Brandon McCaughan Secures Sensational Ligier Victory At Spa-Francorchamps
Prototype racing rising star Brandon McCaughan made a welcome return to the top step of the Ligier European Series podium with a spectacular performance in the latest round at Spa-Francorchamps this past weekend (21-23 August).
Bouncing back from a frustrating set of results over the first half of the season, the Northern Irishman was finally able to showcase his true potential at the world-famous Belgian circuit as he charged to a double podium finish including his third career victory in the championship.
McCaughan’s first experience of the formidable 4.35-mile Spa circuit came last year as he debuted in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. With that experience under his belt, he was confident of a strong showing this year alongside Sebastien Kawpeng in the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4.
After Kawpeng qualified 11th for race one on a dry circuit, McCaughan had to quickly adapt to sudden heavy rainfall for his 15-minute session. He did a superb job in the difficult conditions, charging his way to the top of the timesheets to secure his second career Ligier pole by four tenths of a second.
Kawpeng started behind the wheel for the opening race and made brilliant progress, climbing up from 11th to seventh in the opening half an hour. A quick call by the team to pit during a safety car period secured them further progress, with McCaughan emerging from the pitstop cycle in third.
Lengthy caution periods led to a 12-minute shootout to the chequered flag, which the 22-year-old talent executed to perfection to bring home a podium finish. That filled him with confidence ahead of race two on Sunday morning, with foggy conditions leading to a start behind the safety car.
When the racing got underway, the Ballymena driver immediately started to edge away from the pack and build a lead of over two seconds heading into the pitstops. Coming out still in the lead, the Filipino racer pulled out a great stint to maintain their advantage and secure their first win of the season.
McCaughan races with the crucial support of his loyal partners; UtilityMapz, I.J. Lynn & Sons, ADM Group and AAA Biomass Services Ltd. The 2026 Ligier European Series season continues at Silverstone next month (11-12 September), where he enjoyed a stunning double victory last year.
Brandon McCaughan: “Spa is my favourite circuit I’ve ever raced at, so it was great to get the chance to race there again. It was a fantastic weekend and a much needed one for all of us after a difficult first half of the season, where bad luck took some promising opportunities away from us.
“It was a bit of a struggle in Friday practice, our pace wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but we worked hard on the data and found where we could improve. Heavy rain for my qualifying session made for tricky conditions, so it was a great feeling to get my first pole position of the season.
“Sebastien did a great job at the start of race one to move up from 11th to seventh, and then the team got the pitstop done at the right time to jump us up to third. From there, my job was to not make any mistakes and bring home the podium, which I’m pleased to have accomplished for the team.
“Sunday was a cold and foggy morning, which was a different challenge. I felt good in my stint though and was able to build up a lead. Sebastien held his nerve under a lot of pressure to bring home the victory, and it was great to reward the team for all their efforts so far this season.
“It was a much needed clean and competitive weekend to finally show what we can do. We ended up as the high-scoring team across the weekend, which puts us in a position to challenge for the top three in the championship. I’m really looking forward to Silverstone and I’m confident we can have another great weekend.”
