AUTO - LIGIER EUROPEAN SERIES - PORTIMAO 2021

Posted on 3 November 2021

Ligier European Series: HP Racing by Monza Garage and MRacing 2021 Champions

October 23, 2021 - Along with the European Le Mans Series and the Michelin Le Mans Cup, the Ligier European Series concluded its 2021 season at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. Despite a tough final, the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 won the championship with Jacopo Faccioni and Alessandro Cicognani (driver and team) in its class. After being runner-up last year, Natan Bihel and the #53 MRacing Ligier JS2 R clinched the title (driver and team) in the GT class.

After six rounds all around Europe, the Ligier European Series drawn to a close this year in the southern Algarve, at Portimao. The final weekend kicked off on October 22 with a morning free practice session. Topping the timesheet with its 1:49.016s lap was the #22 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4, the newcomer of the team driven by Simone Riccitelli and Nicola Neri. In the Ligier JS2 R class, the #53 MRacing car driven by Natan Bihel set the fastest lap in 1:52.292s.

In the afternoon, HP Racing by Monza Garage scored a double pole position with the #22 Ligier JS P4 in race 1 ( 1:49.392s), and the #23 driven by Jacopo Faccioni and Alessandro Cicognani, the leaders of the sport-prototype championship, in race 2 (1:49.963s). In the Ligier JS2 R category, the #53 MRacing car won its fourth double pole position of the season with a best time of 1:52.865s for the first race, and 1:52.366s for the second race.

The start of the first race was given on October 23 at noon. In the Ligier JS P4 category, the #22 of HP Racing by Monza Garage dominated the first part of the race. After the mandatory pit stop, the #34 of Les Deux Arbres, driven by Steve Zacchia and Tom Cloet, suffered a spin. It was impossible to restart : the crew of the #34 had to abandon. While the #22 was still in first place, it made contact with the #33 of Les Deux Arbres driven by Jacques Nicolet and spun. The #33 took the lead, followed by the #22 and the second HP Racing by Monza Garage car, the #23. But the latter stopped on the track six minutes before crossing the finishing line and retired from the race. The #33 took its first win of the season by 27 seconds over the #22. Despite its withdrawal, the #34 set the fastest lap of the race in 1:49.533s (with Steve Zacchia).

After leading the race for 25 minutes, the #53 MRacing Ligier JS2 R was overtaken by the #24 Orhès Racing car driven by Mathieu Martins. The young driver handed over the wheel to his teammate Olivier Pernaut during the mandatory pit stop. The ten-second lead of the #24 over the #53 was considerably reduced after the exit of a safety car. A new duel broke out between the two GTs. They exchanged the first place several times, but in a last effort, the #24 managed to dominate the #53 and won the race. Olivier Pernaut also set the fastest lap of the race in 1:52.975s. The #53 finished second and the #69 MRacing driven by gentleman driver Laurent Millara third.

The second race started at the end of the day. The #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 started from pole position and quickly built up a lead over its rivals. Behind them, the sister cars of Les Deux Arbres, the #33 and #34, fought for second place. However, bad luck struck the #23 once again, and it was forced to stop permanently in the pits after a mechanical problem. While the #33 took the first place, it was overtaken in the last minutes of the race by the #34 and then by the #22. The #34 took its fourth win of the season and again set the fastest lap time of 1:48.967s (with Steve Zacchia). Steve Zacchia had already won a race in the opening round, accompanied by Antoine Lepesqueux. For Tom Cloet, who took part in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 and the European Le Mans Series in LMP3, this was a promising discovery of the Ligier JS P4 and the series.

In the Ligier JS2 R class, the #53 of MRacing ran a flawless final race. It opened up a gap from the start, so that even after the mandatory pit stop, the second-placed #24 of Orhès Racing was unable to catch up. Natan Bihel took his seventh win of the season and set the fastest lap in his class in 1:51.933s. The #24 Orhès Racing car finished on the second step of the podium and the #69 MRacing car on the third one.

Despite a very difficult final weekend marked by two withdrawals, the #23 HP Racing By Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 clinched the 2021 team and driver title (223 points), with Jacopo Faccioni and Alessandro Cicognani. After finishing runner-up last year, MRacing won the Ligier JS2 R championship, team and driver, with Natan Bihel aboard the #53 (259 points).

The Ligier European Series will come back for its third season in April 2022, at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet.