The Ligier JS P2 and JS P3 score a double victory in the final of the Asian Le Mans Series!
- Fastest lap in race for the #1 Eurasia Motorsport Ligier JS P217
- Victory in LMP2 Am for the #25 Ligier JS P2 run by Rick Ware Racing
- Victory in LMP3 for the #12 ACE1 Villorba Corse Ligier JS P3
- Third place in the LMP2 Championship for the #36 Ligier JS P217 entered by Eurasia Motorsport
- LMP2 Am title sealed by the #52 Ligier JS P2 run by Rick Ware Racing
- Runner-up spot in the LMP3 category for the #12 ACE1 Villorba Corse Ligier JS P3
21-23 February 2020: fourth and last round of the Asian Le Mans Series at Buriram in Thailand. The #12 Ligier JS P3 run by ACE1 Villorba Corse dominated the LMP3s coming home first over 28 seconds in front of the #2 Norma. The Ligier JS P2 #25 entered by Rick Ware Racing was also victorious in the LMP2 Am category. Yet, it was a mixed results. The #36 Eurasia Motorsport Ligier JS P217 was in the running for the title in the LMP2 Championship as was the case for the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P3 in LMP3, but things didn't pan out as hoped for these two teams. The #36 Ligier JS P217 finished fifth after suffering a puncture in the final hour giving it third place in the championship. The #13 Ligier JS P3's hopes were also shattered. After a total of 30 podium finishes in 41 races entered, the car was forced to retire due to a broken gearbox in the race.
In action at round four of the season, four Ligier JS P217s, two Ligier JS P2s and four Ligier JS P3s in a field totalling 9 LMP2 and 8 LMP3 entries.
Thanks to a pole position and three consecutive second places, the #36 Eurasia Motorsport Ligier JS P217 driven by Nick Foster, Roberto Merhi and Aidan Read was still a contender for the LMP2 title as it was only 10 points behind the leader. #36 started the race in third position and set a competitive pace right from the green light. But less than an hour from the finish the team's hopes were dashed when the car suffered a puncture on the right-hand rear tyre. It came home fifth giving it third place in the championship ratings.
“It was a pleasure for me to race with Eurasia Motorsport and my teammates Nick Foster et Aidan Read”, explained Roberto Merhi. “Finally a puncture put us completely out of the fight for the Championship. It's a bit sad to end like this the good season that we were having but it is racing and we will be back stronger. I am sure together with my team that we had the possibility to win but it didn't go our way.”
Its sister car the #1 Ligier JS P217 in the hands of Nick Cassidy, Daniel Gaunt and Nobuya Yamanaka missed out on pole by only 0.146 seconds and started on the front row. Following a collision in the opening laps #1 lost precious places and saw the flag in fourth place. It still set the fastest lap in the race in 1m 23.848s.
The #33 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P217 crewed by John Corbett, Danial Frost and Nathan Kumar came home sixth in LMP2. It started in seventh place on the grid, but after a minor collision it was obliged to have a nose job.
The team's second car, the #34 Ligier JS P217 of Mathias Beche, Jakub Smiechowski and James Winslow fought at the front throughout the race. Starting in sixth place it was up into third after around 1h 20m before it set off in hot pursuit of the leading car. With fewer than 20 minutes to go to the chequered flag it stopped at its pit where it was delayed by a mechanical problem. It rejoined four minutes from the end finishing seventh in the category.
“Gutted”, commented James Winslow. “Motorsport can be so cruel…The team did well to give us a fast car. We battled our way into P2 overall. During my stint towards the race end passing for second, I caught the G-Drive car in P1 down to 16 seconds. Then at the last pit stop for a splash of fuel and driver change the starter motor failed and we couldn't restart the car”.
The #52 Rick Ware Racing Ligier JS P2 and its drivers Gustas Grinbergas and Cody Ware tackled the final under no pressure as the team had already won the LMP2 Am title and the invitation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It finished the final round in second place in LMP2 Am after an engine problem delayed it at its pit in the early stages of the race. The team's second Ligier JS P2 #25 driven by Guy Cosmo, Anthony Lazzaro and Phillippe Mulacek put on a stunning performance clinching first place in the category.
