Michelin Le Mans Cup: 100% Ligier JS P320 podium at Le Castellet with Team Virage, COOL Racing and Team Thor!

The Le Castellet round, the third meeting on the Michelin Le Mans Cup calendar, was held on the Paul Ricard circuit on 15th July. COOL Racing's #87 topped the time sheets giving the French manufacturer's Ligier JS P320 its fourth consecutive pole position. The race ended in victory for the Ligier JS P320, which also monopolised the podium. Team Virage's #16, the championship leader, clinched its second win of the season. It was followed home in second place by #87 entered by COOL Racing and #77 run by Team Thor in third. Two former drivers of the Ligier European Series, Gillian Henrion (#16) the 2022 Ligier JS P4 Champion, and Cédric Oltramare (#87), a Ligier JS2 R regular for two consecutive seasons, found themselves on the top two steps of the podium.

• The weekend's racing got off to a great start on Friday July 14 with eight Ligier JS P320s in the first eight places on the Free Practice 1 timesheets: United's Autosports #23 (John Schauerman and Wayne Boyd) set the fastest lap in 1:50.808s.

• Later on in the day, the #16 Team Virage Ligier JS P320 (Julien Gerbi and Gillian Henrion) emerged as the fastest of the LMP3s in a time of 1:49.666s ahead of 12 other Ligiers.

• On Saturday 15th July, Adrien Chila in the #87 COOL Racing Ligier JS P320 took pole position. Thanks to his lap in 1:52.443s, he and his teammate Cédric Oltramare would start the race in the late afternoon in first place. It was the Ligier JS P320's fourth consecutive pole since the start of the season (Graff Racing, Team Virage, CD Sport).

• The race got under way at 17:10. The #87 Ligier JS P320 held on to the lead ahead of the #29 run by MV2S Racing (Mathias Luethen and Emilien Carde) during the first part of the race. Once the pit stops had been completed the #16 Ligier JS P320, which had qualified fifth, continued its charge to the front and installed itself in second place. Oltramare (#87), in the lead, fought off the attacks of Henrion (#16) to try and hold on to the lead. But in vain as on lap 28 the French driver passed his Swiss rival and took up the running.

• Team Virage scored its second victory in the Michelin Le Mans Cup with the #16 Ligier JS P320 driven by the 2022 Ligier JS P4 Series European Champion, Gillian Henrion, and Julien Gerbi. The #87 entered by COOL Racing crossed the finishing line in second place. Oltramare who cut his teeth in the Ligier European Series over two years (2021 and 2022) at the wheel of a Ligier JS2 R, bagged his first podium finish of the 2023 season alongside Adrien Chila. #26 took the flag in third spot, but a 10-second penalty cost it its podium finish, which went to Team Thor's #77 (Audunn Gudmundsson and Colin Noble).

• The #16 Team Virage Ligier JS P320 remains at the top of the provisional general classification with 54 points ahead of Team Thor's #77 (36 points).

The next race will take place on Friday 25th August in Aragon in Spain.

For race results, CLICK HERE.

 

For more information about the Ligier JS P320, CLICK HERE.