MEMPHIS, Tenn. (August 12, 2026) – Matt Forbush, Jules Caranta and the Forbush Performance team look to capitalize on lessons learned in their first race weekend together earlier this year, taking on the two-hour IMSA Airbnb Endurance Challenge at Road America this weekend (live broadcast available globally on YouTube, Sunday, Aug 16 11:00 AM).
Caranta, an 18-year-old Saint Tropez native, and Forbush, 42, first paired up back in May at Circuit of the Americas, finishing sixth in the Endurance Challenge (Caranta also finished sixth in a Forbush Performance LMP3 in the VP Racing Challenge event at COTA) behind the wheel of the No. 18 Forbush Performance Duqueine D09. The youngster impressed everyone with his race craft and maturity that weekend, setting the fastest race lap in his first race event in the U.S.
2026 marks just the third season in race cars for Caranta. After a solid karting career, he started racing in the junior open wheel ranks, progressing through F4 UAE, F4 France, and Eurocup-3 before shifting his focus to sports car racing. Caranta has competed in three Michelin Le Mans Cup races with Nielsen Racing this season in the LMP3 car, earning a fifth-place finish at Le Mans in June.
Through Caranta’s relatively short race car career, one important stat shines through: in 67 races over the past three years, Caranta has finished all but one race, earning four victories, 16 podiums and two pole positions. Named to the Duqueine by Debard Academy in 2026, Caranta came into Forbush’s notice in the early days of his contact with Vendée, France-based Duqueine Automotive.
Forbush was looking for a new LMP3 car for the 2026 season and when he spoke with Duqueine Automotive CEO, site engineer and performance engineer Sébastien Breuil, he knew that the new CEO was making things happen. It was in France that Forbush first heard of Caranta.
“I went to France and met with Sébastien and he introduced me to Jules,” said Forbush. “We did a test day, and I hit it off quite well with both him and his parents. I could see how talented he was, so once we had the program up and running and were in a position to bring on a driver for the AirBnB Endurance Challenge, we signed him to drive for us in that first race weekend.”
It was immediately clear to Forbush that Caranta was a rare talent. Hoping to continue the partnership, the team tested the youngster in the car at Road America, and the decision was made to go forward with Caranta and Forbush in the car for both Road America and the season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. For Forbush, it’s a rewarding opportunity to help a truly talented driver who might not otherwise have a chance.
“I’m starting to realize that from a team owner’s perspective, it’s really enjoyable and meaningful to support an up-and-coming driver like him, to be a part of his journey when he’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from a driver like me,” said Forbush. “For Jules and his parents, to be able to help their motorsports dreams come true, I think is really cool.”
Forbush appreciates the chance to watch Caranta have success as he moves up the racing ladder, and to watch his own Forbush Performance team progress as well. He has a much larger – and longer – view in mind.
“I think Jules will be racing at the top level of whatever series he wants to race in, prototype or open wheel,” said Forbush. “And as for me, I’ve got triplet boys and a girl, and they could be interested in motorsports too. Obviously, I’m passionate about racing, about building the team, enjoying both the team camaraderie and the business side of motorsports. I’m trying to build something that lasts far beyond my racing career, and I think we’re well on our way.”
The two-hour IMSA Airbnb Endurance Challenge – part of the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge series – will take the green flag Sunday at 11:05 a.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S. on Peacock TV, and internationally on IMSA.TV and on IMSA’s YouTube channel – ad-free courtesy of Michelin.
About Matt Forbush
Partnering with other teams, Forbush raced part time in Spec Miata and HSR starting in 2019. He launched the Toyota GR Supra GT4 in SRO’s GT4 America series in 2021 while capturing a dominant TC America team title that same year, with the team’s two drivers finishing first and second in driver points. In 2022, the team progressed to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and GT4 America, then partnered with Skip Barber Racing in the 2023 series. Forbush raced at Daytona in 2024 with support from Racing to End Alzheimer’s, before he moved to HSR and the LMP3 platform in 2025.
Instagram: ForbushPerformance
About Duqueine
The Duqueine Group was formed in 1976 by brothers Gilles and Vincent Duqueine. Starting out building single-seater formula cars, making history by building the first all-carbon F3 car in 1983. The Group then expanded into the aerospace sector, and by 1989 had created a worldwide composite and sub-assembly production company, located in in three countries and employing over 900 people.
The sports car side of the story begins in 2014, with the formation of Duqueine Engineering, the race team arm of the company. The team earned its first ELMS victories in 2023 and captured a podium at Le Mans, and has gone on to earn titles in ELMS, the Michelin Le Mans Cup, the IMSA Prototype Challenge (now the VP Racing Challenge), and the Asian Le Mans series.
Duqueine Automotive is innovative automotive manufacturer specializing in high-performance vehicles for international motorsport competitions. The newest iteration, the Duqueine D09 LMPS, sees an upgrade to the all-new Toyota twin turbo V6 engine within the redesigned engine architecture, with enhanced cooling, dynamic balance and aerodynamic integration. Weight distribution was optimized while downforce increased, improving overall performance, reliability and driver response.
Instagram: Duqueine_Automotive
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