24h Le Mans
The third round of the series that took place on the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans this afternoon was won by a car that started in P14! Ethan Pharamond and Mika Abrahams clawed back over in ten laps to clinch the win over their rivals in JS P4. In JS2 R, Natan Bihel sailed to victory, dominating the race from start to finish.
The Ligier European Series is for amateurs and up and coming drivers, with two single make classes: Ligier JS P4, which is the first rung on the ladder for prototypes, and Ligier JS2 R, roughly equivalent to Grand Tourer classes. This season is composed of six rounds, the most prestigious being Le Mans, as all 39 competitors (16 JS P4 and 23 JS2 R) have the privilege of racing on the full 13.626-kilometre circuit.
At the green light, Pietro Ferri (#7 Ligier JS P4) blasted away, intent on taking full advantage of his pole position. However, Alex Gardner (#14) had other ideas and Ferri gave way to the Australian before the end of the first lap. Meanwhile, Mexican Perez Cabello had something to prove having being deprived of his pole position, and took only two laps to move from the back of the grid to P12.
In the Ligier JS2 R class, Natan Bihel (#53) started smoothly, getting the better of Markus Terkildsen (#88). The safety car was deployed in lap 3, for the Dane and two other drivers on the approach to Mulsanne Corner.
All cars did their pit stops once the safety car freed the track. Except one. Louis Iglesias stayed out to take the lead (lap 5) in the #4 Ligier JS2 R. Back in the pit lane, there was a queue for the green light. Mika Abrahams (#6) and Martin Lacquemanne (#57) were first out. Tomas Pompidou (#19) overtook his fellow countryman in the out lap but lost control a few turns later, the mistake cost him several precious seconds in the gravel trap at Raccordement (end of lap 5) and dashed his hopes of a satisfactory result.
Four cars were within two seconds of each other at the beginning of lap 7, wrangling for the win. Eighteen-year-old Abrahams was still ahead of Lacquemanne (same age), Schranz (#14) and Riccitelli (#7).
Another safety car intervention left the field with a single decisive lap. Simon Schranz passed Lacquemanne as soon as they were released, to claim second place. Simone Riccitelli also made up ground, relegating the Frenchman to fourth place on the approach to Mulsanne Corner. And that decided the JS P4 podium.
In JS2 R, Natan Bihel reigned supreme from flag to flag.
Ligier JS P4:
Ligier JS2 R :
The next round of the Ligier European Series is at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) on 23 August.
