The Ligier JS P3s scored a full house at the first race of the Ultimate Cup Series in Estoril
22-23 March 2019, first round of the Ultimate Cup Series, the brand-new European series, four hours of endurance racing on the Estoril track in Portugal, with eight Ligier JS P3s out of the fourteen LM P3s field. The season starts on a high for Ligier: pole position, top 6 100% Ligier and best lap in race!
The #26 Ligier JS P3 of Wimmer Werk Motorsport put on a great show and took all: fastest lap time during free practices, pole position, best lap in race and victory! On Saturday morning, the Austrian team clinched the first pole position of the newest series. The drivers Vincent Capillaire, Lukas Dunner and Matthias Kaiser recorded an average 1:33.267 lap time, 0.347 seconds quicker than the #16 Norma. This was a great reward for the team that had worked all night long to change the engine after an engine failure during the second free practice session. Missed start for the team. It will take more than that to stop it. The #26 Ligier JS P3 started from the back of the pack with Matthias Kaiser behind the wheel and fought its way up to fourth. Vincent Capillaire climbed in at the round of stops and set the fastest race lap time in 1:33.082. The young Austrian driver Lukas Dunner took the last stint in the Ligier JS P3. One hour to the finish, he was second behind the Team Virage #94 Ligier JS P3. Faster than its competitors, he took the lead and widened the gap. He saw the flag in first position with more than a one-lap advantage.
The #94 Ligier JS P3 entered by the Spanish squad Team Virage in the hands of the trio Thomas Padovani, Philippe Valenza and Julian Wagg also achieved a great race. Sixth on the starting grid, the #94 Ligier JS P3 figured at the tops many times during the race before crossing the finishing line second.
The #14 Ligier JS P3 of the Polish team Inter Europol Competition started tenth with Paul Scheuschener at the wheel. It rapidly worked its way through the LM P3 filed. Mid-race, it was fourth. The car was handed over to Edward Jonasson. This was a first for the Swedish driver who had until then never raced an LM P3. At the end of his stint, he was leading the race! After refuelling and changing drivers, Simon Phillips was in fifth position. He made it back to fourth before finishing third taking advantage of a yellow flag in the last five minutes.
The #6 Ligier JS P3 of the French team Graff Racing driven by the trio Didier Beck, Nicolas Chartier and Emilien Carde finished fourth after having fought at the top spots during the entire race.
Good performance also for the Spanish squad Speed Factory Racing with its two Ligier JS P3s #4 and #5. The Ligier #4 JS P3 driven by Danil Pronenko, Alexey Chuklin and Pierre Fontaine started fifth and finished the race in the same position. Its sister car, the #5 Ligier JS P3 of Miguel Abello and Alvaro Fontes, eighth on the starting grid, missed the podium after a spin in the last five minutes of racing which resulted in a full course yellow. It saw the flag in sixth place.
The Ligier monopolised the top 6 of this first race, relegating the first Norma in seventh position:
- #26 Ligier JS P3 of Wimmer Werk Motorsport
- #94 Ligier JS P3 of Team Virage
- #14 Ligier JS P3 of Inter Europol Competition
- #6 Ligier JS P3 of Graff Racing
- #4 Ligier JS P3 of Speed Factory Racing
- #5 Ligier JS P3 of Speed Factory Racing
The second #95 Ligier JS P3 of the Team Virage squad crossed the finishing line tenth following a mechanical issue which immobilised them in the box for over 30 minutes. All the Ligier JS P3s finished the race except for the #83 Ligier JS P3 of the French team SRT41 which was forced to abandon after it went off causing damage to the car.
Rendezvous on 26-28 April 2019 in Dijon, France for the second round of the Ultimate Cup Series.
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Photo Credit : Maurice Camus