The two Spa Heat qualifying sessions took place on the morning of Saturday 22 August at Spa-Francorchamps. Four different teams came to the fore on a wet and treacherous track, in two action-packed sessions marked by several red flags.
At the end of the first qualifying session, ANS Motorsport secured its second JS P4 pole position of the season, while the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R earned the top spot in its category. The second qualifying session was cut short, with the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 setting the fastest time to claim pole, while 23Events Racing secured its fifth JS2 R pole position of the season.
JS P4: ANS Motorsport and Team Virage on pole
The opening qualifying session saw several drivers take turns at the top of the timesheets, starting with Emil Hellberg in the #48 Allay Racing Ligier JS P4. Nickolas Ellis then moved into first place with the #20 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS P4 before Ethan Pharamond went quicker at the wheel of the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4.
The French driver was closely followed by August Therbo in the #57 M Racing Ligier JS P4, with Alex Gardner third in the #14 Team Virage Ligier JS P4. The session was then interrupted by the first red flag of the day, with just three minutes remaining, following an off-track excursion for the #18 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R.
Ethan Pharamond and the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4 therefore secured their second pole position of the season with a lap time of 2:25.363.
Ethan Pharamond, ANS Motorsport, Ligier JS P4 #6, pole sitter in Race 1:
“Second pole position of the season! I’m really happy. Tricky conditions here in Spa-Francorchamps. It’s a difficult track of course. We tried something in free practice and qualifying went very well as we are P1 and we had a good qualifying 2 with Mika [Abrahams]. Let’s focus on the race this afternoon and tomorrow.”
The order was reshuffled for the second session, which was first interrupted when the #20 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS P4 went off at Raidillon, before another red flag was shown following the stoppage of the #93 Petrogold Ligier JS P4 on track.
Brandon McCaughan made the most of the limited running to put the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 on pole position, ahead of Simone Riccitelli in the #7 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4. Mika Abrahams completed the top three in the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4.
Brandon Mccaughan, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #1, pole sitter in Race 2:
“It was quite tricky. The rain came on just before leaving the Pit Lane. So we switched to wets last minute, which was the right decision obviously. From there we didn’t get many laps, a couple of laps to feel out the track the one proper push. I just managed to get a nice clean up with no traffic which was lucky. The team were quick getting the tyres on and got me out near enough the front of the queue that I had a clear track. Thanks to the team, the car felt really good and I was able to get up speed quicker than the rest of the guys.”
In the PRO-AM classification, Markus Kristiansen and Dominique Bastien led the way in the #69 Bretton Racing Ligier JS P4, while Emil Hellberg secured the AM pole for Race 1 in the #48 Allay Racing Ligier JS P4. Jeremy Loisel and the #50 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS P4 will start at the front of the AM field for Race 2.
JS2 R: VSF Sports and 23Events Racing at the front
After twelve minutes of running, the opening session was halted, with championship leader Antonin Bernard setting the fastest time in the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R with a 2:32.386 lap. Marcus Terkildsen was second in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R, ahead of Simone Bianco in the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R.
Antonin Bernard, VSF Sports, Ligier JS2 R #41, pole sitter in Race 1:
“I’m very happy of the result, this P1. I felt very comfortable with the car. It was very stable, thanks to all the work that we did with the team, the set-up and everything. I’ve been able to push since the very first few laps. I was a bit in the traffic at the beginning with the JS P4, even on my best lap. But I was more free so I arrived to push how I wanted. I would have liked to improve even more, but I’m very happy of this pole position to start the weekend.”
In the second session, Marcus Terkildsen was the quickest driver between the neutralisation periods in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R, securing his sixth pole position of the season. Simone Bianco finished second in the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R, ahead of Anthony Ghibaudo in the #18 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R.
Ghibaudo also claimed PRO-AM pole position, as did his team-mate Maxime Aparicio during the first qualifying session. In the AM classification, Christophe Weber and the #28 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R will start from pole position in both races.
Marcus Terkildsen, 23Events Racing, Ligier JS2 R #88, pole sitter in Race 2:
“The second qualifying was very tricky. It was very wet. I couldn’t see anything. I was down the straight so I was just trying to get a lap in. I kind of knew that there was going to be a red flag at some point. So I just tried to be quick and get a good lap in fast.”
Race 1 will get under way on Saturday afternoon at 14:10 and will run for one hour. Race 2 will take place ahead of the European Le Mans Series race on Sunday 23 August, from 09:07 to 10:07. Both races will be broadcast live on the series’ YouTube channel and social media platforms.
CLICK HERE for the full results of Q1
CLICK HERE for the full results of Q2
Photo credit: DPPI
