Ligier celebrates its 50th anniversary on 28-30 June at the French Historic Grand Prix on the Magny-Cours circuit
After all the exciting activities at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the 50th anniversary of the make, it's time for Magny-Cours and the French Historic Grand Prix. Exhibitions, cars on the track, demonstrations with Jacques Laffite, autograph sessions with emblematic Ligier F1 drivers, hot laps with the Ligier JS2 R, the make's anniversary car, all the right ingredients are in place to celebrate this event in the style it deserves!
Magny-Cours and Ligier, it's a long story. The make was founded in 1969 by Guy Ligier and began its career in endurance with the presentation of the Ligier JS1. In 1970, it scored several victories and finished third at Magny-Cours with Ligier himself behind the wheel. After endurance came F1 and in the 1990s the make installed its team at Magny-Cours where it stayed until Alain Prost, who bought Ligier F1 at the end of 1996, moved it to the Parisian region. But there was no stopping Guy Ligier and in 2004 he teamed up with his friend Tico Martini at Magny-Cours and began building sports prototypes. When he passed on the torch to racing car constructor, Jacques Nicolet, in 2013 the latter kept its roots at Magny-Cours - which is still the case today with Ligier Automotive being based in the Magny-Cours Technopole. So it followed on naturally that the constructor would celebrate its 50 years at the aforementioned track with cars on display in the paddock and Ligiers racing in the French Historic Grand Prix.
Trackside, two Ligier JS11/15s will compete in the two races counting for the FIA Masters Historic F1 Championship. One is entered by young Italian and current championship leader, Matteo Ferrer-Aza, and the other by gentleman driver, John of B, a passionate fan of the make. Jacques Laffite will also get back behind the wheel of his Ligier JS11/15 on Saturday 29th June at 11:35 to everybody's delight. Two Ligier F1s, but that's not all. The Ligier JS3, the make's little open sports car brought out in 1971, will also be taking part in the FIA Masters Historic Sports Cars race with John of B at the wheel. To link the past and the present the Ligier JS2 R, the make's anniversary car, will also be on hand for track experience on Saturday between 11:05 and 11:25 and on Sunday between 15:50 and 16:15. And driving the JS2 R to help fans of the make discover this little machine will be Jacques Nicolet!
There will also be a big exhibition in the paddock devoted to Ligier displaying the Ligier JS1, the series-production Ligier JS2 Maserati, the racing Ligier JS2 Ford Cosworth, several historic F1s and the Ligier JS2 R. Brutus, the bus from that era, has also made the journey! It's a true blue white and red exhibition. Beside them, the Ligier store will also fly the French colours with the new Ligier x Hungaria clothing line. Several series-production Ligier JS2s belonging to Club Ligier JS2 members will be on display during the event. To see the other Ligier F1s ranging from the first Ligier JS5 to the Ligier JS43, which won the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix in the hands of Olivier Panis, the Conservatoire de la Monoplace Française will be open to the public.
The emblematic Ligier drivers will also be present: Jacques Laffite, Erik Comas, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Philippe Alliot, Patrick Tambay and Jean-Pierre Jarier. Two autograph sessions will take place; one on Saturday at 15:30 in the village and the other on Sunday at 11:30 in the Ligier stand in the paddock.
“We're delighted to be taking part in the French Historic Grand Prix for this anniversary,” explains Jacques Nicolet, President of Ligier Automotive. “A part of the make's history was written at Magny-Cours and continues to be written in the Ligier Automotive workshops. The Ligier JS2 R, our anniversary GT, turned a wheel for the first time on this circuit as did the Ligier JS P320, our new LM P3, unveiled at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14th June 2019. What better place to celebrate the make's 50th anniversary?!”
Rendezvous on 28-30 June 2019 at the Nevers-Magny-Cours F1 circuit for the French Historic Grand Prix to celebrate the 50 years of the Ligier make.
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Photo Credit: DPPI Images