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Ligier European Series : Team Virage and ANS Motorsport leave Belgium with victories in hand

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit was not the most forgiving for the Ligier European Series teams, on 22 and 23 September, but the drivers all rose to the challenge! Team Virage took both wins in the Ligier JS P4 category with the #48 (Mihnea Stefan) in Race 1 and the #60 (Bernardo Pinheiro and George King) in Race 2. Mihnea Stefan and Team Virage were also crowned 2023 Ligier JS P4 Champions! In the Ligier JS2 R category, ANS Motorsport claimed its second double victory of the season with the #42 driven by Julien Lemoine. The driver and team are one step closer to the title, which will be decided in Portimao.

Free practice

• The #48 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 (Mihnea Stefan) was quickest in session 1 with a time of 2:29.650, while in session 2 the #17 Pegasus Racing car (Dimitri Enjalbert and Anthony Nahra) topped the timesheets with a time of 2:26.070.

• In PRO-AM, the #50 Les Deux Arbres (Steve Zacchia and Louis Rossi) was the fastest of both sessions with a time of 2:36.413 and of 2:27.881.

• In AM, the Pegasus Racing #16 (Yuki Tanaka and Takashi Hata) set the fastest time in session 1 with a 2:43.038. In session 2, it was the Team Virage #1 (Lance Fenton and Kevin Madsen) who set the fastest lap in 2:28.878.

• Overall and in PRO-AM, the #10 RLR MSport Ligier JS2 R (Maximus Mayer and Simon Butler) set the fastest time of 2:38.831 in session 1. The second session was led by the LR Motorsport #43 (David Rodorigo and Giacomo Pollini) in 2:36.574, also in PRO-AM.

• In AM, the #42 of ANS Motorsport (Julien Lemoine) led both sessions in 2:41.641 and 2:36.608.

 

For the results of free practice 1, CLICK HERE.

For the results of free practice 2, CLICK HERE.

 

 

Ligier European Series : Team Virage et ANS Motorsport quittent la Belgique avec les victoires en poche

 

Qualifying

• Mihnea Stefan in the #48 Ligier JS P4 set his third double pole position with a lap of 2:28.050 (Q1) then 2:41.931 (Q2).

• Session 2 was interrupted after the #16 Pegasus Racing car went off the track, followed by another incident, this time involving the #75 car (Ian Aguilera and Haytham Qarajouli). The #16 was forced to retire for the following day's two races.

• In the Ligier JS2 R category, the #10 took pole for race 1 with a lap of 2:38.321 set by Maximus Mayer. He is the only driver to have taken pole position on every circuit on the calendar.

• For Race 2, Julien Lemoine in the #42 car took pole with a time of 3:01.563.

For the results of qualifying 1, CLICK HERE.

For the results of qualifying 2, CLICK HERE.

 

 

Course 1 : Team Virage et ANS Motorsport remportent la victoire haut la main

Race 1: Team Virage and ANS Motorsport win handily

JS P4 category

• The #48 Ligier JS P4 (Mihnea Stefan) remained in the lead at the start.

• Third, Dimitri Enjalbert in the #17 Pegasus Racing car overtook Simone Riccitelli in the #7 LR Motorsport car. He was then neck to neck with his Romanian rival.

• Behind, the #11 of HPRacing by Monza Garage slipped at Blanchimont and spun. It got stuck in the gravel trap, caused the safety car to come out and was forced to retire.

• The restart was given 10 minutes later and the #48 car extended its lead. Dimitri Enjalbert and Simone Riccitelli were in the midst of a battle for second place when contact caused the #17 to spin. The #7 was given a drive-through penalty.

• After the mandatory pitstop window closed, the #48 regained the lead and even set a 12-second gap over its rivals. Louis Rossi in the #50 Les Deux Arbres was second, followed by Ronnie Valori in the #4 HPRacing by Monza Garage. It didn't take long for Valori to steal his place.

• Mihnea Stefan (#48 Team Virage) added a sixth win to his tally with a lead of over 24 seconds over Jacopo Faccioni and Ronnie Valori (#4 HPRacing by Monza Garage). The Romanian driver also set the fastest lap of the race in 2:23.894. Steve Zacchia and Louis Rossi (#50 de Les Deux Arbres) took a fine third place, along with victory in the PRO-AM class.

• In the AM class, first place on the podium went to Lance Fenton and Kevin Madsen in the Team Virage #1.

