The Ligier JS P4 #14 of Team Virage, driven by Alex Gardner and Simon Schranz, takes victory in Race 2. In the JS2 R category, the win goes to the Ligier #41 of VSF Sports, shared by Antonin Bernard and Daniel Dallakyan. The next round takes place at Le Castellet in early May for the second Heat of the season.
Following a thrilling opening race earlier in the day, the 25 Ligier European Series competitors returned to the track for a second 60-minute contest, held under bright sunshine and with track temperatures approaching 40°C on the Catalan asphalt. The heat was also on under the helmets, with several incidents and superb battles throughout the field right up to the chequered flag.
Ligier JS P4: Alex Gardner and Simon Schranz took victory in the #14 Team Virage.
Starting from pole position, Tomas Pompidou made the holeshot. The Ligier JS P4 #19 of Trajectus Motorsport led ahead of the #1 of Team Virage driven by Sébastien Kawpeng, while Simon Schranz (#14 Team Virage) gained one position. Meanwhile, Sacha Van’t Pad Bosch (#12 ASM Motorsport) dropped to tenth.
Pompidou built a gap over the two Team Virage entries (#1 and #14) and set the fastest lap of the race (1:46.373) before the safety car was deployed following a collision in the JS2 R category. The restart was chaotic: Kawpeng (#1) anticipated the green flag and crossed the line ahead of the leader Pompidou. He gave the position back, but his team-mate Simon Schranz took advantage to slip into the lead in the Ligier JS P4 #14 of Team Virage.
The pit stops did not change the order at the front of the JS P4 field. The #14, now with Alex Gardner at the wheel, led ahead of the #19 driven by Vincent Bouteiller. The Frenchman closed in on the leader and attempted a move under braking at the end of the straight, but spun to avoid contact and dropped to fifth.
The two Team Virage cars ran one-two, but following the earlier restart incident, the #1 received a 10-second penalty. Gardner allowed his teammate Brandon McCaughlan through into the lead in an attempt to offset the penalty, but the #1 ultimately finished only fifth.
In the end, victory went to the #14 of Team Virage with Alex Gardner and Simon Schranz. Second place was secured by the Ligier JS P4 #7 of LR Motorsport, driven by Italians Simone Riccitelli and Pietro Ferri, ahead of the #6 of ANS Motorsport (Mika Abrahamas / Ethan Pharamond), who delivered strong stints. Winners of Race 1, Vincent Bouteiller and Tomas Pompidou (#19, Trajectus Motorsport) finished just off the podium in fourth.
Numerous battles enlivened the top 10 throughout the race, notably between Gabriel Doyle-Parfait (#20, Trajectus Motorsport), Jan Duran Olive (#33, Petrogold) and Andrei Duna (#93, Petrogold) shortly after mid-race, as well as between Marius Kristiansen (#99, Team Virage) and Doyle-Parfait towards the end, not to mention the fierce fight between the two Petrogold entries.
In the PRO-AM classification, the Ligier #57 of M Racing (August Therbo / Cindy Gudet) took another victory, finishing sixth overall.
Podium Ligier JS P4 overall: #14 Team Virage (Alex Gardner / Simon Schranz) (winner), #7 LR Motorsport (Simone Riccitelli / Pietro Ferri) (second), #6 ANS Motorsport (Ethan Pharamond / Mika Abrahams) (third)
Simon Schranz, #14 Team Virage, Ligier JS P4, Winner of Race 2:
“It was a crazy race. I felt the baseline pace was quite good, from the beginning. I couldn’t get close to Sébastien [Kawpeng], who was doing a great job. Then with the safety car restart, he went a bit early and I managed to slip past both cars. I went for it, and I think that move was key to winning the race — perfect timing. After that, with our strong pace, I was able to pull away.”
Alex Gardner, #14 Team Virage, Ligier JS P4, Winner of Race 2:
“Simon did most of the work with a really strong stint. All I had to do was bring it home at the end. I’ve been out of the car for a while, so I just focused on trusting myself, the car and the team. They gave me a strong package, and I felt confident enough to bring it to the finish. That was an awesome way to end the weekend.”
JS2 R: Antonin Bernard and Daniel Dallakyan delivered victory for VSF Sports.
Daniel Dallakyan was not intimidated by Marcus Terkildsen (#88 23Events Racing), who had dominated the category since the previous day. At the wheel of the Ligier JS2 R #41 of VSF Sports, the French driver made a better start and led at the end of the opening lap.
Behind him, Simone Bianco (#81 LR Motorsport) and Charles Lambert (#83 Trajectus Motorsport) collided under braking at Turn 10. Nathan Huet (#68 M Racing) was unable to avoid the #83, which was damaged and forced to retire.
After a few laps under the safety car, racing resumed. Terkildsen set the fastest lap of the race (1:51.301) in the #88 and took the lead on lap six. He appeared on course for a clean sweep of the weekend, but lost significant time during his pit stop. The #41, now driven by Antonin Bernard, emerged in the lead.
Bernard controlled the race to the finish and secured a new victory for VSF Sports in Barcelona, their first overall win of the season.
Marcus Terkildsen finished second ahead of Martin and Jack Tabery, who completed the podium and also won the PRO-AM classification in the #84 of Trajectus Motorsport thanks to an excellent pit strategy.
Despite a drive-through penalty for causing a collision and a stop-and-go for a pit stop infringement, the #81 of LR Motorsport (Simone Bianco) finished fourth, ahead of the #68 of M Racing (Lawrence Herbots / Nathan Huet). The #94 of Pegasus Racing (Caussanel / Meyer) once again won the AM category.
Earlier in the race, a major battle between Jordan Meyer (#29, Pegasus Racing) and Anthony Ghibaudo (#18, VSF Sports) for third place ended in contact and retirement for both cars.
Ligier JS2 R podium overall: #41 VSF Sports (Antonin Bernard / Daniel Dallakyan) (winner), #88 23Events Racing (Marcus Terkildsen) (second), #84 Trajectus Motorsport (Jack et Martin Tabery) (third)
Winner Ligier JS2 R PRO-AM : #84 Trajectus Motorsport (Jack et Martin Tabery)
Winner Ligier JS2 R AM : #94 Pegasus Racing (Alain Meyer / David Caussanel)
Daniel Dallakyan, #41 VSF Sports, Ligier JS2 R, Winner of Race 2 in JS2 R:
“Marcus [Terkildsen] was really quick, so it was difficult to fight him in this race. Still, we managed to stay close to him throughout my stint. Then my teammate Antonin did a great job in the final laps with very strong pace, and that’s how we were able to secure the win.”
Antonin Bernard, #41 VSF Sports, Ligier JS2 R, Winner of Race 2 in JS2 R:
“I was under quite a lot of pressure, especially as the first race didn’t go as we had hoped and we didn’t show the same pace as in qualifying. I managed to hold on to the lead and maintain the pace despite the tyre degradation. It went quite well. I just focused on my driving rather than the result, and that really helped.”
The second Heat of the 2026 Ligier European Series will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet (France) on 1–2 May 2026.
CLICK HERE for the full results and HERE for the provisionnal classifications.
Photo credit: DPPI
