Mo Murray, Ligier Automotive North America’s new CEO
Based in North Carolina since 2016, Ligier Automotive North America [LANA] now employs around 15 people. The French manufacturer's American subsidiary specialises in single-seater racing, with more than a hundred Ligier F4 and FR cars in competition, as well as in sports-prototypes, with around 50 LMP2 and LMP3 cars on track in the United States. Under the leadership of Max and Jan Crawford over the last few years, LANA is now entering a new chapter in its American history. Since May 6, 2024, under the impetus of Mo Murray, LANA's new CEO, the Ligier brand intends to continue its development on the other side of the Atlantic.
Mo has worked for over 25 years in Motorsport, from being General Manager of Customer Support Group for Yamaha Motor in the USA in the late 2000s, then joining CSM (formerly JMI) as Senior Account Director for Automotive and then to become Senior Vice President Motorsports & Experiential at Mazda Motorsports until 2022.
His last experience before joining Ligier Automotive was with Arrow McLaren Indycar Team as Vice President Commercial and Marketing, restructuring the commercial team while serving as a functional bridge between McLaren base in the UK and Arrow McLaren in the US on all commercial matters.
1. What is your first memory with or of the Ligier brand? What does the Ligier brand mean to you?
This answer is clear to me. 1979 Argentina Grand Prix and Jacques Lafitte in the iconic Ligier JS11. As a young boy growing up in Ireland, my love of motorsports was centered around grainy BBC race broadcasts with scratchy commentary by Murray Walker. By 1979, I had already fallen in love with racing and was regularly visiting my local track to watch in awe (my father took me to my first races in Dublin's Phoenix Park and Mondello Park). I was hooked and so when ground effects cars arrived, I was intrigued and especially by the beautiful blue and white Ligiers. I waited each week to see and hear the race broadcast and follow the careers of my heroes. Many years later I learned of the significance of the JS naming on the cars and my respect for the brand and the people behind it was strengthened. For me, Ligier is one of the iconic brands in the history of motorsports globally and to now have an opportunity to work within the brand is an honor.
2. How would you describe the Ligier brand in the United States today?
The iconic history is something the purist race fans understand but for most of the latest generation of fans or young drivers, we have not shared that history as widely as we could. We are a challenger brand in our US marketplace, meaning we have the opportunity to grow and to carve out more share from existing markets and to also define new markets. When compared to Europe, the motorsports landscape in the US is still very dynamic and offers tremendous opportunity. To do so we must focus on three fundamentals – we must always have the best product in any market in which we compete, we must have the brand strength that creates demand for our product, and we must have distribution and access to our products (and services) that is best in class. These are the things we are focused on delivering as we look to the future in North America.
3. How do you plan to use your previous experience at Ligier Automotive North America?
Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to learn from my experiences with large brands and smaller, more dynamic companies also. And learning from difficult circumstances is just as valuable as that from successes. So, in my experience, there are many lessons we can bring to Ligier Automotive North America. Motorsports is a business fueled by passion and that is great, but passion alone will not deliver success. The most successful motorsports brands also have the discipline and process control to harness that passion in a way that is very focused on results and achieving the shared objectives of the organization. Fundamentally, the future success of Ligier Automotive North America will be grounded in tight process control and focus. Additionally, the importance of objective based strategic planning is critical. Resisting the always present temptations to address the most immediate tactical issue in favor of developing and communicating a clear strategic direction will allow us to make the best use of available resources in pursuit of our agreed upon objectives. A race driver who does not know where the track goes next is not going to win. Likewise in our business we must have a clear vision of where our future path lies and remain steadfastly focused on it.
4. What is your goal in joining the Ligier brand?
I will be very happy and feel successful if in a few years, young drivers and the teams who support them look at Ligier Automotive and feel we were the best partner they could have chosen. I would like to think that other brands involved in motorsports will look to Ligier Automotive and see us not only leading the industry but doing so with compassion for the sport and its participants. Winning races is a good and a noble pursuit, but winning the loyalty and admiration of our customers is a lasting legacy we will be proud of for many years to come.
5. You began your Ligier adventure when the Ligier JS F422 was launched in competition in the F4 U.S. Championship. How did this first round go and what are your expectations for this product?
It is important to state that I personally had no involvement with the JS F422 – and I offer that as a huge compliment to the rest of the team here at Ligier Automotive North America. Although we are a small group, the level of talent and experience among the team is very impressive. Collectively they developed and launched the Ligier JS F422 and what a launch it was? Throughout the debut weekend at Road America – one of the fastest tracks in the US – the cars performed flawlessly. We had 100% reliability, 100% laps completed, three different race winners from three different teams and rave reviews from drivers and teams about the new car. Overall, it was a very successful launch for the new chassis and also for the new Ligier Storm V4 engine. The new cars were 5 to 6 seconds per lap faster than the previous generation F4 car (4 mile lap, 2:13.15 lap time) and the V4 engines make a very unique and racy sound, not unlike MotoGP bikes.
6. Ligier is also present in the United States with its Regional Formulas, the Ligier JS F3, in the FR Americas Championship and a new championship was created in 2024, the Ligier JS F4 Series, to welcome the older generation of Ligier Formula 4s. What is the brand's objective with this additional rung in the single-seater pyramid?
This new series, utilizing the older generation car, becomes the first step on the ladder in our system. The minimum age for drivers is younger (14 as distinct from 15 for USF4) and the cost to compete is lower than USF4 and any other national open wheel series in the US. All of these factors create a very attractive series for drivers and their families looking to make the step from karting to cars in a well sorted and exciting car. As mentioned, earning the loyalty of teams and drivers starts at this first step and so we look to this series to begin to build relationships with drivers who need to earn FIA superlicence points (available in USF4 and USFRAmericas) as they aspire to a career in F1.
7. In addition to its presence in single-seaters, Ligier is also present in LMP3 and LMP2. How do you see these models developing on American soil over the next few years?
As IMSA has developed and become a very strong global series, their top class has attracted significant participation from factory teams. For teams and drivers who choose to race as privateer entrants or who don't yet have factory opportunities, LMP3 and LMP2 remain their best options. Unlike the WEC, IMSA is committed to the inclusion of LMP2 in its top series and have created a stand alone LMP3 series. So, for both of those cars, the US continues to be a strong market and one where we can foresee continued growth.