Posted on 16 March 2024

Império Brasil Endurance, Goiânia: One-two finish for the Ligier JS P320s of KTF Racing and A. Mattheis

The Ligier JS P320 continues to gain ground in Brazil. For the launch of the Império Brasil Endurance Championship on 16 March 2024 at the Goiânia circuit, six Ligier JS P320s were ready to do battle for the title won in 2023 by BTZ Motorsport with its #117 Ligier. And it was a newcomer to LMP3 which took the first win of the season: the KTF Racing team with Renan Guerra and Marco Pisani, former GT4 champions, at the wheel of the #31 Ligier JS P320. In second place was the #9 Ligier JS P320 of the A.Mattheis team, runners-up in the 2023 overall championship, with the duo of Xandinho Negrão and Marcos Gomes.

- Since its first appearance in the championship in 2022, the Ligier JS P320 has attracted new teams every year.

- In 2023, three Ligier JS P320s were entered by three different teams. And two of them reached the top of the overall standings. The #117 BTZ Motorsport Ligier JS P320 driven by Guilherme Bottura and Gaetano Di Mauro gave the French manufacturer its first title in Brazil. The A.Mattheis team, which entered the championship during the season, finished second with Xandinho Negrão and Marcos Gomes.

- For the start of the 2024 season, the number of Ligier JS P320s on track has doubled. Six Ligiers are entered by five different teams. The Ligier JS P320s represent half of the P1 grid (prototypes).

- The four-hour endurance race kicks off on Saturday March 16 on the Goiânia circuit in northern Brazil, in very hot weather.

- Making their championship debut in the #31 KTF Racing Ligier JS P320, former GT4 champions Renan Guerra and Marco Pisani were on fire with their first win. It was an impressive performance for the team and drivers, who took possession of their new car only a few weeks earlier. The team had barely had time to put the car through its paces during a 30-minute test session, and to decorate it with a livery inspired by Ayrton Senna's Lotus JPS 98T in 1986.

- I can't believe we won our first race this weekend," exclaimed Marco Pisani. The car only arrived in February and we were only able to find a circuit to test it on last Thursday, two days before the race! I drove the car for the first time that day! So imagine our surprise (I used to drive GT4s) when we crossed the finish line in first place. The car was fantastic to drive during the race and the team's strategy was perfect. I drove the second and fourth (final) stints and Renan Guerra drove the first and third. What a car!"

- Starting from sixth on the grid, Xandinho Negrão and Marcos Gomes made a fine comeback in the #9 A.Mattheis Ligier JS P320. However, a safety car at the end of the race prevented them from continuing their fight for victory. They finished second overall and in the prototype category. It was a promising start to the season, but one that left the team disappointed.

- This weekend was marked by performances well below the expectations we have as a team and as drivers," sums up driver Marcos Gomes. Nevertheless, we managed to salvage a very important second place in the championship. The strategy was perfect. Now we have to work to regain 100% of our speed and be competitive in this championship, which has everything to be the most competitive in the history of P1 [the prototype category]."

See you on 11 May 2024 for the second round of the championship at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo.