Michelin Le Mans Cup: Double success for the Ligier JS P320s at Le Castellet
The second round of the 2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup season took place at Le Castellet on Saturday May 4. The race saw no fewer than twenty-seven Ligier JS P320s compete, and it was the #97 COOL Racing car, driven by David Droux and Adrien Chila, which came out on top. It beat the #44 Team Virage Ligier JS P320 driven by 2023 Ligier European Series champion Mihnea Stefan and Jamie Falvey.
- After two free practice sessions and a qualifying session, the serious business began on Saturday May 4 with the race, which lasted just under two hours.
- The #44 Team Virage Ligier in the hands of Jamie Falvey started from second position.
- In traffic, the driver of the #44 Ligier JS P320 made a bold move to take the lead.
- The #97 COOL Racing JS P320, driven by Adrien Chila, ELMS 2023 LMP3 champion, took second place after a car spun out of the leading pack.
- Chila then set a fast pace and quickly made up ground on the leader, the #44 Team Virage.
- The duel between Team Virage and COOL Racing took on a new dimension after a series of pit stops at the start of the final hour of the race.
- Mihnea Stefan and David Droux replaced their respective team-mates. David Droux, at the wheel of the #97 COOL Racing car, quickly took the lead and extended his lead over the #44 Team Virage car.
- David Droux and Adrien Chila took their first Michelin Le Mans Cup 2024 win of the season in the #97 COOL Racing JS P320.
- Mihnea Stefan, 2023 Ligier European Series JS P4 Champion, and team-mate James Falvey, finished second in the #44 Team Virage JS P320.
Adrien Chila, COOL Racing #97, Ligier JS P320, Winner of the Le Castellet round: "My stint was very complicated today because the level of competition was very high and the two leading cars were very fast. But I succeeded in managing my tyres, the car and I tried to pass the car to David in the best possible conditions."
David Droux, COOL Racing #97, Ligier JS P320, Winner of the Le Castellet round: "I'm pleased to have been able to take the lead fairly quickly in order to avoid too much tyre degradation. The aim was to save my tyres as much as possible and keep a good gap, but not too big, so that in the event of a Safety Car I could restart quickly.”
The next Michelin Le Mans race will be the eagerly-awaited Road To Le Mans, which takes place on June 13 and 15 as the opening event of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
For full results, CLICK HERE.
For more information on the championship, CLICK HERE.
To find out more about the Ligier JS P320, CLICK HERE.