ll have to take the car apart to identify the specific problem or problems. It could be the compressor or something broken. The gap to my rivals was on the straights, where the gearbox was sticking—at least during Sunday’s Race 2,” the 17-year-old driver said dejectedly.

The next round of the F4 U.S. Championship—the fourth stop on the calendar—will take place from July 31 to August 2, featuring three races at the New Jersey Motorsports Park circuit in Millville, New Jersey.

- Clemente Huerta PR / Photo by Gavin Baker Photography