ELMS: The Ligier JS P320s make a statement at the season-opener in Barcelona
After several months of anticipation and preparation, the European Le Mans Series teams headed to the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit on the weekend of 22 and 23 April for race one of 2023. LMP3 title holders COOL Racing made it clear to their rivals that they were ready to defend their crown vigorously: their #17 Ligier JS P320 took the pole position and then the race victory. Runner-up in the 2022 championship, the #13 of Inter Europol Competition ended up on the second step of the podium, followed by the #31 from Racing Spirit of Léman.
• On Friday, 21 April, the #8 Team Virage Ligier JS P320 (Manuel Espirito Santo, Nick Adcock and Michael Jensen) led the way in free practice 1 in the LMP3 category with a lap of 1:35.509s ahead of eight other Ligier JS P320s.
• On Saturday, COOL Racing took pole position with the #17 Ligier JS P320 driven by Marcos Siebert. The Argentinean racer set the best time of 1:35.250s.
• The 4 Hours of Barcelona began on Sunday, 23 April, at 11:30 am. The #17 of COOL Racing (Adrien Chila, Marcos Siebert and Alejandro Garcia) dominated the race before being overtaken by the #13 of Inter Europol Competition (Miguel Cristóvão, Kay Askey and Wyatt Brichacek) and the #31 from Racing Spirit of Léman (Jacques Wolff, Antoine Doquin and Fabien Michal). The three LMP3 cars took turns leading the race.
• In hour four of the race, the #31 Ligier JS P320 overtook the #13. It was in first place in the LMP3 category and resisted the pressure from #17, which was only a few seconds behind. The #31 was the first to see the chequered flag first. But a penalty for a yellow flag pit stop saw it drop two places in the classification.
• COOL Racing and its #17 Ligier JS P320 won the first race of the 2023 ELMS. The #13 from Inter Europol Competition finished second, and the #31 of Racing Spirit of Léman was third.
• Marcos Siebert set the fastest lap of the race in 1:38.48s.
With the cancellation of the 4 Hours of Imola, the European Le Mans Series will next be in action on 16 July for the 4 Hours of Le Castellet.
For the race results, CLICK HERE.
For more information about the Ligier JS P320, CLICK HERE.