In a truly thrilling race finale, the #19 Ligier JS P325 pairing of Lucas Fluxá and Matúš Ryba claimed Brutal Fish by Campos Racing’s first podium in the category. Meanwhile, August Raber and Arthur Rogeon, in the sister Ligier, were also running in podium contention until their retirement
The second round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season, held this past Saturday at Circuit Paul Ricard, delivered the first podium result for Brutal Fish by Campos Racing. The Ligier JS P325 prototypes driven by Fluxá / Ryba and Raber / Rogeon once again demonstrated their competitiveness on French soil. At one stage around mid-race, both Brutal Fish by Campos Racing LMP3 entries were running first and second overall. Ultimately, it was the Spanish-Slovak duo of Fluxá and Ryba who converted that performance into a podium finish. Once again, luck was not on Raber and Rogeon’s side, but given their pace and consistency, it is only a matter of time before they open their podium account.
Track action got underway on Friday with two free practice sessions in which parity across the field was evident. In the first session, Fluxá / Ryba posted a best time of 2:00.229, with Raber / Rogeon close behind on a 2:00.352. In the afternoon session, the order was reversed, as Raber / Rogeon set the team’s benchmark with a 2:00.384 lap in the #12 car, while their teammates recorded a 2:00.506.
Saturday began with qualifying to determine the starting grid. As in Montmeló a few weeks earlier, Rogeon and Ryba were entrusted with qualifying duties. Racing on home soil, Rogeon was highly motivated to fight for pole position, supported by family and local fans. He was among the first to break the two-minute barrier at Le Castellet, initially going third with a 1:59.217. He then found further improvements, ultimately posting a 1:58.997 to secure second place and a front-row start. Ryba, meanwhile, steadily improved his times and set a 1:59.703, placing him on the sixth row for the two-hour race.
The race was scheduled to start shortly after 6:00 p.m. With milder temperatures than usual at Paul Ricard, the on-track action quickly heated up. Rogeon and Fluxá took the start for their respective crews. When the lights went out, Rogeon made a decisive move around the outside at Turn 1 to overtake Maxwell Dodds and take the lead. By the end of the first sector, he had already built a 1.5-second advantage. Fluxá also gained two positions and, crucially, avoided an incident on the Mistral Straight that eliminated two LMP3 cars and triggered the race’s only safety car period, which lasted fifteen minutes.
Once racing resumed, Rogeon once again pushed forward, but a drive-through penalty from race control would complicate his race. He served the penalty on lap ten while leading comfortably, losing around twenty seconds and dropping to 18th place. By then, Fluxá had climbed to seventh. From that point onward, both Brutal Fish by Campos Racing Ligiers began to charge up the order—Fluxá steadily and consistently, while Rogeon made rapid progress, overtaking rivals almost one per lap.
As the race approached its halfway point, Fluxá moved into podium contention after overtaking Léna Bühler and as pit stops began to unfold. He inherited the lead from Dodds around lap 25. At the same time, Rogeon had recovered to fifth place, having already cut more than half of his deficit to the leaders with a series of fastest laps. Bühler’s pit stop allowed both Brutal Fish by Campos Racing Ligier-Toyotas to run first and second from lap 27, with both Fluxá and Rogeon setting their fastest laps as they aimed to build a gap and delay their pit stops as much as possible. Both drivers ultimately pitted simultaneously on lap 29.
With Ryba and Raber taking over driving duties, the strategy proved to be spot-on. The Slovak and the Swede maintained their strong positions heading into the second half of the race. Ryba led by five seconds over Raber, who had to contend with the advancing threats of Zack Scoular, Colin Queen, and Enzo Peugeot, while also dealing with colder tyres than his rivals. Raber became embroiled in a three-way battle with Scoular and Queen that could have lasted much longer. However, slight contact in traffic forced him into the pits and ultimately led to his retirement.
Ryba was now alone at the front, with Scoular, Queen, and Louis Iglesias in pursuit. Queen eventually passed Scoular and, with ten minutes remaining, caught Ryba. The Brutal Fish by Campos Racing driver defended resolutely, managing traffic as best as possible. However, traffic itself proved decisive: at the first Mistral chicane, under heavy braking, Ryba spun, losing the lead and dropping to fourth place. Even so, in the closing moments, positions continued to change, and Ryba ultimately secured third place—a well-deserved reward for the entire team’s efforts.
Following the opening two rounds in Barcelona and Le Castellet, and thanks to their third and fourth-place finishes, Fluxá and Ryba now sit third in the standings with 27 points.
The next round will take place in June at Road to Le Mans, held at La Sarthe during the same weekend as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race, extended to three hours instead of the usual two, is scheduled for June 12.
