European Le Mans Series: CLX Motorsport scores a fifth win as Ligier locks out the top seven positions in the LMP3 championship with the Ligier JS P325.
On October 17 and 18, the Portimão circuit hosted the grand finale of the 2025 European Le Mans Series season. Already crowned at Silverstone, the #17 Ligier JS P325 of CLX Motorsport (Adrien Closmenil, Paul Lanchère, Theodor Jensen) approached the final round with no pressure but with a clear goal: to end the season in style. And the team delivered. After a dramatic race marked by numerous neutralizations, the #17 crew claimed their fifth victory in six races.
Behind them, the #8 Team Virage Ligier JS P325 (Daniel Nogales, Julien Gerbi, Rik Koen) finished second. Ligier teams gave the French manufacturer a 100% Ligier JS P325 top 7 in the LMP3 championship standings — an outstanding feat for the debut season of the new model.
Free Practice: CLX Motorsport keeps up the pace.
On Thursday, October 16, CLX Motorsport set the tone right from the first free practice session, with Adrien Closmenil clocking the fastest lap in 1:38.935 in the #17 Ligier JS P325. The next day, the domination continued with another best time of 1:39.345.
Behind them, Eurointernational's #11 and RLR MSport's #15 rounded out the top three.
Qualifying: the #17 Ligier JS P325 secures its fifth pole of the season.
The final qualifying session of the year was full of drama. Gillian Henrion, driving the #15 RLR MSport Ligier JS P325 , initially set the fastest time. However, after technical checks, the car was deemed non-compliant (Decision No. 27) due to irregularities in the diffuser's width and height. As a result, it started from the back of the LMP3 grid, with Henrion still taking the start.
This decision promoted the #17 CLX Motorsport Ligier JS P325 to pole position for the fifth time this season, thanks to Adrien Closmenil's second-best time of 1:38.303.
The #88 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P325, driven by Douwe Dedecker, came third with a lap of 1:38.900.
Race: a tense finale, a controlled victory
On Saturday, October 18, the curtain came down on the 2025 season with a race filled with twists and turns. The start went smoothly, but several Full Course Yellows and Virtual Safety Cars quickly disrupted the rhythm.
At the first restart, Paul Lanchère held onto the LMP3 lead in the #17 Ligier, closely followed by Stéphane Tribaudini in the #68 MRacing entry. Another neutralization reignited the suspense, with MRacing briefly taking the lead before another caution froze the positions once again.
When the race went green, Theodor Jensen reclaimed the top spot in the #17 Ligier and held it until the checkered flag. CLX Motorsport took its fifth win of the season, capping off an almost perfect campaign.
Behind them, the #8 Team Virage Ligier JS P325 finished second with Daniel Nogales, Julien Gerbi, and Rik Koen.
A 100% Ligier JS P325 top 7 in the championship
Behind the champions CLX Motorsport, six other Ligier teams stood out in the top seven:
Team Virage (#8) finished runner-up, Inter Europol Competition (#88) completed the top three, followed by MRacing (#68), Eurointernational (#11), Ultimate (#35), and RLR MSport (#15).
The 2025 season marked a milestone — the first title for the new-generation Ligier LMP3, the Ligier JS P325. It was also the fourth consecutive year that a Ligier team claimed the LMP3 title in the European Le Mans Series, and the ninth crown for the brand since joining the category in 2016 — an impressive record, with only one title missed by a single point.
See you in Barcelona, April 10–12, 2026, for the second year of competition for the Ligier JS P325.
CLICK HERE to view the full race results
CLICK HERE to read the LMP3 winners' reactions
For more information about the European Le Mans Series, CLICK HERE.
CLICK HERE to view the overall standings.
CLICK HERE for more information about the Ligier JS P325, the third generation of Ligier LMP3.
DISCOVER HERE the limited-edition Ligier JS P3X, celebrating 10 years of LMP3 with Ligier Automotive.
Photo credit: DPPI