Spa-Francorchamps hosted the opening race of the Spa Heat on the afternoon of Saturday 22 August. Under threatening skies and on a drying track, the 27 competitors lined up for an action-packed one-hour race.
At the chequered flag, Simon Schranz and Alex Gardner claimed their second victory of the season in the #14 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 and moved into the championship lead. In the JS2 R category, the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R ultimately took the honours.
Ligier JS P4: Second win of the season for the #14 Team Virage Ligier JS P4
Ethan Pharamond started from pole position in the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4, but August Therbo in the #57 M Racing Ligier JS P4 quickly caught him and took the lead at Raidillon. Alex Gardner followed closely in the #14 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 and moved into first place before the end of the opening lap.
Less than ten minutes into the race, the #3 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R went off track, prompting the first Safety Car intervention. At the restart, Alex Gardner held onto the lead and began to pull away from August Therbo and Ethan Pharamond.
As the pit stop window opened, the race was interrupted once again. Simon Schranz took over the leading #14 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, ahead of August Therbo. The #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS P4 lost time during its stop after being held in the pit lane, allowing the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4, driven by Brandon McCaughan, to rejoin in third place. Racing resumed, but only for a few seconds before another Safety Car period.
With twelve minutes remaining, the race got back under way. Simon Schranz led the field and stayed there all the way to the chequered flag, giving Team Virage and Alex Gardner their second victory of the season and the provisional championship lead. August Therbo finished second in the #57 M Racing Ligier JS P4, ahead of the #1 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 driven by Sebastien Kawpeng and Brandon McCaughan.
The #69 Bretton Racing Ligier JS P4 of Marius Kristiansen and Dominique Bastien took the PRO-AM victory, while Emil and Linus Hellberg claimed the AM win in the #48 Allay Racing Ligier JS P4.
Ligier JS P4 overall podium: August Therbo (#57 M Racing) (left), Simon Schranz / Alex Gardner (#14 Team Virage) (centre), Brandon Mccaughan / Sebastien Kawpeng (#1 Team Virage) (right)
Ligier JS P4 PRO-AM winners: Marius Kristiansen / Dominique Bastien (#69 Bretton Racing)
Ligier JS P4 AM winners: Linus Hellberg (#48 Allay Racing)
Simon Shranz, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #14, Vainqueur de la course 1 en Ligier JS P4 :
“All in all it was a good race. Alex did a great job handing me the car in P1 as we had started the race in P3. It was a really long Safety Car. I think I did a good restart. Actually, it was my first Safety Car restart ever in racing. So not bad for this one.
The conditions were changing. It started to rain in the last sector so it was really tricky to keep the car on the road and still push. But luckily I managed to stay P1 and to bring it home.
This victory is very significant as we are now P1 in the championship and carrying this momentum into the second half of the season and win this thing.”
Alex Gardner, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #14, Winner of Race 1:
“Starting P3 I knew I just had to make it through the first couple of corners and pick them off from there to get to the front. And when I did it was just about managing the pace keeping the tyres good for when Simon jumped in and it went from there!”
Ligier JS2 R: First victory for Pegasus Racing
At the start, the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R, which had started from pole position with Antonin Bernard at the wheel, retained the lead ahead of Simone Bianco in the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R and Marcus Terkildsen in the #88 23Events Racing Ligier JS2 R.
At the restart following the first neutralisation period, Simone Bianco launched an attack and took the lead. At the same time, Marcus Terkildsen, then running third, was handed a 10-second penalty to be added to his pit stop for failing to comply with the start procedure.
After the mandatory pit stops and the third Safety Car intervention, the battle intensified between the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R, now driven by Daniel Dallakyan, the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R of Simone Bianco and the #83 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS2 R driven by Charles Lambert. Lambert quickly moved up to second before taking the lead of the race. But Simone Bianco fought back, with the pair making contact and Charles Lambert going off track.
At that point, rain returned over part of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, making conditions increasingly treacherous. The drivers kept things under control, however, including Kasparas Vingilis, who fought his way into third and then second place at the wheel of the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R.
Simone Bianco crossed the finish line first in the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R, ahead of the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R driven by Jordan Meyer and Kasparas Vingilis, and the #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R of Daniel Dallakyan and Antonin Bernard.
After the race, the #81 LR Motorsport Ligier JS2 R was penalized for its contact with the #83 and disqualified for failing to comply with the technical regulations. As a result, the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R and its French-Lithuanian pairing of Jordan Meyer and Kasparas Vingilis claimed their first victory of the season. The #41 VSF Sports Ligier JS2 R finished second, ahead of Charles Lambert in the #83 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier JS2 R.
Jordan Meyer, Pegasus Racing, Ligier JS2 R #29, Race 1 winner in Ligier JS2 R:
“The strategy was to look after the car as much as possible so that Kasparas could then push and do the job, which he did brilliantly. [When I handed the car over], we had no idea where we were going to come out after the pit stop. We came into the pit lane in fifth or sixth, and we managed the pit exit really well because I think we came out in P3 or P4. From there, Kasparas did a really great job. He was the man of the race.”
Kasparas Vingilis, Pegasus Racing, Ligier JS2 R #29, Vainqueur de la course 1 en Ligier JS2 R :
“Personally I really enjoy wet racing. So I found it very fun. We were able to keep our pace quite well and move up a bit and we end up winning the race thanks to the conditions that unfolded.”
In the PRO-AM classification, Belgian duo Martin and Jack Tabery crossed the finish line first. Following a post-race penalty for leaving the pit lane while the red light at pit exit was illuminated, Nathan Huet and Cindy Gudet were awarded the victory in the #75 M Racing Ligier JS2 R. Christophe Weber topped the AM classification in the #28 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R.
Ligier JS2 R AM winner: Christophe Weber (#28 Pegasus Racing)
Race 2 will get under way tomorrow, Sunday 23 August, at 09:07 and will run for one hour. It will be broadcast live on the series’ YouTube channel.
CLICK HERE for the results
CLICK HERE to watch Race 2 live
Photo credit: DPPI
