Ethan Pharamond in the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4 and Simone Riccitelli in the #7 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4 claimed pole positions for Races 1 and 2 respectively in the JS P4 category. In JS2 R, Danish driver Marcus Terkildsen once again secured a double pole in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R.
After high-intensity Free Practice sessions, all 25 Ligier entries returned to Circuit Paul Ricard just before 18:00 for two 15-minute qualifying sessions. The first session was disrupted by three red flags. In the midst of the chaos, Ethan Pharamond and Marcus Terkildsen managed to snatch pole positions for Race 1. After a short five-minute break, the second session got underway. Simone Riccitelli in the #7 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4 and Marcus Terkildsen in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R secured pole for Race 2, both setting new outright lap records for their categories.
Ligier JS P4: Pharamond and Riccitelli shine at Paul Ricard.
Three red flags and several brief yellow flags made the first qualifying session particularly hectic. Finding a clear lap proved difficult. Before the first two red flags, Australian driver Alex Gardner set the provisional fastest time in the #14 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 (2:11.229). With seven minutes remaining, the field headed out for one final attempt. At the wheel of the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4, Ethan Pharamond posted a 2:07.845 to secure pole position for Race 1 just before a third red flag brought the session to an end. August Therbo put the #57 M Racing Ligier JS P4 on the front row ahead of the #1 Team Virage car and the #7 LR Motorsport entry.
The second session followed immediately. Simone Riccitelli was the first to dip below the 2:10 mark in the #7 LR Motorsport Ligier JS P4. Simon Schranz in the #14 Team Virage car and Tomas Pompidou in the #19 Trajectus Motorsport entry briefly took over at the top, but the Italian responded. He set a strong 2:07.200 before immediately improving to a 2:06.882. After winning both JS2 R races in 2025, he now claimed pole in JS P4, setting a new outright lap record for the category.
In the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4, South African driver Mika Abrahams secured another front-row start for the team following his teammate’s Race 1 pole. In the final moments, Simon Schranz and Tomas Pompidou placed their #14 and #19 cars on the second row. In PRO-AM, the #69 Bretton Racing Ligier JS P4 secured a double pole position with Marius Kristiansen and Dominique Bastien.
Ethan Pharamond, ANS Motorsport, Ligier JS P4 #6, Pole position, Race 1:
“It’s my first season in the Ligier European Series. I’m really happy to take this pole position at Le Castellet, almost like a home race. It was a somewhat disrupted qualifying session with all the red flags, but we managed to deal with it and set the fastest time. I’m really pleased with this result.”
Simone Riccitelli, LR Motorsport, Ligier JS P4 #7, Pole position, Race 2:
“It was a great qualifying. Last year I did pole with the Ligier JS2 R, this year with the Ligier JS P4. I’m really happy. It was a great lap. The team did a great job. We had a super car. I managed to do it immediately and to deal with the traffic. The real work is tomorrow so full focus.”
Ligier JS2 R: another dominant display from Marcus Terkildsen
After taking two pole positions in Barcelona, Marcus Terkildsen added two more in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R. In the first session, no JS2 R car set a representative lap time before the interruptions, meaning everything came down to a single flying lap. That was all Terkildsen needed to secure Race 1 pole with a 2:14.479. Antonin Bernard placed the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R on the front row, while the #68 M Racing car driven by Lawrence Herbots and the #81 LR Motorsport entry with Simone Bianco lined up on the second row. In PRO-AM, Maxime Aparicio set the fastest time in the #18 VSF Sports.
The second session ran smoothly. Just three laps were enough for Marcus Terkildsen to secure his fourth consecutive pole position of the season. With a 2:12.954, he broke the outright JS2 R lap record at Circuit Paul Ricard before returning to the pits. As in Race 1, the #41 qualified on the front row, this time with Daniel Dallakyan at the wheel, while the #81 and #68 cars once again lined up on the second row. In PRO-AM, Cindy Gudet put the #75 M Racing Ligier JS2 R on pole with a 2:15.374.
Marcus Terkildsen, 23Events Racing, Ligier JS2 R #88, Pole position, Race 1 & Race 2:
“The qualifying went very well. The pace was very good. The first qualifying was really difficult because we had like three red flags. So we only got one lap. I managed to put it in there. Qualifying 2 was a bit cleaner. We got the whole qualifying so I managed to put a very good lap in and it was enough for the pole.”
Race 1 is scheduled to start at 09:00 am and Race 2 at 2:00 pm (local time). Watch it live on the series YouTube channel.
CLICK HERE for the results of Qualifying 1
CLICK HERE for the results of Qualifying 2
Photo credit: DPPI
