Prototype racing rising star Brandon McCaughan relished the opportunity to compete on the world-famous Circuit de la Sarte at Le Mans for the first time on Sunday (07 June), even if the latest round of the Ligier European Series sadly didn’t deliver the result he’d hoped for.
The third round of the season saw him take to the hallowed tarmac the weekend prior to the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After showing tremendous speed and racecraft across the opening two events of 2026, McCaughan was eyeing a big performance in France.
The 8.47-mile Le Mans circuit presented a formidable challenge for the Northern Irishman, particularly with only a single free practice session to get up to speed. He got off to a good start with Team Virage though, immediately establishing himself towards the top of the timesheets.
McCaughan’s team-mate Sebastien Kawpeng took the reins for qualifying and produced a strong performance, securing them ninth on the Ligier JS P4 grid. The Filipino-based racer started the one-hour race and kept them in the fight for the top ten through his stint. Following the mid-race pitstop, McCaughan was determined to make progress and impressively gained four places within two laps. Luck was against him though, as whilst approaching a slow zone, confusion from a driver ahead led to them suddenly swerving across track into McCaughan’s path and causing heavy contact between the two.
The contact pitched McCaughan’s car into the air, but fortunately it landed back on four wheels and he was able to continue after a trip to the pitlane. Staying on the lead lap behind the safety car, the 22-year-old talent put in a rapid final lap to pick his way past ten backmarkers from the JS2 R class and bring the car home in 11th place in the JS P4 ranks.
The Ballymena-based driver 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 with two races at Spa-Francorchamps (21-23 August).
Brandon McCaughan: “It’s a disappointing result, but we’ll take away the positives. The experience to drive at Le Mans for the first time was unbelievable, I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity and be part of such a prestigious event. I started in free practice and had a short six lap run to get to grips with the circuit, and I was quickest at the point I handed over to Sebastien. He finished off practice and then did qualifying and the start of the race, so my next time in the car came right in the thick of the race.
Sebastien did a solid job in the first half of the race and I got into the car in 11th. In less than two laps I’d managed to get up to seventh, but then my charge was cut short by a big incident I was unable to avoid. It sent me airborne and I had to come in to the pitlane for the team to repair the car. We were able to stay on the lead lap and a safety car allowed me to catch the back of the train, so it was good fun on the last lap gaining ten places overall and finishing 11th in class. I was really pleased with my pace, the #1 Team Virage car was on rails. Without the incident, I think we could have made a charge for the podium, as we had the speed and the time to do it. Still, I’m happy to walk away from a big incident with just some soreness, and we’ll be prepared and ready to fight at Spa. Thank you to my sponsors for helping me get this opportunity of a lifetime.”