Second round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season takes place this weekend on French soil. Fluxá / Ryba narrowly missed out on a podium in Barcelona and will aim to secure one at Paul Ricard. Raber / Rogeon—racing on home turf for the latter—will be looking to turn around the misfortune that hampered them in Montmeló
The arrival of May, the quintessential spring month, also signals the second round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season. The endurance championship heads to Circuit Paul Ricard to continue the battle that began in mid-April in Barcelona. Brutal Fish by Campos Racing, making its debut in the highly competitive LMP3 category, delivered an excellent performance in Catalonia with its two Ligier JS P325 entries, entrusted to the pairings of Lucas Fluxá / Matúš Ryba and August Raber / Arthur Rogeon.
In the two-hour race held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya a few weeks ago, both Brutal Fish by Campos Racing Ligier LMP3 cars locked out the second row of the starting grid in qualifying. The No. 19 car, driven by Fluxá and Ryba, remained in podium contention throughout the race. Ultimately, they fell just short, finishing fourth by only a handful of seconds at the chequered flag. Raber and Rogeon endured a more challenging race, as they were on the back foot from the outset. After a spin at the start following slight contact with another car, a technical issue forced their early retirement just as they had fought back into the top ten.
Thanks to their fourth-place finish in Barcelona, Fluxá and Ryba currently sit fourth in the drivers’ standings with twelve points. Raber and Rogeon will be aiming to open their account at Circuit Paul Ricard, in what will be a home race for the French driver—undoubtedly providing extra motivation for the weekend.
Paul Ricard boasts a long-standing tradition in endurance racing. In the case of the Michelin Le Mans Cup, it has featured on the calendar continuously since 2016. Measuring almost six kilometres in length (5,821 metres), it is a relatively wide circuit, although the task facing drivers is far from straightforward due to the speed differential between LMP3 and GT3 machinery, as well as the large grid expected once again. Weather forecasts predicting overcast skies could add an extra strategic element for both drivers and engineers during Saturday’s race.
Following two free practice sessions on Friday, qualifying will take place on Saturday at 12:30. The two-hour race is scheduled to get underway at 18:20, meaning it will finish as darkness begins to fall over the French circuit. All times are local. The race will be broadcast live via the official Michelin Le Mans Cup YouTube channel.
Adrián Campos (Team Principal of Campos Racing): “We are pleased with the level shown in our debut in a discipline with unique characteristics such as endurance racing. Both in practice and in the race, our drivers placed the two Ligier JS P325 among the front-runners. Of course, there are always small details to refine and improve, but in my opinion, we delivered a strong performance. Now it’s time for the second race at Circuit Paul Ricard, which we know very well from our single-seater programmes, although it will undoubtedly present a different kind of challenge in endurance racing. We need to perform at our very best as a team, as I have no doubt that some of our rivals—racing at home—will make things very difficult for us. We will do everything possible to challenge them in return.”
