Ballymena racing talent Brandon McCaughan shows front-running pace despite frustrating Paul Ricard weekend

DPPI Images / Ligier European Series.

Ballymena driver Brandon McCaughan underlined his growing reputation as one of Northern Ireland’s most promising young motorsport talents, delivering standout pace but leaving France frustrated after a challenging second round of the 2026 Ligier European Series.

The 22-year-old produced eye-catching performances at Circuit Paul Ricard across 01-02 May, but a mix of setbacks, race incidents and penalties prevented the results from matching the speed shown by both him and team-mate Sebastien Kawpeng.

Strong qualifying lays foundation for podium challenge

Arriving in the south of France on the back of a breakthrough opening round in Barcelona, where he fought into the race lead in both contests, McCaughan was targeting a strong follow-up on his debut at the technical 3.63-mile Paul Ricard circuit.

After building confidence through two free practice sessions on Friday, the Northern Irishman delivered in qualifying, setting the third fastest time in his session. Combined with Kawpeng securing a top-five grid slot, Team Virage lined up firmly in podium contention for both races.

McCaughan took the opening stint in race one and made an immediate impact, surging from third to second on the opening lap of the 60-minute encounter.

Although he slipped back to third shortly afterwards, he maintained position through a consistent and controlled stint, handing over to Kawpeng in a strong position during the mid-race pit window.

A composed second half from the Filipino driver secured a fifth-place finish, delivering valuable championship points even if it fell short of the podium ambitions suggested by their early pace.

Race two setbacks derail progress

Hopes of building on that result in race two were quickly disrupted when Kawpeng became entangled in a multi-car incident during the opening stages.

Dropped to 12th, he responded with an immediate recovery drive, climbing back to ninth within a handful of laps in their Ligier JS P4 prototype.

Following the driver change, McCaughan rejoined in ninth position, but any chance of further progress was undone by a drive-through penalty that halted momentum.

He crossed the line in 12th place before being promoted to 10th after post-race time penalties were applied to other competitors.

Performance not reflected in results

Reflecting on the weekend, McCaughan pointed to the gap between performance and outcome, describing the round as disappointing despite clear signs of competitiveness.

“It’s been a pretty disappointing round to be honest. The race results didn’t reflect the pace that myself and Sebastien had, which ultimately came down to some issues that slowed our progress through free practice and then some bad luck here and there in the races.”

While race one delivered a clean and solid result, the second contest highlighted how quickly fortunes can change in endurance racing, particularly in tightly contested prototype fields.

McCaughan added that the team had made effective adjustments between races, unlocking strong pace that ultimately went unrewarded due to circumstances beyond their control.

“It’s frustrating, but that’s just the way racing is. It’s not impossible to get back into championship contention and we have the pace to do it, we just need to have some clean weekends and score some big results.”

Eyes on Le Mans as season continues

Despite the setbacks, the Ballymena driver leaves Paul Ricard with his reputation enhanced, having consistently demonstrated front-running speed across the opening two rounds of the 2026 campaign.

Backed by partners including UtilityMapz, I.J. Lynn & Sons, ADM Group and AAA Biomass Services Ltd, McCaughan now turns his attention to one of the biggest stages in global motorsport.

The Ligier European Series resumes on 07 June at the world-famous Circuit de la Sarthe, where competitors will race as part of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans event.

With five weeks to regroup, McCaughan and Team Virage will be aiming to convert their proven pace into the results needed to reignite their championship challenge.

The races from Circuit Paul Ricard are available to watch on the Ligier European Series YouTube channel, while McCaughan has also confirmed that new commercial partnership opportunities are available, with interested parties invited to make contact via brandon@mccmotorsport.com.

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At a glance

• Brandon McCaughan impressed with strong pace at Paul Ricard despite frustrating results

• Qualified third fastest and ran in podium positions during race one

• Finished fifth in race one after a consistent team performance

• Race two disrupted by early multi-car incident involving team-mate

• Drive-through penalty limited recovery, finishing 10th after post-race adjustments

• McCaughan remains confident of returning to championship contention

• Next round takes place at Circuit de la Sarthe on 07 June as part of Le Mans event

• Commercial partnership opportunities available via direct contact