Michelin Le Mans Cup: Victories for ANS Motorsport and Rinaldi Racing at Silverstone
The Michelin Le Mans Cup headed to the iconic Silverstone circuit from September 11 to 13 for the fifth and penultimate round of the season. In a race held in changing weather conditions, the Ligier teams stood out with victory for the #9 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P325 in LMP3 and third place for the #70 Team Virage Ligier JS P325. In LMP3 Pro/Am, Rinaldi Racing claimed a one-two finish with the #66 ahead of the #71, while the #58 GG Classics Ligier JS P325 completed the podium. Matus Ryba set the fastest lap of the race in LMP3 with the #19 Brutal Fish by Campos Ligier JS P325, while Leo Sami Robinson was the fastest in LMP3 Pro/Am with the #62 Bretton Racing Ligier JS P325.
The Ligier JS P325s at the sharp end in qualifying
On Saturday, September 12, the teams first took to the track for qualifying. The session was particularly competitive. Colin Queen placed the #50 23Events Racing Ligier JS P325 second with a 1:54.060 lap. Behind him, the two Brutal Fish by Campos Ligier JS P325s completed the second row: Arthur Rogeon in the #12 with a 1:54.166, just ahead of Luca Fluxa Cross in the #19 with a 1:54.207.
In LMP3 Pro/Am, Alex Bukhantsov continued his strong qualifying run in the #34 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P325. After a red-flag interruption and a final push from Linus Hellberg in the #48 Allay Racing Ligier JS P325, Bukhantsov responded on his last lap with a 1:57.709. He therefore secured his fourth pole position in four qualifying sessions this season in the category.
A race shaped by rain and neutralizations
After qualifying, attention turned to the race. At the start, the track was still dry. Matus Ryba quickly moved up to second place in the #19 Brutal Fish by Campos Ligier JS P325, ahead of sister car #12 driven by August Raber.
A first incident triggered a Full Course Yellow. Alex Bukhantsov was leading the LMP3 Pro/Am category at that point in the #34 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P325. The race was then neutralized under Safety Car conditions to allow a stranded GT3 car to be recovered and debris to be cleared from the track.
At the restart, Linus Hellberg made an excellent getaway in the #48 Allay Racing Ligier JS P325 and took the lead in Pro/Am. At the front of the LMP3 field, Louis Iglesias joined the battle for victory in the #9 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P325. Rain then began to fall, prompting another neutralization and forcing the teams to adapt their strategies through to the end of the race.
ANS Motorsport wins in LMP3
The race resumed under green-flag conditions with less than 25 minutes remaining. At the end of the two-hour race, ANS Motorsport claimed victory in LMP3 with the #9 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P325, driven by Louis Iglesias and 2025 Ligier European Series champion Maxwell Dodds.
Team Virage also finished on the podium with the #70 Team Virage Ligier JS P325 of Vic Stevens and Jude Peters, both graduates of the Ligier European Series. The team finished third in this fifth round of the season.
Brutal Fish by Campos also stood out by setting the fastest lap of the race in LMP3, with Matus Ryba posting a 1:55.645 in the #19 Brutal Fish by Campos Ligier JS P325.
One-two finish for Rinaldi Racing in LMP3 Pro/Am
In LMP3 Pro/Am, Rinaldi Racing took victory with the #66 Rinaldi Racing Ligier JS P325 of Steve Parrow and Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen. The Italian team also claimed second place with its sister car, the #71 Rinaldi Racing Ligier JS P325 of Stefan Aust and Felipe Fernandes-Laser.
GG Classics completed the Pro/Am podium with the #58 GG Classics Ligier JS P325 of Georges Nakas and Fraser Ross. Bretton Racing set the fastest lap of the race in the category, with Leo Sami Robinson posting a 1:56.622 in the #62 Bretton Racing Ligier JS P325.
The Michelin Le Mans Cup finale will take place on October 10, 2026, in Portimão, Portugal.
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Photo credit: DPPI