James Higgins enjoyed a superb debut in the McLaren Trophy Europe this past weekend (June 6-7) as he teamed up with Edgar Pierre to score a podium finish at the world-famous Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy.
Making his full-time return to racing after stepping away for a season, the British driver turned plenty of heads as he contested the opening round of the coveted single-make championship in a McLaren Arturo Trophy EVO.
Having aligned with leading outfit CSA Racing for his maiden campaign of GT racing, Higgins and Pierre wasted no time in making their mark as they topped the times in one of two practice sessions that were held on Friday.
French native Pierre would then pilot the car for Saturday’s qualifying session, posting a respectable time before then fighting his way up to fourth place during the opening stages of race one later that afternoon.
Unfortunately, things would take a turn for the worse moments before Higgins got behind the wheel as Pierre was unceremoniously turfed off the circuit at the first chicane and sent tumbling down the order.
Higgins – who is backed Autoglym, a leading British manufacturer of premium car care products – would take on driving duties for the second half of the contest however with a significantly hobbled car, he was only able to nurse his way to a finish outside of the top ten.
The multiple single-seater race winner then underlined his credentials to the rest of the field as he produced a virtuoso performance during Sunday’s qualifying session, where he punched in the third fastest time around the Temple of Speed.
Starting race two from the second row of the grid, Higgins immediately jumped up to second on the opening lap and soon settled into a rhythm to remain within striking distance of race leader Alejandro Geppert.
Playing his role in a captivating top-three battle, Higgins handed the car over to Pierre who kept his nose clean and looked on course to mount a challenge for the outright win, courtesy of Higgins’ push to pass saving, before the red flag brought proceedings to an early end.
Despite not having a chance to content for top honours, second place was secured and it marked a dream debut for Higgins.
James Higgins: “It’s a great achievement to be coming away with a podium finish on my first weekend in McLaren Trophy Europe. This championship is extremely competitive so to be walking away with a trophy is a testament to work everyone that is involved in this project has put in.
“We showed great pace on Friday but then found ourselves on the wrong end of contact in race one. Both me and Edgar did well to make it to the finish because we had quite a big of damage on the car.
“To bounce back on Sunday by qualifying third and then finishing second overall was mega. As first events go I’m really happy and know that there is so much more to come; it promises to be an exciting season, that’s for sure.”
The 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe season continues on June 24-27 at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