JS2 R category

• Race 1 poleman Maximus Mayer remained in the lead in the #10 RLR MSport Ligier JS2 R. The Spanish driver has already opened up an eight-second lead over Julien Lemoine in the #42 ANS Motorsport car.

• Qualifying fifth, David Rodorigo in the #43 LR Motorsport car moved up two places after overtaking the #29 Pegasus Racing car (Thierry Colney) and the #86 Les Deux Arbres car (Jacques Nicolet).

• The lead taken by Maximus Mayer did not allow his co-driver Simon Butler, now at the wheel of the #10 Ligier JS2 R, to maintain his advantage over the #42 after the mandatory pit stops. Twenty minutes before the end of the race, Julien Lemoine overtook his rival and escaped to the front.

• With ANS Motorsport, he took his fourth win of the season in the overall standings and also won the AM class. The RLR MSport #10 (Maximus Mayer and Simon Butler) finished second and won the PRO-AM class. The #86 of Les Deux Arbres (Jacques Nicolet) rounded off the podium.

• The fastest lap of 2:34.154 was set by Giacomo Pollini in the #43 LR Motorsport car.

 

For the results of race 1, CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

Race 2 : Repeat for Team Virage and ANS Motorsport

JS P4 category

• The #48 Ligier JS P4 of Team Virage with Mihnea Stefan maintained its advantage at the start. But the #4 of HPRacing by Monza Garage, driven by Ronnie Valori, pounced and was already threatening the championship leader.

• There was contact at the front between the #48 and the #4, with Ronnie Valori taking the lead. With more damage to his car, Mihnea Stefan was relegated to third place by Jacopo Mazza in the #7 LR Motorsport car.

• Bernardo Pinheiro in the #60 Team Virage was increasing the pressure on the #48. Mihnea Stefan resisted for several laps, until he was overtaken. But the Romanian had not said his last word, and he was now chasing his Team Virage team-mate.

• After the pitstops, George King in the #60 picked up the pace, came back at full throttle on leader Jacopo Faccioni in the #4 HP Racing by Monza Garage and stole first place from him. The Italian was then overtaken by the #48 and then by the #7.

• The #60 took off, leaving the #48 and #7 to battle it out for second place. Simone Riccitelli attacked Mihnea Stefan, who resisted for several minutes before finally giving up.

• After a painful retirement in Race 1 at Aragon, George King and Bernardo Pinheiro (#60 Team Virage) finally got their long-awaited victory. Simone Riccitelli and Jacopo Mazza (#7 LR Motorsport) took the second step of the podium ahead of Mihnea Stefan (#48 Team Virage). The fastest lap of the race was set by Ronnie Valori in 2:24.493.

• The #50 Les Deux Arbres with Steve Zacchia and Louis Rossi won the PRO-AM class, while Lance Fenton and Kevin Madsen (#1 Team Virage) finished first in the AM class.

• With two races still to go at Portimao in less than a month's time, the Ligier European Series has already crowned its 2023 Ligier JS P4 Champion! With third place in race 2, Mihnea Stefan has collected enough points to take the crown.

JS2 R category

• Successful start for the #42 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS2 R. Julien Lemoine immediately slipped in between two Ligier JS P4s, to the disadvantage of his GT category rivals.

• Giacomo Pollini in the #43 LR Motorsport car got the better of Simon Butler (#10 RLR MSport) in third and Jacques Nicolet (#86 Les Deux Arbres) in second. The Italian continued his fine form and went on to overtake the championship leader.

• The #43 Ligier JS2 R entered the pits to make its mandatory stop. Just as David Rodorigo was about to take control of the GT, a mechanical incident stopped him from taking to the track again. This gave Julien Lemoine the opportunity to regain the lead in the race.

• The driver of the #42 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS2 R went on to extend his lead in the championship by adding another victory to his tally, both overall and in the AM class. This is its second double win of the season in the overall standings after the one at Le Castellet. Simon Butler and Maximus Mayer (#10 RLR MSport) finished second and won the Pro-AM class, ahead of Jacques Nicolet in the #86 Les Deux Arbres.

• The fastest lap of the race was set by Giacomo Pollini in the #43 LR Motorsport car in 2:33.439.

For the results of race 2, CLICK HERE.

 

The 2023 Ligier European Series season is drawing to a close. The championship final will be held in Portugal, at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, on 20 and 21 October.

 

For more information about the Ligier JS P4, CLICK HERE.

For more information about the Ligier JS2 R, CLICK HERE.