Ligier European Series: A great end to the season at Portimão

Season 3 of the Ligier European Series came to an end in Portugal at the Portimão circuit on 14 and 15 October. Gillian Henrion in the #16 Ligier JS P4 (Team Virage), gave his sports prototype rivals one last run for their money with his fifth double win in Portugal. Gentleman and rookie drivers shared the top spot in the Ligier JS2 R category: Laurent Piguet and Fabien Delaplace in the #96 CTF Performance car won for the second time this season in race 1. Austrian rookie Horst Felix Felbermayr in the #40 RLR MSport car scored the victory in Race 2, the maiden win of his car racing career.

Free Practice: Team Virage and RLR MSport top the timing screen

Under sunny skies, the Ligier European Series drivers set off to tackle the Portuguese track for the first free practice. The session was halted early on by a red flag after the CTF Performance #95 Ligier JS2 R, driven by Gilles Poret, who participated in last year's championship at the Red Bull Ring, went off track. The session resumed with 26 minutes remaining on the clock.

In the sport-prototype category, the #16 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 with Gillian Henrion, who won the Ligier JS P4 Championship at Spa-Francorchamps in September, set the fastest time of 1:46.727s. In the Ligier JS2 R class, the #40 RLR MSport car driven by Horst Felix Felbermayr took the lead. The Austrian driver set the fastest time of 1:53.495s.

During the second free practice session in the early afternoon, Gillian Henrion in the #16 Team Virage sport prototype improved on his time from the opening session this morning to lead the Ligier JS P4 category with a best lap of 1:45.720s. The British RLR MSport team continues to dominate the Ligier JS2 R field. Haytham Qarajouli, the 2022 Ligier JS2 R Champion, and new teammate Martin Rich finished atop the timing screen in the #75 Ligier JS2 R with the fastest lap of 1:53.611s.

For the full article on free practice 1, CLICK HERE.

For the full article on free practice 2, CLICK HERE.

 

Qualifying: A clean sweep for Team Virage and RLR MSport

Not once in 2022 has Gillian Henrion, behind the wheel of the #16 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, let pole position slip through his fingers. From the season-opening weekend at Le Castellet to the final at Portimão. The French teenager took his sixth consecutive double pole position of the season in Portugal, with his best laps of 1:45.434s (session 1) and 1:45.162s (session 2).

A special mention for the #44 Smart Driving Ligier JS P4 driven by Stefan Mihnea. The Romanian driver, who is debuting in the series this weekend in Portimão, qualified a very impressive second for both races.

In the Ligier JS2 R category, RLR MSport also took double pole position. Haytham Qarajouli in the #75 Ligier JS2 R topped the GT field in race 1 for the seventh time this season, with the fastest lap of 1:53.162s. His teammate, Horst Felix Felbermayr, in the #40 car, took his first pole of 2022 in session two with the best time of 1:52.805s.

For the full article on qualifying, CLICK HERE.

 

Race 1: Team Virage and CTF Performance take the Saturday morning laurels

Ligier JS P4: Gold for Gillian Henrion

Starting from pole position, Gillian Henrion in the #16 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 gave his rivals no chance and took off at the start. Several duels broke out. The second-place #44 Ligier JS P4 was attacked by the #17. Further behind, the #23 had to defend fourth place against the #53. While Natan Bihel managed to overtake George King, Dimitri Enjalbert had a tough time with Mihnea Stefan, who was vigorously defending his position. The action heated up, and the two began to make contact, with the #17 getting the advantage, which now had to protect its position from the #44.

After the pitstop cycle, the #16 Ligier JS P4 was back on point. Natan Bihel in the #53 went from fifth to second in just a few laps. Mihnea Stefan, the Romanian driver of the #44 Ligier JS P4 made his way back up the order to third place five minutes before the end of the race. The #17 received a four-second stop-and-go penalty for not respecting the minimum pit stop time and dropped to eighth place.

And victory number ten for Gillian Henrion! The 2022 Ligier JS P4 Champion took the chequered flag 50 seconds ahead of Natan Bihel (#53 M Racing) and with the fastest lap of the race in 1:45.462s. Smart Driving's recruit, Mihnea Stefan, drove an excellent race to complete the podium. The Narac father-son team in the #50 Les Deux Arbres finished fourth.

Ligier JS2 R: The #96 CTF Performance bronze duo wins again

In the Ligier JS2 R category, RLR MSport's #75 poleman Haytham Qarajouli held on to the lead at the start. The #96 CTF Performance car with Fabien Delaplace was second ahead of the #40 RLR MSport car driven by Horst Felix Felbermayr and the #11. Only six-tenths of a second separated the #40 Ligier JS2 R and the #11. Simon Escallier managed to overtake his Austrian rival. As Haytham Qarajouli was about to pit and hand over to Martin Rich, he had to park off the track after a mechanical failure on his last lap, handing the category lead to the #96 CTF Performance.

