The Ligier JS P3s clinch a double podium while the Ligier JS P217s’ performances fail to reap their just rewards at Le Castellet
The first round of the 2019 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) took place on 13-14 April on the Le Castellet circuit in France. Six Ligier JS P217s and nine Ligier JS P3s were on the grid. The #11 Ligier JS P3 run by Eurointernational put on an incredible performance and just missed out on first place on the podium where it was joined by the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P3 after a hard-charging race. In LM P2, the #32 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 posted the third-quickest time in qualifying. Yet, in the race itself the Ligier JS P217s were hit by bad luck. The #22 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 finally saw the flag in sixth place.
The #11 Ligier JS P3 run by Eurointernational and the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P3 on the podium
The #11 Ligier JS P3 run by Eurointernational with Mikkel Jensen at the wheel made a flying start to the race from fifth place on the grid to snatch the lead and it dominated three-quarters of the race. At half distance the #11 Ligier JS P3 had opened up a gap of 15 seconds over its rivals. Jens Petersen drove a very good stint and maintained the car's position at the front. With just 18 laps to go to the finish the team lost first place and crossed the line in second spot.
“We led the race during 3 hours and 30 minutes and ran a perfect racing strategy, said Antonio Ferrari, Team Manager and Technical Director of Eurointernational. Congrats to Mikkel, Jens and all the guys of Eurointernational for this amazing race. This result also goes to Ligier Automotive. Without their unlimited support, we would not have been able to take the start”. Mikkel Jensen added: “It shows how strong the racing family is and it means a lot. Good points in the bag and looking forward to take the wheel of the Ligier JS P3 at the 4 hours of Monza in about a month”.
After starting in seventh place, the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P3 also had a very encouraging race as Martin Hippe its driver tells us: “The start was very difficult in all the traffic. I lost a lot of places as I was pushed onto the run off area. In the middle of my second stint I suffered a slow puncture, my front right tyre lost air. But I could continue till the tyre collapsed completely and then came in and handed the car to Nigel.” With under a minute to go to the end of the race Nigel Moore fought his way past the #10 Norma and took the flag in third place. “I started from the back of the LMP3 field, explained Nigel, and pushed my way to the front. I just needed one more lap to move up to second place, but I just ran out of time.”
Its sister car, #14 Ligier JS P3 driven by Paul Scheuschner and Dino Lunardi had to cope with several mechanical issues after race incidents and came home in 13th place in the category.
The #2 and #3 Ligier JS P3s entered by United Autosports made a good getaway. #2 driven by Garett Grist-Wayne Boyd-Tommy Erdos was hit by an LM P2 during Garett's stint. It finished sixth in LM P3, while #3 in the hands of Mike Guasch and Christian England crossed the line in eighth place.
The #6 Ligier JS P3 run by 360 Racing rounded out the top 10 followed by its stable companion, #5. The #15 Ligier JS P3 entered by RLR Msport finished 12th followed two places further back by the #14 Nielsen Racing Ligier JS P3.
Sixth place for the #22 United Autosports Ligier JS P217
The #22 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 driven by Phil Hanson and Paul di Resta replacing Felipe Albuquerque came home in sixth place after lying fourth for part of the race. Its sister car the #32 Ligier JS P217 of Alex Brundle and Ryan Cullen which started in 3rd spot finished 13th. They both suffered punctures five minutes before the end of the race. “Very disappointed, said Richard Dean, Team Owner and Manager Director of United Autosports. Paul Ricard doesn't seem to give us any favours. I think the pace in the P2 cars was good enough for perhaps a podium, but everything had to fall right for us and it just didn't. Punctures and penalties, so a top six was the best we could do there”.
The #23 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 run by Panis-Barthez Compétition driven by Julien Canal, Rene Binder and Will Stevens saw the flag in 10th place. Its team-mate #24 in the hands of Timothé Buret, Leonard Hoogenboom and Konstantin Tereschenko had to retire two minutes from the finish after getting tagged by the #31. “We knew the first race of the season was going to be tricky due to our new partnership with Dunlop, commented Olivier Panis, Team Principal. Nevertheless, we worked hard and got a lot of information to approach the next round in a better way”.
The Inter Europol Competition team having its first outing in LM P2 with the #34 Ligier JS P217 manned by Dani Clos, Kuba Smiechowski and Léo Roussel was the victim of several incidents and finished 15th. “The bad luck just didn't go away this weekend, stated Kuba Smiechowski. In qualifying we had a shifting problem. Then at the start of the race we had a puncture. I had to pit and then start from the pit lane so we were immediately one lap behind. After that I tried to push as much as I could. The car felt good, so that is something to be happy about. Then we got a drive-through penalty due to a pit stop infringement. But from the hard things you learn a lot and now look forward to a better result at Monza.”
The Idec Sport Ligier JS P217 failed to see the chequered flag after a problem on the left-hand rear of the car after half-distance.
"Of course we are a bit disappointed of this first race of the ELMS season, concluded Jacques Nicolet, Ligier Automotive CEO. Our Ligier LM P2 teams have not been rewarded for their hard work. It's a shame that the #32 United Autosport Ligier JS P217's performance in qualifying did not translate into the race. Inter Europol Competition was also out of luck for its debuts in LM P2. We will work closely with the teams to return stronger and accompany Panis-Barthez Competition in their tire change. While complying to the spirit and the letter of the 2015 regulation, the Ligier JS P3s have once again shown their competitiveness and we will continue to optimise some details in parallel to the ongoing development of the new Ligier LM P3, the Ligier JS P320, that will be unveiled during the summer. In the meantime, rendezvous at Monza on 11-12 May!"
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Photo Credit:
Inter Europol Competition
United Autosports