Press Release – October 15 , 2021
The sixth and final race-meeting of the 2021 Ligier European Series season has arrived. The Ligier JS P4s and Ligier JS2 Rs will battle, one last time this season, on the rollercoaster Portimao circuit in the Algarve in southern Portugal. In the Ligier JS2 R category, all eyes will be on the duel between Natan Bihel behind the wheel of the #53 MRacing Ligier JS2 R and the Mathieu Martins / Olivier Pernaut duo at the controls of the #24 Orhès Racing. Another storyline will be the battle for third place between gentleman driver Laurent Millara (#69 MRacing) and rookie Cédric Oltramare (#4 COOL Racing). In Ligier JS P4, no one will be able to stop Italy’s Jacopo Faccioni and Alessandro Cicognani (#23 HP Racing by MonzaGarage) from claiming the JS P4 crown, not even the drivers of the sister cars of Les Deux Arbres. For this final race-meeting of the season, the team will enter a second Ligier JS P4 for the last go-round of 2021, with a second all-Italian crew, which will make for an even more exciting weekend!
MRACING FAVOURITE, LAST CHANCE FOR ORHES RACING
Once again the #53 MRacing Ligier JS2 R of Natan Bihel and the #24 Orhès Racing car driven by Mathieu Martins and Olivier Pernaut shared the victories in Belgium. However, the weekend at Spa was not an easy one for the Orhès Racing GT, whose first race was compromised by a puncture. The #53 MRacing car received a clear path to continue its progress in the championship. With 216 points, Natan Bihel is the favourite to claim the 2021 Ligier JS2 R championship. Only a withdrawal from one of the two races at Portimao could allow Mathieu Martins and Olivier Pernaut to win the title, provided they win both races.
THIRD PLACE OVERALL IN LIGIER JS2 R: GENTLEMAN VS ROOKIE
Who will finish third in the Ligier JS2 R championship, Laurent Millara or Cédric Oltramare? The former is an experienced gentleman racer, driving the #69 MRacing Ligier JS2 R. The latter is in his first season in the Ligier European Series in the #4 COOL Racing entry. With just 24 points separating them, everything is still to play for in Portimao. Will the driver of the #69 MRacing car, who has shown his stability throughout the season, stay on course against Cédric Oltramare, who has made steady progress since the start of the season?
British gentleman driver Nick Adcock, who is no stranger to LMP3 after having raced for several seasons in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and Asian Le Mans Series, will make his debut in the series in the #25 Orhes Racing Ligier JS2 R alongside Alain Bucher.
HP RACING BY MONZA GARAGE HAS THE WIND AT ITS BACK.
In the sport-prototype category, the #23HP Racing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4 of drivers Jacopo Faccioni and Alessandro Cicognani is on course to win the championship. The Italian duo has run strong throughout the season, despite the challenges of Les Deux Arbres cars, the #33 driven by Jacques Nicolet and the #34 driven notably by Antoine Lepesqueux, Steve Zacchia, Patrice Lafargue, Nelson and Dimitri Enjalbert.
For the final round, the Italian team has entered a second Ligier JS P4, the #22 for Nicola Neri and Simone Riccitelli who will make his competition debut in a Ligier JS P4 and the series. Steve Zacchia returns at the wheel of the #34 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS P4 after taking part in the opening round at Barcelona and Monza this summer.
For the second time since its launch in 2020, the Ligier European Series will be on display in front of the fans. For those unable to attend, both Ligier European Series races will be broadcast live on the Ligier European Series YouTube and Facebook channels with commentary in French and English.
The Portimao Heat will start on Friday 22 October at 8:30 am with a one hour and thirty minutes free practice session. The two fifteen-minute qualifying sessions that will set the starting grids for each race are scheduled for Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm and 3:55 pm. The two one-hour races are scheduled for Saturday at 12:00 am and Saturday afternoon at 4:55 pm.
CLICK HERE to consult the provisional entry list
CLICK HERE to consult the Portimao Heat schedule