With the pit stops completed, Laurent Piguet in the #96 Ligier JS2 R was ahead of Alain Grand in the #11 and Horst Felix Felbermayr in the #40. The young Austrian passed the gentleman driver for second place, but the leader was 14 seconds ahead. The #11, the #4 of COOL Racing and the #69 of M Racing were vying for third place in the category. But Laurent Millara, second in the provisional general classification, took the spot.

The CTF Performance team did not hide its joy as the #96 crossed the finish line, taking its second victory of the season with the #96 after race one at Spa-Francorchamps. RLR MSport's #40 finished second ahead of the M Racing #69, which lost its advantage over the #96 in the race for the runner-up position in the Ligier JS2 R championship. RLR MSport's #75, which retired at half-distance, set the fastest lap of the race in 1:52.644s.

For the full article on race 1, CLICK HERE.

 

Race 2: Team Virage and RLR MSport secure the final race wins of the season

Ligier JS P4: Gillian Henrion on the top step of the podium for the eleventh time!

Just like the start of Race 1 this morning, Gillian Henrion in the #16 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 left his rivals no chance and pulled away from the start. Very determined since the beginning of the weekend, the series newcomer, Mihnea Stefan, got the upper hand on Natan Bihel (#53 M Racing) and passed him for the third position. It was now George King's (#23 Monza Garage) turn to be pressured by his Romanian rival.

A yellow flag was shown as the pitstop window opened after the #4 COOL Racing Ligier JS2 R driven by Cédric Oltramare parked along the side of the track. The sports prototypes made their pit stops, and the #16 came out in the lead, with the #53 of M Racing and the #44 of Smart Driving behind it. A safety car period was needed, with 20 minutes remaining to retrieve the #4, which retired. The Ligier JS P4s and JS2 Rs were in a tight pack for the restart, with 14 minutes left on the clock. As the fourth-placed #85 Ligier JS P4 attempted to pass the third-placed #53 on the inside, it spun. Natan Bihel narrowly avoided contact but went off the track, giving Simone Riccitelli a clear path to move past him. The #17, driven by Dimitri Enjalbert, took fifth place.

Gillian Henrion was the first to see the chequered flag, adding the eleventh victory to his impressive record. He also set the fastest lap of the race in 1:46.063s. Simone Riccitelli and Nicola Neri scored their second podium result of 2022 after their second-place finish in the opening round at Le Castellet. Natan Bihel completed the podium in third place.

Ligier JS2 R: Horst Felix Felbermayr scores his maiden victory in car racing

Horst Felix Felbermayr, in the #40 RLR MSport Ligier JS2 R, started from the GT category pole but was overtaken by Cédric Oltramare in the #4 COOL Racing car. But the Austrian, with three podiums to his name this season, was determined to win the last race of the campaign. A few minutes later, he was back in the category lead. Laurent Millara in the #69 of M Racing was third ahead of Martin Rich in the #75 of RLR MSport.

Before the pit stop window opened, the #4 COOL Racing Ligier JS2 R went off the track and retired. After the GT pit cycle was completed, the #40 held onto the race lead, ahead of the #96 and the #75, driven by Haytham Qarajouli. Gilles Poret in #95 was fourth. The 2022 Ligier JS2 R Champion in the #75 overtook the #96. A few minutes later, the CTF Performance car was penalised with a drive-through for abusing the track limits. It then dropped back to fourth place after losing position to its sister car, the #95. As it could not serve the drive-through, its penalty was added to its time after the race.

Horst Felix Felbermayr in the #40, took the top step of the podium for the first time this season and in his car racing career. Haytham Qarajouli finished second (with the fastest lap of 1:53.408s) ahead of Gilles Poret, who secured his first podium in the Ligier European Series.

For the full article on race 2, CLICK HERE.

 

Season three of the championship is over! Crowned Ligier JS P4 Champion at Spa-Francorchamps last September, Gillian Henrion and Team Virage finish ahead of Natan Bihel and M Racing (Ligier JS2 R Champion in 2021) who become runners-up in the Ligier JS P4 category. The top 3 is completed by by George King and Monza Garage.

In the GT category, the Ligier JS2 R title was given to Haytham Qarajouli and RLR MSport in the penultimate round of the season in Belgium. The victory of CTF Performance's #96 at Portimão sees the bronze duo of Fabien Delaplace and Laurent Piguet finish second in the championship. Like in 2021, Laurent Millara and M Racing complete the top 3.

See you on April 21 and 22 in Barcelona for the launch of season 4 of the Ligier European Series!

For the final ranking in Ligier JS P4, CLICK HERE.

For the final ranking in Ligier JS2 R, CLICK HERE.