IMSA Prototype: Victory and a 100% Ligier JS P320 top 5 in Virginia!
10 October 2021 – After a long summer break the IMSA Prototype Challenge restarted with the second-last round of the championship. The Ligier JS P320s scored a great result monopolising the top 5 places on the VIRginia International Raceway. The #6 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P320 clinched its first win of the season followed by #54 entered by MLT Motorsports and #33 run by Jr III Racing, which also set the fastest lap in the race.
Thirteen LMP3s, among them seven Ligier JS P320s, were entered for the fifth round of the IMSA Prototype Challenge. The weekend kicked off on Friday 8th October with the first free practice session. Ligier JS P320s filled the first four places led by #33 entered by Jr III Racing driven by Ari Balogh and Garett Grist, the quickest of the field with a lap in 1m 40.698s.
The next day, the #60 Wulver Racing Ligier JS P320 in the hands of Tonis Kasemets and Bruce Hamilton topped the time sheets in the second free practice session, which took place in changeable weather conditions. The #60 French sports prototype set the quickest lap in a time of 2m 01.680s.
Race day dawned on Sunday. The start was given at 09:00 local time. The #6 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P320 in the hands of Dan Goldburg and Rasmus Lindh shot away from second place on the grid. After an opening 45-minute stint Goldburg handed over to his team-mate. Still in second place, Lindh was glued to his rival's gearbox. But he had a really scary spin when #6 came into turn 10 with the car rising up onto its two right-hand wheels for a brief instant. The young driver managed to get back in control and rejoined without damage. And things got even better as he took the lead on lap 43!
“Yeah, that was my save for the year, I think. Luckily, I pressed in the clutch to not reverse the gearbox. I just saw the sky and I don't know what happened, really”, said Lindh after the race. “We were pretty sure he was done for at that moment, added his teammate Dan Golburg, I thought the car was going to be on its hood wholesale, and then he saves it, keeps position and picks up first. It was just nuts!”
Some 20 laps later the #54 MLT Motorsports JS P320 driven by Dakota Dickerson and Josh Sarchet overtook the #6 Ligier JS P320. After starting in 14th place the team made a marvellous comeback. Then on lap 65 #33 run by Jr III Racing snatched the lead from #6. But Performance Tech Motorsports wasn't giving up and #6 soon caught its rival reclaiming first place for around 10 laps. It fell back to second after blocking its wheels following a restart. On the last lap Lindh pulled off an audacious pass and snatched victory from #54.
After two podiums and a dangerous spin during the race the #6 Ligier JS P320 finally scored its first victory of the season. #54 run by MLT Motorsports, which has finished on the podium in each race so far since the start of the championship, saw the flag in second place. Into third came #33 run by Jr III Racing, which also clinched the fastest lap in the race in 1m 40.735s. VOLT Racing with Archangel's #7 Ligier JS P320 driven by Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman and #17 entered by O'Gara Motorsport / USR crossed the line in fourth and fifth places respectively.
In the LMP3-2 category for the old-generation LMP3 prototypes the #15 D Motorsport Ligier JS P3 crewed by Mike Watt and Niclas Jonsson won the race. Watt was making his comeback to the IMSA Prototype Challenge for the first time since 2017.
Thanks to its second place, the #54 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS P320 has taken the provisional lead in the championship in the category for the new-generation LMP3s with 1280 points. The IMSA Prototype Challenge championship title will be decided in the final round on the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this coming 12th November.
For the full results, CLICK HERE.
Photo credit: Jake Galstad