Ligier European Series: Drivers rise to the challenge of the highly technical Mugello.
For the first two races of the championship on the Mugello circuit in Italy on September 28, the drivers once again put on a quality show. After two hotly contested one-hour races, four different teams came out on top. In Race 1, Mexican Ian Aguilera and RLR MSport clinched their second victory of the season with the #77 Ligier JS P4. In JS2 R, Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport's Italians Matteo Pianezzola and Gregorio Bertocco took their first win of the season, on home soil, with the #60 JS2 R. In Race 2, Colombians Pedro Moreno and Jeronimo Berrio returned to the top step of the podium with Team Virage (JS P4 #66), after the Le Mans Heat. In the JS2 R class, Pegasus Racing's Frenchmen Julien Schell and David Caussanel (JS2 R #29) succeeded in overpowering the competition to take their second win of the season. While Team Virage and Pegasus Racing enjoy a slight lead in the provisional standings, nothing is decided yet. The final race at Portimao promises to be a tense affair.
Twenty cars for the series premiere at Mugello
- There were twelve cars in the JS P4 category, following the withdrawal of Inter Europol Competition's #7 and Romain Favre.
- The Italian LR Motorsport team was back after taking part in the Le Mans round last June, playing at home. Its #81 Ligier JS P4 was to be driven by two Italians, Jacopo Mazza, who returned to the series after a full season in 2023, and Manuel Quondamcarlo, a 17-year-old Italian F4 driver.
- Pegasus Racing's #16 was to be driven by Frenchman Jordan Meyer, who replaced Yuki Tanaka. Jordan Meyer was no stranger to the Ligier European Series, having done several stints in previous seasons in the Ligier JS2 R, always with the French team. However, this was his first in the JS P4 category.
- Romanian team Smart Driving was also be back in the championship with its Ligier JS P4 #3, driven by Alin Fulga.
- The GT category of the Ligier European Series featured eight entries for this Italian round.
- For the Iron Dames, Natalia Granada Ferrero was to drive the #85 Ligier JS2 R. At just 16 years of age, the youngest driver on the Iron Dames pole was looking to put in a good showing in her first race in the series, against some stiff competition.
- Sita Vanmeert, driving the #86 Les Deux Arbres, was joined by Ryan Shehan, runner-up in the FR Americas 2023 with the #66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3. The young driver from Austin, Texas, was making his GT debut in the Ligier European Series.
- In the #53 M Racing, Cindy Gudet was back at the wheel after missing last month's Spa-Francorchamps race. Finally, Louis Stern teamed up with Gwenaël Delomier in Pegasus Racing's JS2 R #18. Although the French driver was new to the series, he was already familiar with the Ligier JS2 R, having taken part in the 500 Nocturnes with Pegasus Racing, finishing fourth overall and third in GT3.
To consult the entry list, CLICK HERE.
Free Practice: Italian teams dominate.
- Free practice, marked by wet conditions, saw Team Virage stand out in JS P4 with the #1 driven by Theo Micouris in free practice 1, with a time of 1:52.115. In the second session, Jacopo Mazza led the way with a time of 1:53.196 in the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4.
- In the JS2 R class, Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport shone thanks to Matteo Pianezzola in the #60, who set two fastest times of 2:02.214 and 1:59.715.
To read the article on Free Practice 1, CLICK HERE.
To read the article on Free Practice 2, CLICK HERE.
Qualifications : Pole positions shared
- Qualifying was intense, with RLR MSport's Ian Aguilera achieving a double pole in JS P4 with the #77 in 2:15.097, then 2:14.817.
- In the JS2 R class, Antoine Lepesqueux in the #50 Les Deux Arbres (2:21.454) and Cindy Gudet in the #53 M Racing (2:22.408) took pole positions for Races 1 and 2 respectively, promising hotly contested races.
To read the qualifying article, CLICK HERE.
Race 1: Victories for RLR MSport and Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport
- The first race started under dry skies. Ian Aguilera led for RLR MSport in the #77 JS P4, taking his second win of the season after a hard-fought battle.
- They were followed by the #66 of Pedro Moreno and Jeronimo Berrio (Team Virage) and the #1 of team-mates Theo Micouris and Haydn Chance.
- However, a few minutes into the race, Team Virage's #66 received a 5-second penalty for failing to comply with the Safety Car procedure, demoting it to fourth place and allowing Iko Segret and ANS Motorsport to finish third.
- In the JS2 R class, Iron Lynxby LR Motorsport celebrated its first victory thanks to Matteo Pianezzola and Gregorio Bertocco in the #60, who were able to handle the pressure.
- Julien Schell and David Caussanel, driving the Pegasus Racing #29, finished second, and first in the PRO/AM category. Leading and tied with Clément Moreno and ANS Motorsport before the Mugello Heat, this second-place finish gives them a precious points lead in the title race.
- Finally, Noé Da Cuhna and Antoine Lepesqueux finished third in the #50 Les Deux Arbres JS2 R.
- Pegasus Racing's #18, driven by Louis Stern and Gwenaël Delomier, finished first in the AM classification.
To read the article on Race 1, CLICK HERE.
Race 2: Team Virage and Pegasus Racing triumph.
- The second race was just as exciting, with Team Virage taking a decisive JS P4 victory with the #66 driven by Pedro Moreno and Jeronimo Berrio.
- The #1 of Theo Micouris and Haydn Chance came second, giving Team Virage a one-two finish. Ian Aguilera, with the #77 RLR MSport, finished on the third step of the podium.
- Team Virage's #1 Ligier JS P4 now has 164 points. RLR MSport's #77 is second with 139 points, closely followed by ANS Motorsport's #6 with 136 points.
- In JS2 R, Pegasus Racing took its second win of the season with the #29 driven by Julien Schell and David Caussanel. They also finish first in the PRO/AM category.
- Noé Da Cunha and Antoine Lepesqueux, with the #50 Les Deux Arbres, finished second, followed by the #60 Iron Lynx by LRMotorsport, driven by Matteo Pianezzola and Gregorio Bertocco, who made a fine comeback after his penalty.
- Gwenaël Delomier and Louis Stern took first place in the AM category with Pegasus Racing's #18.
- Pegasus Racing's #29 Ligier JS2 R now leads the provisional standings by 166 points. ANS Motorsport's #31 is second with 139 points, followed by Pegasus Racing's #18 with 130 points.
To read the article on Race 2, CLICK HERE.
Next race: Tension in Portugal
- The season finale will take place in Portimão on October 17 and 18, promising some action-packed racing.
- The drivers in each category are tightly grouped in the standings, and every point will be crucial in the race for the title. Expectations are high for this final weekend of competition.
To know more about the Ligier European Series, CLICK HERE.