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American rising star ready to embark upon first full season of endurance racing
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Atlanta, GA native boasts stellar record in long-distance discipline thus far
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Inter Europol Competition ace ‘stoked’ for challenge ahead and lure of Le Mans
Having reached the rostrum in both of his endurance racing appearances to-date, Shawn Rashid is eager to ‘continue in the same vein’ when the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup gets underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend (10-11 April).
After initially plying his trade in single-seaters – achieving podium finishes in both the fiercely-disputed GB3 Championship and New Zealand’s Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship – Rashid re-directed his burgeoning career towards endurance racing towards the end of last year, and has not looked back.
A maiden outing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup at Portimão in Portugal in October saw the American rising star sensationally take the chequered flag first in-class with Inter Europol Competition – belying his complete lack of prior experience in the long-distance discipline. Rashid shone again on his GT3 category bow with Iron Lynx at the same track four months later, with the runner-up spoils in challenging conditions maintaining his 100 per cent rostrum record to-date in endurance bouts.
Those performances and results duly earned the Atlanta, GA native a full-time seat with Inter Europol Competition alongside Alex Bukhantsov in the Michelin Le Mans Cup this year, with the pair set to do battle in the 34-strong LMP3 division as one of ten high-calibre Pro/Am entries.
Six races await, ranging in duration from 1h50m up to three hours and visiting some of the finest tracks on the continent. Following the opening round in Catalunya, the series will travel to Paul Ricard in southern France (1-2 May) and subsequently the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe for the 24 Hours of Le Mans-supporting ‘Road to Le Mans’ showpiece event on 10-12 June.
Next up are legendary grand prix venues Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium (21-22 August) and Silverstone in the UK (11-12 September), before the campaign concludes at Portimão’s Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on 8-10 October.
Rashid and Bukhantsov will enter the fray behind the wheel of the #34 Toyota-engined Ligier JS P325 prototype. Pre-season preparations have gone well, and the Purdue University Industrial Engineering graduate is now looking forward to climbing back inside the cockpit in Barcelona for the traditional group test tomorrow (8 April), ahead of free practice on Friday followed by qualifying and the two-hour curtain-raising contest on Saturday.
“I’m so stoked to get out there again in the Inter Europol Competition LMP3 car!” he enthused. “We’ve made some solid progress in testing and we seem to have good pace, although it’s a very competitive field and we obviously don’t know what programmes everybody else has been running, which makes it really hard to predict – we won’t find out where we are for real until we get to the first qualifying session.
“In truth, though, I don’t tend to pay much attention to what others are doing – my main focus is always on myself and on getting the most out of my own driving, and I’m feeling good in the car. I’m increasingly figuring out what I need from the Ligier. It’s all about the brakes and corner entry – the technique required is very different from either single-seaters or GTs.
“I’ve got to say, I’m really enjoying endurance racing so far – particularly the teamwork aspect, with every single person playing a vital role. I like the longer races – they allow you to settle into a consistent rhythm – as well as the challenge of having multiple categories of car on-track at the same time, with the accompanying differences in speed. You need a lot more awareness in that respect than in formula racing, and managing traffic is an essential skill, not to mention managing tyres and fuel…
“I’m particularly looking forward to the ‘Road to Le Mans’ race in June. I went to Le Mans for the first time last year, having previously only watched it on TV. It’s an incredible event and it will be amazing to drive on a circuit that has so much history behind it – it’s the kind of place where we’ll really be able to stretch the Ligier’s legs. The fans there are also hugely passionate about the sport, which makes for a unique atmosphere, so that’s going to be a lot of fun!
“Speaking more generally, I’m not setting any expectations for the season as such, but last year obviously ended well and 2026 has got off to a strong start too, so hopefully we can build upon that success and continue in the same vein. If we do that, the results should naturally follow…”
Rashid’s manager, former British Touring Car Championship Independents’ title-winner, Rory Butcher, has similarly high hopes for the Oxford-based racer’s fresh start.
“Shawn might have only done two races in the discipline so far, but he has taken to endurance racing like a duck to water and I’m excited to see what he can achieve over the course of a full season,” the Scot commented. “He has applied all the skills he has acquired and lessons he has learned in single-seaters and is now primed to reap the rewards in a car and series that really seem to suit his driving style.
“Not only that, but Inter Europol Competition is clearly at the top of its game – this is a team that has won its class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice over the last three years, after all – and I have no doubt that Shawn will benefit hugely from all of the experience and expertise available to him as he focusses on carving out a long-term career in the sport.”