The Ligier JS Cup France celebrates its fifth birthday this year!
For the last five seasons the Ligier JS Cup France has been run on French circuits (and beyond its borders)! The single-make championship dedicated to the Ligier JS2 R has widened its appeal over the years and has assembled a faithful field of passionate enthusiasts. To celebrate this rather special anniversary let's run back over the story of this 100% made-in-France series.
2018: the Ligier JS2 R, the heir to the Ligier JS2, was officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. Hardly had the car been presented when the news was announced. The latest creation of French constructor Ligier would have its own championship, the first Ligier single-make championship: the Ligier JS Cup France organised by Benoît Abdelatif and the M3. The programme of each meeting comprised free practice, a qualifying session and one or two endurance races varying from three to six hours duration.
25 cars for the first season
The Ligier JS Cup France adventure kicked off in March 2019 with Jacques Laffite, Guy Ligier's favourite driver, as the godfather of the first season. Twenty-five Ligier JS2 Rs lined up on the grid for the first race of the championship on the Le Mans Bugatti circuit. The GTs then set off for Dijon, and after that made a brief foray to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, before coming back to France to string together events at Magny-Cours, Le Castellet, Ledenon and the final round at Nogaro. The first season proved to be a big success with an average of 25 cars at each race.
The following year, despite the pandemic, the Ligier JS Cup France persevered and put on six meetings compressed into just four months. Twenty-seven Ligier JS2 Rs arrived for the first race of the season at Le Mans. After Magny-Cours, le Castellet, Ledenon and Nogaro, the field travelled for the first time to the Portimão circuit in the south of Portugal for the season final.
In 2021, the races followed one another and the Ligier JS2 Rs in the championship continued to criss-cross the circuits!
A new look for the Ligier JS2 R and the 24 Hours of Le Mans
In 2022, the Ligier JS2 R evolved and embraced a new look. The car had more efficient aerodynamics (air intake and LMP3-type rear wing), new brake pads and a more powerful engine putting out 350 hp (compared to 330 hp for the previous version). This performance increase promised a season full of great battles. After the first four heats several Ligier JS Cup France teams joined the Ligier European Series (the series organised by the European Le Mans Series and the Michelin Le Mans Cup teams, dedicated to the Ligier JS2 Rs and the Ligier JS P4 sports prototypes) for an exceptional non-championship meeting on the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit on 10 - 11 June. For the first time, the Ligier JS2 Rs raced on the iconic layout!
To finish the season on a high note, the Ligier JS Cup France broke its record number of entries for a race with 31 Ligier JS2 Rs at the final on the Portimão circuit!
2023: season 5 of the Ligier JS Cup France series
“The fifth season of the Ligier JS Cup France is starting off under the best possible auspices,” explains an enthusiastic Benoît Abdelatif, the promotor of the championship. “A top-class field on the most beautiful circuits of Europe promises to delight all the participants. With more than an average of 25 cars throughout the season we're absolutely thrilled with this success, which bodes well for some great racing. The technical evolutions have made the Ligier JS2 R a redoubtable weapon on the track and the pleasure of the drivers continues unabated! “
The fifth edition of the Ligier JS Cup France kicks off on 11th March in Spain on the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. After that, the teams set off to Le Mans for a race on the Bugatti circuit on 1st April, followed two weeks later by another on the Dijon-Prenois layout on 15th April. On 20th May the championship crosses the French borders for a race on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. As in 2022, the entrants in the Ligier JS Cup France can then take part in a non-championship round of the Ligier European Series on the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit on 4th June. The season restarts on 9th September on the Paul Ricard track at Le Castellet, followed on the 30th by a round on the circuit Paul Armagnac at Nogaro, before the curtain falls on the season on 14th October on the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão.
For more information about the Ligier JS Cup France, CLICK HERE.
For more information about the Ligier JS2 R, CLICK HERE.
Did you know? Numerous guest drivers have gone at it hammer and tongs in the Ligier JS Cup France! Among them: Nicolas Prost, Benoit Treluyer, Margot Laffite, Soheil Ayari, Alain Ferté, Sarah Bovy, Jean René Defournoux, Julien Andlauer, Julien Febreau, Nicolas Ciamin, Mathias Beche, Steven Palette and Grégory Guilvert.