Ballymena driver Brandon McCaughan claimed his third Ligier European Series win during the championship’s visit to Spa-Francorchamps on 21-23 August 2026. The 22-year-old secured pole position in a wet qualifying session and, together with team-mate Sebastien Kawpeng, took third place in the opening race before winning Sunday’s second encounter.

McCaughan, driving the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, had previous experience of the 4.35-mile circuit from a Michelin Le Mans Cup outing. After Friday practice he and the team analysed data to find improvements. Heavy rain then arrived for his qualifying session, and he went fastest by four-tenths of a second to take his second career pole in the series.

Kawpeng started the first race from 11th on the grid and moved up to seventh before a safety car period. The team called the pair into the pits during the caution, and McCaughan rejoined in third. He held that position through a 12-minute sprint to the flag.

Fog and cold temperatures delayed the start of race two behind the safety car. Once racing began, McCaughan built a lead of more than two seconds before handing over to Kawpeng. The Filipino driver maintained the advantage under pressure to deliver Team Virage’s first victory of the 2026 season.

McCaughan stated that the weekend was a much-needed turnaround after a difficult first half of the season in which potential results had been lost to bad luck. He noted that the pair’s combined points tally was the highest of any crew across the Spa event, putting them in contention for a top-three finish in the championship standings.

He described the wet qualifying session as challenging and said he was pleased to secure pole. He also said the team’s decision to pit during the safety car in race one was well timed and praised his team-mate’s performance in both races. Looking ahead, he said he was confident of another strong result at Silverstone, where he won both races in 2025.

The next round of the Ligier European Series takes place at Silverstone on 11-12 September. McCaughan’s programme is supported by UtilityMapz, I.J. Lynn & Sons, ADM Group and AAA Biomass Services Ltd. He is also seeking additional commercial partners.