Raber – Rogeon fight back to second place at Spa-Francorchamp
Brutal Fish by Campos began the second half of the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup season by extending its run of podium finishes. At the fourth round of the calendar, held at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, it was August Raber – Arthur Rogeon who claimed the honours, with the duo who had already opened their Road to Le Mans account with a victory taking their #12 Ligier JS P325-Toyota to second place. Their teammates Lucas Fluxá – Matúš Ryba, meanwhile, endured the bitter side of motorsport on this occasion, being forced to retire while fighting for a podium finish in the #19 LMP3.
The Brutal Fish by Campos drivers showed their potential from the very first running on Friday. In the opening free practice session, Raber – Rogeon topped the timesheets with a 2m13.318s lap, six tenths clear of their nearest challenger. Teammates Fluxá – Ryba stopped the clocks at 2m15.416s. In the afternoon session, which was slightly slower due to the track temperature, Raber – Rogeon posted a 2m14.187s, while Fluxá – Ryba recorded a best lap of 2m15.221s. Qualifying took place shortly after midday on Saturday to determine the LMP3 starting grid. As expected, and in what proved to be a prelude to the autumn rain, wet conditions made life extremely difficult for the drivers, who had to contend with a slippery track, yellow flags and traffic as they searched for the perfect opportunity to set a fast lap. It was an extremely challenging task, although Rogeon managed to complete a 2m28.081s lap to secure sixth place. Ryba was less fortunate, with the Slovakian driver unable to improve on his 2m29.706s effort, which left him starting from the ninth row of the grid.
The race began shortly before four in the afternoon beneath a threatening grey sky that ultimately never delivered any rain. Raber and Fluxá were at the wheel of the two Brutal Fish by Campos Ligiers. As the field headed into the opening corner at La Source, Raber was forced wide after being squeezed towards the gravel by a rival, dropping several positions in the process. It would prove to be a minor setback, however, as the 120-minute race was set to become a true test of survival.
The five Safety Car periods and two Full Course Yellows during the race were proof of that. The first came just after the opening lap when a GT3 suffered a heavy off-track excursion. After 15 minutes of neutralisation, the race resumed, but further incidents just one lap later forced the Safety Car back onto the track. Another Safety Car period and the first Full Course Yellow came before the opening hour had even been completed. Fluxá and Raber continued to stick to the script, avoiding the incidents and climbing to eighth and tenth places respectively.
It was under a Full Course Yellow, with the halfway mark of the race approaching, that the Brutal Fish by Campos engineers and strategists called both Ligiers into the pits. It was time for Ryba to take over the #19 and Rogeon to climb aboard the #12. Following the pit stops, both cars were inside the top ten and firmly in contention for a strong result in the decisive stages of the race. However, Ryba’s race came to an early end at Kemmel, just before the braking zone for Les Combes, as he was forced out of the race shortly after the restart, with just under an hour remaining. From that point onwards, the name of the game was Rogeon.
The Frenchman was running fifth at the time and showcased all his talent at one of the restarts with 45 minutes remaining, overtaking three rivals along the Kemmel Straight. A last-gasp braking manoeuvre saw him run slightly wide at Les Combes, although he was already clearly ahead of the other LMP3 cars. His next target was none other than race leader Enzo Peugeot, with the field bunching up once again for more than 20 minutes behind the Safety Car. It was then that the stewards announced a five-second penalty for Rogeon for running slightly wide at Les Combes. A heroic effort would now be required to overcome the penalty.
With just 17 minutes remaining on the clock, the Safety Car returned to the pits. Rogeon needed to build as much of a gap as possible over his rivals and, after emerging from La Source almost alongside Peugeot, he completed the pass on the run down to Eau Rouge to take the lead. Setting a phenomenal pace, which saw him record the fastest lap and consistently lap in the 2m13s range, Rogeon began to pull clear of the bulk of the field, with only Peugeot able to keep him in sight just over one second behind. Rogeon crossed the finish line first, but was ultimately classified second after his five-second penalty was applied, having managed to build enough of a margin over all his rivals except Peugeot.
As a result, Raber and Rogeon move up to second place in the overall standings with 57 points, just seven ahead of their teammates Fluxá and Ryba, who occupy third.
The next round, the penultimate event of the season, will take place at the iconic Silverstone Circuit on September 12.