“Victory in Thailand”, exclaimed Guy Cosmo! A great way to close out my third (almost) full season of Asian Le Mans Series. The LMP2 cars around Chang International Circuit are just awesome and we had a flawless run. To top it off we got to celebrate with everyone at the awards banquet and celebrate the #52 LMP2 Am title!”
In LMP3, all eyes were on the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P3 leading the LMP3 classification. With a pole position, a victory and two top-3 finishes the team was the only one to have been on the podium in each race. However, a gearbox issue foiled its chances of winning the LMP3 title for the second year on the bounce. After almost 1h20m racing #13 stopped in corner 11. It was game over as the gearbox had broken and the car had to retire after only 54 laps. It was also the end of an era for the #13 Ligier JS P3 that has given us so many thrills since its debut in 2016. In 41 races the #13 Ligier JS P3 finished on the podium 30 times! It is now replaced by the new #13 Ligier JS P320, which will make its debut in the ELMS on 3-4 April alongside its stable companion, #14!
“The four races of the Asian Le Mans Series were a hard battle”, commented Michael Keese, Team Director. A battle which we unfortunately lost due to a technical problem. I am sorry for the whole team that after 30 podiums with the #13, which makes the car one of the most successful Ligier LMP3 ever, it dropped out of the race with a technical problem”.
The #12 ACE1 Villorba Corse Ligier JS P3 driven by Alessandro Bressan, David Fumanelli and Andreas Laskaratos clinched victory in the final after a dominant performance. The team had put on impressive showings all season with two fastest race laps and a podium finish before the final. #12 started in sixth place on the grid and moved up to third on the first lap. On lap 3 it was firmly ensconced in the lead 22 seconds in front of the #8 Norma. After an hour it had opened up the gap to a comfortable 48 seconds from the second-placed #65 Ligier JS P3 entered by Viper Niza Racing. And after 1h30m racing it was two laps in front of its rivals! At the halfway mark it was still in the lead before being passed by the #8 Norma, which stayed in front for 30 minutes. During a Full Course Yellow caused by the #36 Ligier JS P217's puncture, the two leading LMP3s pitted. #12 rejoined ahead of its rival and opened up the gap again and from then on there was no stopping it. The French car crossed the finishing line in first place 28 seconds in front. A hands-down victory that gave the team the runner-up spot in the LMP3 category.
“What a great effort from the whole team”, exclaimed Alessandro Bressan ! “Simply put, perfect execution! We had an enormous task at hand on this race. This race track on paper better fits the characteristics of our competitor's car, with long straights. However, we knew that in the race, with a perfect strategy and execution, we had a shot. Our car was solid on race trim. I had the daunting task of the starting the race, having to pass all the opponents and pull a gap as big as possible to let the team then manage the central part of the race before the final rush. The guys did an awesome work defending the lead and opening up the gap even more. As we know, in endurance racing, it takes one tiny mistake in strategy to lose the race. The team made all the right decisions to keep us ahead until the chequered flag”.
The #65 Viper Niza Racing Ligier JS P3 in the hands of Dominic Ang and Douglas Khoo also had a great race. It started in seventh place and was in second spot on lap 7. Hindered by Full Course Yellows it came home fourth in the category.
The #18 Ligier JS P3 run by Inter Europol Competition for Philip Kadoorie and Dan Wells was hit by bad luck in this final. On Friday it was damaged in free practice, but the team managed to repair it. #18 spun in the first hour damaging the clutch and the car was immobilised at its pit. It rejoined for the last two hours of the race but by covering only 72 out of the 109 laps required the #18 Ligier JS P3 was an unclassified finisher.
And so the curtain fell on the 2019-2020 Asian Le Mans Series. The Ligier teams never gave an inch and demonstrated the performance of the three cars produced by the brand. The curtain will soon go up on the European season with, in particular, the debut of the new Ligier JS P320 in the Ultimate Cup Series this coming 21-22 March on the Barcelona circuit, and in the European Le Mans Series and the Michelin Le Mans Cup on 3-4 April on the same track at the same time as the launch of the first year of the Ligier European Series.
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Photo Credit: Asian Le Mans Series