The second race of the Spa Heat took place on Sunday, August 23. The 27 competitors started behind the Safety Car due to dense fog that reduced visibility over part of the circuit. Once racing got underway, they delivered an exciting contest for the spectators.
After one hour of racing, Sebastien Kawpeng and Brandon McCaughan claimed their first victory of the season after a controlled performance in the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4. In JS2 R, Daniel Dallakyan and Antonin Bernard secured their third win of the 2026 season in the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R.
Ligier JS P4: Team Virage, from pole to victory
Once the fog had lifted and the Safety Car returned to the pits, the 15 Ligier JS P4s were released onto the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Starting from pole position in the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, Brandon McCaughan held the lead and began to pull away from his rivals. Simone Riccitelli ran second in the #7 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4, followed by Mika Abrahams in the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4.
After the mandatory pit stops, Sebastien Kawpeng emerged in the lead at the wheel of the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, ahead of Pietro Ferri in the #7 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4 and Vincent Bouteiller in the #19 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS P4.
With 15 minutes remaining, the battle intensified as Alex Gardner attacked in the #14 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, first for third place and then for second. However, contact with Pietro Ferri dropped him several positions and allowed Vincent Bouteiller to reclaim third. Ferri then suffered a puncture in the #7 and fell down the order.
Ethan Pharamond took advantage of the situation in the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4, moving into second place. At the checkered flag, Sebastien Kawpeng and Brandon McCaughan secured their first victory of the season in the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4. Ethan Pharamond and Mika Abrahams finished second in the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4, scoring valuable championship points. Trajectus Motorsport completed the top three with the #19 driven by Vincent Bouteiller and Tomas Pompidou.
In the PRO-AM classification, the #69 Bretton Racing Ligier JS P4 of Marius Kristiansen and Dominique Bastien finished on top, while Emil and Linus Hellberg led the AM classification in the #48 Allay Racing Ligier JS P4.
Ligier JS P4 overall podium: Mika Abrahams / Ethan Pharamond (#6 ANS Motorsport) (left), Sebastien Kawpeng / Brandon McCaughan (#1 Team Virage) (center), Vincent Bouteiller / Tomas Pompidou (#19 Trajectus Motorsport) (right)
Ligier JS P4 PRO-AM winners: Marius Kristiansen / Dominique Bastien (#69 Bretton Racing)
Ligier JS P4 AM winners: Emil Hellberg / Linus Hellberg (#48 Allay Racing)
Brandon McCaughan, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #1, Winner of Race 1:
“Because of the cold conditions and the fog we had not time to think. We had to be warming the tyres all the time. So once the race got finally going, I got a good enough restart to stay ahead up until Les Combes and after that took all opportunity to find my footing and that I was able to extend the gap a little bit before Seb jumped into the car. The car was amazing. I was just getting quicker and quicker. I enjoyed my stint, definitely. Seb did a brilliant job to keep the lead. It was a lot of pressure. I was the longest half hour of my life watching.
It’s been a long year. This [win] is long overdue. It’s finally a good reward for everyone in the team.”
Sebastien Kawpeng, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #1, Winner of Race 1:
“Brandon did a good job, and we had a good pit stop. The tyres were already up the temp, red out of the box. So it wasn’t that hard to make a bit of a gap, and I just did my best to do as little mistakes as possible and get a rhythm.
This win means a lot to me and the team. We had an unlucky first half of the season. So I’m really happy to come out with a win, especially here at Spa.”
Ligier JS2 R: Third win of the season for the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R
A few minutes after the start behind the Safety Car, pole sitter Marcus Terkildsen suffered a puncture following contact in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R and was forced to pit, losing the lead.
At the green flag, Simone Bianco led the field in the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R, followed by Anthony Ghibaudo in the #18 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R and Cindy Gudet in the #75 M Racing Ligier JS2 R. Contact between the leader and the #18 Ligier JS2 R cost Anthony Ghibaudo valuable positions, allowing Daniel Dallakyan to move into the top three in the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R.
After the pit stops, the battle intensified between Simone Bianco in the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R and Antonin Bernard in the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R. Bernard took the advantage and moved into the lead, but Bianco fought back and reclaimed first place.
With only a few minutes remaining before the checkered flag, Simone Bianco made contact with the #14 Ligier JS P4 and spun. Slowing on track, he was eventually forced to retire.
That cleared the way for the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R of Antonin Bernard and Daniel Dallakyan, who claimed their third victory of the season. The #83 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS2 R driven by Charles Lambert crossed the finish line in second place, followed by the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R of Jordan Meyer and Kasparas Vingilis.
After the race, the #83 Ligier JS2 R was disqualified for failing to comply with the technical regulations. The #29 was promoted to second place, while Marcus Terkildsen completed the podium in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R.
Jack and Martin Tabery won the PRO-AM classification in the #84 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS2 R, while Christophe Weber finished first in AM in the #28 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R.
Ligier JS2 R overall podium: Charles Lambert (#83 Trajectus Motorsport) (left) (before disqualification), Daniel Dallakyan / Antonin Bernard (#41 VSF Sports) (center), Kasparas Vingilis / Jordan Meyer (#29 Pegasus Racing) (right).
Ligier JS2 R PRO-AM winners: Jack Tabery / Martin Tabery (#84 Trajectus Motorsport)
Ligier JS2 R AM winner: Christophe Weber (#28 Pegasus Racing)
Daniel Dallakyan, VSF Sports, Ligier JS2 R #41, Winner of Race 2 in JS2 R:
“I started in fifth position. We managed to have a really good start and stay behind Simone [Bianco in car #81 of LR Motorsport] in my all stint. Because he is a sole driver so he has 5 seconds more at the pit stop. I just wanted to stay behind him, keep the tyres and stay safe. I managed very well my stint. We had a small contact at Bus Stop. The car felt really good thanks to the team and I managed to hand the car in P2.”
Antonin Bernard, VSF Sports, Ligier JS2 R #41, Winner of Race 2 in JS2 R:
“Daniel did a very good job for his stint. The car was still feeling very good, very stable and I had a top grip. The beginning of the stint was great. Simone [Bianco in car #81 of LR Motorsport] was really close, he had a very good pace. I made a little mistake so he was just behind me. He managed to overtake me pretty easily a first time but then I fought back. He managed to come back. It was a nice battle. Unfortunately, we were disturbed by a JS P4. So it created a bit of a gap and later Simone touched with a P4. He had to retire. I would have liked to have a fair fight because I was coming back on him. After that I was only managing the tyres, keeping the pace. Very happy of this win. The team did a very great job.
This win is important for the championship, but not only because now we are quite ahead. But also for the work done. We battled well. I think one of our strength is that we don’t make many mistakes, we try to be patient and don’t have any contact and this is what is paying off now.”
The next round of the Ligier European Series will take place at Silverstone on September 11-12.
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Photo credit: DPPI
