The #22 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 finished just shy of the LM P2 podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
15-16 June 2019, 87th staging of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was a special Le Mans for Ligier, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Five of the six Ligier JS P217s entered crossed the finishing line. The #22 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 took the chequered flag in fourth place after a very competitive run. It's the third year in succession that the team has driven a Ligier to a top-four finish in LM P2 in the Sarthe.
The #22 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 driven by Filipe Albuquerque, Paul di Resta and Phil Hanson started the race in sixth place in the category. It was delayed at the start of the race by a drive-through penalty followed by repairs to a door. In the last six hours it fought a non-stop battle to hold on to fourth place, which it won. It's the third year in succession that the Anglo-American team has finished in the top four in LM P2. Its sister car, the #32 Ligier JS P217 in the hands of Ryan Cullen, Alex Brundle and Will Owen, suffered several unlucky incidents. #32 was in ninth place on the grid and it pulled back two places. In the 13th hour it had an alternator problem and lost 36 minutes in the pits. Then damage from a puncture immobilised it at its pit. On Sunday morning, it again lost more precious time as the engine cover had to be replaced. The #32 Ligier JS P217 finally crossed the line in 14th place.
French team Panis-Barthez Compétition had a flawless race. The #23 Ligier JS P217 of Will Stevens, Julien Canal and René Binder came home in eight place in the category. The team and the drivers deserved better as they had been in second place until the 20th hour last year.
Larbre Compétition with its 100% gentleman driver line-up, Romano Ricci and Erwin Creed both Bronze-rated, and Nick Boulle, Silver, did not put a foot wrong on the track. The drivers triple stinted and continued to improve their times in the race. The French team met with several problems during the night including punctures. They were also given a 30-second stop & go for speeding under a Full Course Yellow. The #50 Ligier JS P217 finished 12th in its category, which brought down the curtain on a great season in the World Endurance Championship crowned with fifth place in the general classification.
Polish outfit, Inter Europol Competition, finished the race on its first outing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans after winning the LM P3 title in the Asian Le Mans Series with its Ligier JS P3. The team only had three-and-a-half months between the Asian Le Mans Series and the European Le Mans Series to get to know the car and prepare for the race. Overall, Inter Europol Competition's outing in 24 Hours of Le Mans was a tough one: a collision leading to the change of the warning light clusters, problems with the compressor and a slow puncture in Tertre Rouge.
The #49 Ligier JS P217 entered by Slovakian team ARC Bratislava did not see the finish in the 87th event as it retired at 4:00 on Sunday morning after an accident at Indianapolis. The team tried to repair the damaged car, which then rejoined, but its handling was compromised by the crash and they were forced to call it a day.
“After the performances of the Ligier JS P217s last year in the 24 Hours of Le Mans we were hoping for another podium finish this year,” said Jacques Nicolet, the President of Ligier Automotive. “All the Ligiers crossed the finishing line except for #49 run by ARC Bratislava as a result of its accident. For the 24 Hours of Le Mans it's a good result. The #22 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 finished just shy of the podium. It's a pity. The drivers fought till the very end. It's the team's third top-four finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Ligier.”
Now everybody's attention is focused on the rest of the European Le Mans Series campaign with the United Autosports, Panis-Barthez Compétition, Inter Europol Competition and Idec Sport Ligier JS P217s and the World Endurance Championship with United Autosports.
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Photo credit : DPPI Images