Ligier JS Cup France, Portimão: a 2024 finale under dreadful weather conditions
Thirty Ligier JS2 R cars started the final 6-hour race of the 2024 Ligier JS Cup France season in torrential rain at the Portimão circuit in the Algarve on October 12. As the sun finally came out, ZOSH - J4R returned to winning ways in the Elite classification. They finished second in the championship behind the ORHES - MATIMMO - FEU VERT BEAUNE team which had already clinched the title during the previous round at Nogaro. In the Gentleman's classification, the DRIVN MCDO team claimed its first victory, while ZOSH 22 took the title. Junior Tomas Pompidou dominated the younger drivers. Despite a mechanical problem, Romain Boeckler, in the lead since mid-season, claimed the first ever Junior title. Winner of the Ligier Junior Programme within the Ligier JS Cup France, he will compete in the Ligier European Series in 2025, at the wheel of a Ligier JS P4, thanks to the prize money reserved for the Junior Champion.
- After three hours of private testing on Friday, October 11, the 30 Ligier JS2 R cars took to the track for an hour and a half of free practice, followed by a thirty-minute qualifying session.
- In free practice, the TRAJECTUS MOTORSPORT 83 Ligier JS2 R #83 with Vincent Bouteiller and Martin Lacquemanne was fastest in 2:11.548. In the Gentleman's classification, the #17 ORHES MATCH COMPETITION Ligier JS2 R topped the timesheet (2:13.302) with its crew of Christian Gille, Mathieu Gille and Olivier Porta.
- The #70 ZOSH - HOMIE Ligier JS2 R driven by Grégory Servais, Xavier Knauf and Thierry Petit took pole position with a best time of 2:09.292. Gentleman's pole went to the XP Racing JS2 R #27 driven by Tomas Pompidou, Louis Schlesser and Suleiman Zanfari in 2:09.925.
Elite: Victory for ZOSH - J4R and title for ORHES - MATIMMO - FEU VERT BEAUNE
- The ZOSH - J4R team ended the season on a high note with a fourth Elite victory in its #93 Ligier JS2 R driven by Jean René Defournoux, Raphaël Deschamps and Julien Rodrigues.
- They finished ahead of Xavier Dayraut and Andrea Deldossi in the #139 DRIVN - ADX, who scored their fourth podium of the season.
- Ultimate finished third with its #35 Ligier JS2 R driven by Gilles Hériau, Raphael Jallageas and Arlan Boulain.
- ORHES - MATIMMO - FEU VERT BEAUNE, winners of the previous round at Nogaro, claimed their second consecutive Elite title with the #9 Ligier JS2 R driven by Thomas Martinez, Emeric Merzougui and Olivier Pernaut. ZOSH - J4R (JS2 R #93) finished second ahead of DRIVN - ADX (JS2 R #139).
Gentleman: First win for DRIVN MCDO and title for ZOSH 22
- In the Gentleman's standings, Olivier Deschamps, Alain Grand and Jérémy Sarhy (DRIVN MCDO JS2 R #11) continued their ascent after their first podium finish in Nogaro, this time taking the top step.
- The duo of Guillaume Brichard and Maximilien Menu, driving the #22 ZOSH 22, finished second in the race. They also took the Gentleman's title thanks to their consistency throughout the season, with no fewer than five podium finishes.
- The crew of NO LIMIT RACING's JS2 R #408, Guillaume Charpentier, Amaury Dours and Sébastien Margot, finished third, securing them second place in the Gentleman's standings.
- The JS2 R #21 of ORHES - SYSTEMIC and the trio of Cédric Collet, Benjamin Rivière and Philippe Sersot completed the top 3 in the Gentleman championship standings.
Junior: First and last for Tomas Pompidou, Romain Boeckler first Junior champion of the series
- Starting from Junior pole position, Tomas Pompidou at the wheel of his XP RACING Ligier JS2 R #27 didn't give in to the competition. He remained in the lead for the entire 40 minutes of the Junior race, ahead of the two TRAJECTUS MOTORSPORT 83 drivers, Vincent Bouteiller (JS2 R #83) and Jules Tréluyer (JS2 R #84).
- Romain Boeckler, who has led the Junior standings since mid-season, wins the first Ligier JS Cup France Junior title at the wheel of the #15 TMP by LVR Ligier JS2 R. He thus becomes the first 2024 winner of the Ligier Junior Programme, which enables talented young drivers to develop their sporting careers thanks to a unique system of prize money. Romain Boeckler will benefit from the provision of a Ligier JS P4 to take part in the 2025 Ligier European Series season and try to win a new scholarship to continue his ascent up the endurance pyramid (the €150,000 prize offered to the JS P4 Champion(s) to move up to the Michelin Le Mans Cup in the LMP3 category at the wheel of a Ligier JS P325).
- Vincent Bouteiller and Thomas Martinez finished second and third respectively in the Junior rankings.
The 2025 Ligier JS Cup France season, the seventh since its launch in 2019, will kick off on March 7 and 8 in Valencia, Spain, with the first 6-hour race.
The Ligier Junior Programme in the Ligier JS Cup France, in brief:
- Only drivers aged between 16 and 26 are eligible for this Ligier Junior Programme.
- A Junior driver joins a team of one or two drivers entered in the Ligier JS Cup France on a Ligier JS2 R.
- Two Juniors may not race in the same car. If this is the case, only one can claim the program's prize money.
- Ligier JS Cup France races last 4 or 6 hours, with two or three drivers per car.
- Junior drivers are the only ones to qualify the car.
- Junior drivers must start all races. At the end of 40 minutes and one lap, a ranking is established between Juniors only. This is the result of the Ligier Junior Programme race. The race does not stop, however, and the Junior drivers continue to gain experience. The result of the Juniors does not depend on that of their team-mates, nor on the outcome of the race. No matter who they race with, they are neither advantaged nor penalized.
- The winner of the Ligier Junior Programme in the Ligier JS Cup France is provides with a Ligier JS P4 to take part in the Ligier European Series the following season, in a bid to win a new scholarship to continue his or her ascent up the endurance pyramid (the €150,000 prize money offered to the JS P4 Champion(s) to move up to the Michelin Le Mans Cup in the LMP3 category at the wheel of a Ligier JS P325).
For more information on the Ligier Junior Programme, click here.
For more information on the Ligier JS Cup France, click here.
For more information on the Ligier European Series, click here.
For more information on the Ligier JS2 R, click here.
For more information on the Ligier JS P4, click here.
Photo credit : Ligier JS Cup France