Ligier European Series : The drivers put on a great show at the Temple of Speed, in Italy
July 9-10 - With new contenders, the fourth round of the Ligier European Series had its share of action at Monza, in Italy. Four different teams shared victories in the two races, in both classes. The #34 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS P4 and the #53 M Racing Ligier JS2 R won race 1. But their main rivals, the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 and the #24 Orhès Racing Ligier JS2 R, got the better of them during race 2.
For the fourth time in a row, the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 driven by Jacopo Faccioni and Alessandro Cicognani set the fastest time in free practice on Friday morning in 1:58.392s. In the Ligier JS2 R class, the #24 Orhès Racing car driven by Mathieu Martins and Olivier Pernaut was the quickest in 2:01.169s.
In the afternoon, the teams met again for the two qualifying sessions. The Italian duo of HP Racing by Monza Garage secured the pole in the Ligier JS P4 category thanks to Alessandro Cicognani, who set the fastest lap in 1:58.310s. For race 2, it was the #34 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS P4 driven by Dimitri Enjalbert, who is also competing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in the IDEC Sport Ligier JS P320, which set the fastest time in 1:57.114s. As in the last round at Le Castellet, the #53 M Racing Ligier JS2 R with Natan Bihel at the wheel clinched the double pole position (2:01.014s in Q1 and 2:01.746s in Q2).
Race 1 started at 10.35am on Saturday. The first part of the race was animated by the battles for the lead between the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 and the new entry of Les Deux Arbres, the #32 driven by the father-son duo Patrick and Steve Zacchia. Behind them, their sister cars the #33 with Jacques Nicolet and the #34 with Patrice Lafargue (already present and victorious in Heat 2 at the Red Bull Ring) and Dimitri Enjalbert were fighting for third place. But with the mandatory pit stops, the contenders' order was turned upside down.
The #34 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS P4 moved up the standings and quickly challenged the #23 HP Racing by Monza Garage. After several lead changes, the Les Deux Arbres car got the better of its Italian rival and won the first race of the weekend by eight seconds. But it was Jacopo Faccioni who set the fastest lap in the race in 1:58.550s. The third step of the podium was claimed by a new entry, the #27 24-7 Motorsport car driven by brothers Andrew and Jeremy Ferguson. After a difficult start, the British crew made a strong comeback in the race.
From the start, the #53 M Racing and the #24 Orhès Racing Ligier JS2 Rs were among the sports prototypes. About 20 minutes into the race, the #24 took the lead over the #53 and kept it after the mandatory pit stop. But that was until the exit of the safety car, after the spin of Orhès Racing second car, the #25 driven by Alain Bucher and Paolo Collivadino. At the restart, the #53 of M Racing regained the lead and won the race. Natan Bihel also set the fastest lap time of 2:02.049s.
The second race was scheduled for early afternoon. Due to a mechanical problem, the #27 24-7 Motorsport Ligier JS P4 had to withdraw from the race. Qualified in pole position the day before, the #34 of Les Deux Arbres took off from the start and quickly put distance with its competitors. Twenty minutes before the chequered flag and just as victory seemed assured, the sports prototype spined and ended up in the gravel. The #23 took advantage of this to regain the lead before being overtaken again by the #34. But the spin in the gravel caused more damage than it seemed. The Les Deux Arbres car was forced to retire, giving the #23 HP Racing By Monza Garage car the top spot on the podium. It was completed by the other two cars of the French team Les Deux Arbres, the #33 and the #32. Dimitri Enjalbert in the #32 was the fastest in the race with a 1:57.852s lap.
In the GT category, the #24 Orhès Racing Ligier JS2 R stole the lead from the #53 M Racing car for a while, but the latter came back and took the head of the race again. Behind them, the rest of the field battled for third place before M Racing second car, the #69 with Laurent Millara at the controls, took the advantage. After the pit stop, it was the #24 that became the favourite for victory. As the #53 of M Racing came back strongly, it was penalised with a three-second stop and go for not respecting its pit stop time and finished the race fourth. The #24 Orhès Racing car took its second win of the season and set the fastest lap with Mathieu Martins at the wheel in 2:02.111s.
The race ended with an intense duel for second place between the #4 COOL Racing Ligier JS2 R driven by Cédric Oltramare and the #69 M Racing car of Laurent Millara. In the final lap, the gentleman driver at the wheel of the #69 overtook his rival and took the silver medal. Cédric Oltramare finished third and scored his third podium of the season.
Dimitri Enjalbert, driving the #34 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS P4, set the fastest time of the weekend with his quickest lap during race 2. He thus enabled his team to win a set of tyres offered by the series partner, Michelin Motorsport, during each round. In the Ligier JS2 R category, Natan Bihel in the #53 M Racing car set the fastest time of the weekend in the first qualifying session and won the Ligier JS2 R set of tyres. The two sets of tyres distributed by prize draw were won by the #69 M Racing Ligier JS2 R and the #33 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS P4.
The summer break has arrived for the Ligier European Series. The drivers will return to the track on 17-18 September at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, for the fifth and penultimate Heat of the season.
To read the full article on free practice, CLICK HERE.
To read the full article on qualifying, CLICK HERE.
To read the full article on Race 1, CLICK HERE.
To read the full article on race 2, CLICK HERE.
Photo credit: DPPI Images