Ballymena racer Brandon McCaughan celebrates Spa victory after stunning Ligier weekend

Ballymena’s Brandon McCaughan

Ballymena racing talent Brandon McCaughan has returned to the top step of the Ligier European Series podium after a superb weekend at Spa-Francorchamps — taking pole position, two podium finishes and his third career victory in the championship.

The 22-year-old produced one of his strongest weekends of the season at the world-famous Belgian circuit from 21–23 August, helping the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 to its first victory of 2026 and putting the team back in contention for a top-three championship finish.

It was a significant turnaround after a frustrating first half of the campaign in which promising opportunities had repeatedly failed to translate into the results McCaughan and his team believed their pace deserved.

Mastering the rain to take pole at Spa

McCaughan arrived at Spa with valuable previous experience of the formidable 4.35-mile circuit, having raced there during his Michelin Le Mans Cup debut last year.

He shares the Team Virage Ligier with Filipino racer Sebastien Kawpeng, who qualified 11th for the opening race on a dry circuit.

Brandon with Virage Ligier teammate, Filipino racer Sebastien Kawpeng

Conditions changed dramatically before McCaughan’s own 15-minute qualifying session, with heavy rain forcing the Ballymena driver to quickly adapt.

He responded in impressive fashion, going fastest and securing his second career Ligier European Series pole position by four-tenths of a second.

McCaughan said:

“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.”

From 11th to the podium in race one

Brandon McCaughan takes position

Kawpeng took the wheel for the start of the opening race and quickly began making up ground, climbing from 11th to seventh during the first half-hour.

A well-timed decision by Team Virage to make its pitstop during a safety car period then transformed the pair’s race.

McCaughan emerged from the pitstop cycle in third position, before lengthy caution periods left him facing a 12-minute sprint to the chequered flag.

He held his nerve to secure third place and the first podium of what would become a hugely successful weekend.

Brandon McCaughan on the track

McCaughan said:

“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.”

McCaughan leads the charge to victory

Sunday brought another challenge, with cold and foggy conditions resulting in the second race beginning behind the safety car.

Once racing was allowed to get underway, McCaughan immediately demonstrated the pace that had taken him to pole.

The Ballymena driver began edging clear of the chasing pack and had built a lead of more than two seconds by the time the pitstop window arrived.

Kawpeng took over the Ligier and maintained their advantage despite coming under pressure, bringing the car home to secure the team’s first victory of the season.

For McCaughan, it marked a welcome return to the top step and his third career victory in the Ligier European Series.

Brandon McCaughan

He said:

“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.”

The combination of third place in race one and victory in race two also made McCaughan and his team the highest-scoring crew across the Spa weekend.

After a difficult opening half of 2026, that points haul has given them an opportunity to fight for a place inside the championship’s top three.

McCaughan added:

“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.”

Silverstone next — scene of last year’s double victory

Attention now turns to Silverstone on 11–12 September for the next round of the 2026 Ligier European Series.

It is a circuit with particularly happy memories for the Ballymena racer: McCaughan scored a stunning double victory there last year.

He races with the support of UtilityMapz, I.J. Lynn & Sons, ADM Group and AAA Biomass Services Ltd.

McCaughan is also seeking prospective commercial partners as he continues competing on the European Le Mans Series race package. Businesses interested in partnership opportunities can contact him directly at brandon@mccmotorsport.com.

After pole position, two podiums and a victory at Spa, McCaughan now heads to Silverstone with renewed momentum — and an opportunity to turn a difficult start to the season into a challenge for a top-three championship finish.