Raber – Rogeon claim historic Road to Le Mans win. Fluxá – Ryba complete podium finish
It took just three endurance races for Brutal Fish by Campos Racing to open its victory account. And it came at one of motorsport’s most iconic venues, Circuit de La Sarthe, home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, during the third round of the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup season. August Raber and Arthur Rogeon executed a perfect race in their Ligier JS P325 LMP3-Toyota under extremely challenging conditions, with yellow flags, slow zones and safety car interventions featuring almost continuously throughout the three-hour contest. To cap off an outstanding team performance, Lucas Fluxá and Matúš Ryba secured a podium finish in third place, collecting crucial championship points.
Track action began on Wednesday morning with the first free practice session, in which both Brutal Fish by Campos Racing prototypes immediately established themselves among the frontrunners. Fluxá set the third-fastest time with a lap of 3m52.849s, while Raber finished eighth overall with a personal best of 3m54.446s. Later in the afternoon, as the sun set over Le Mans, the second free practice session took place. Local favourite Rogeon topped the timesheets with an unbeatable lap of 3m51.101s. Fluxá once again impressed in the #19 Ligier, ending the session third fastest with a time of 3m52.475s.
Thursday’s qualifying session provided the opportunity to convert the pace shown in practice into a strong grid position, and the team delivered in style. Rogeon and Fluxá took qualifying duties for their respective cars. On his opening flying lap, Rogeon provisionally secured pole position with a 3m50.546s effort, more than a second clear of Enzo Peugeot. Fluxá recorded a 3m53.743s lap on his first attempt. After returning to the pits for fresh tyres and final adjustments, both drivers found further improvements. On his final run, Rogeon became the only driver to break the 3m49s barrier, posting a stunning 3m48.898s lap that left his nearest rival almost one second adrift. Fluxá also significantly improved in the closing stages to claim fourth place on the grid with a lap of 3m50.598s.
The final challenge of Road to Le Mans got underway on Friday at 10:00 a.m. local time with the three-hour race. As previously anticipated, the event was heavily disrupted by incidents, off-track excursions and collisions from the very beginning. Rogeon and Ryba skilfully avoided trouble, with the Frenchman pulling clear at the front while, after just thirteen minutes, the Slovak driver had already moved into second place behind his teammate. As the first hour approached and the opening round of pit stops began, a safety car intervention reshuffled strategic plans.
Nevertheless, with Raber and Fluxá now behind the wheel, the two Brutal Fish by Campos Racing LMP3 cars continued to run second and third, with the Swedish driver applying relentless pressure to the High Class Racing Ligier that temporarily held the lead. Once that car pitted at the halfway mark, Raber and Fluxá inherited first and second positions. Following a strategy aimed at maximising their final stops, Rogeon and Ryba returned to the cockpit for the decisive final hour. Their charge ultimately secured first and third places at the chequered flag.
With three rounds completed and three still remaining, Fluxá and Ryba sit second in the drivers’ standings with 50 points. Raber and Rogeon have thrust themselves firmly into title contention after their victory and the additional point earned for pole position, collecting 39 points to move up to fourth place in the championship.
Following the summer break, the next round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season will take place at Spa-Francorchamps on 22 August, where the championship returns to its standard two-hour race format.
