While the qualifying sessions came one after the other on Thursday, 9 June 2022, the scenarios were very much different, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. Gillian Henrion and Team Virage confirmed their position as leaders in the Ligier JS P4 category by winning the pole for both races for the third consecutive time. In the Ligier JS2 R category, the newcomers got the better of the full-season entrants and took the top spot in both sessions. The #6 ANS Motorsport and Mathys Jaubert will start race 1 from pole, and the #10 Zosh – Di Environnement and Hugo Rosati will do the same in race 2.
The first qualifying session began on Thursday, 9 June at 10:15 am. In the Ligier JS P4 category, the battle for the pole was close between the #3 LR Motorsport (Simone Riccitelli), the #17 Pegasus Racing (Dimitri Enjalbert) and the #16 Team Virage (Gillian Henrion). Gillian continued to improve his times. With just seconds remaining, he snatched pole position from the #3 car with the fastest lap of the session in 4:05.377s.
In the GT category, the #6 ANS Motorsport Ligier JS2 R (Mathys Jaubert) was at the top of the table from the start of the session, ahead of the #24 Orhès Racing (Mathieu Martins) and the #10 Zosh – Di Environnement. After promising results during the two free practice sessions, Mathys took pole position in his championship debut with a time of 4:18.103s. Mathieu will start race 1 from second place.
For the results of qualifying session 1, CLICK HERE.
Session two hampered by slow zones
The second qualifying session was not the easiest for the Ligier European Series competitors. Several incidents led to yellow flags and slow zones, which prevented drivers from completing their laps in good order. When the session resumed, another incident followed. While some of the Ligier JS P4s did complete a full lap, it was a missed opportunity for the Ligier JS2 Rs.
Gillian Henrion in the #16 Team Virage Ligier JS P4 secured the pole for race 2 of the Le Mans Heat with his best lap of 4:07.091s. It was another brace of pole positions for the young French driver, who has led the way in every session since the season opener at Circuit Paul Ricard. Monza Garage (#23) with Italian driver Ronnie Valori secured the second position of the category.
In the Ligier JS2 R category, the #10 Zosh – Di Environnement (Hugo Rosati) finished top of the timing screen with its best time of 4:24.097s, ahead of the #63 of M3 (Sylvain Caroff)
For the results of qualifying session 2, CLICK HERE.
Gillian Henrion, Team Virage, Ligier JS P4 #16, Pole Position Race 1 & Race 2:
“The two sessions were very complicated sessions, so I’m delighted to have won the pole position for both races, especially on the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. It’s a legendary circuit. And especially the way it was done, it’s really incredible. Thanks to free practice and the work of the team, I knew where I could improve and where I could push a bit more on new tyres. I practiced a lot in the simulator, I didn’t know much about the track and it’s very different from the others.”
Mathys Jaubert, ANS Motorsport #6, Pole Position Race 1:
“The car is fantastic to drive! And the iconic circuit is incredible. We improved in each session. We started a little bit late in the first free practice session yesterday and by the end of the day for the second session we had improved our times, with the second fastest lap. The team worked late last night to get the pole position.”
Hugo Rosati, Zosh – Di Environnement #10, Pole Position Race 2:
“Qualifying 2 was special, we had to deal with the traffic and slow zones. It gave us a chance to make a time. Even though we were a bit hindered, we managed to get through. This is the second time I’ve driven on the 24 Hours circuit after my Fun Cup experience last year, so that helps a bit as well.”
Race 1, featuring the Ligier JS P4s and Ligier JS2 Rs, will start on Friday, 10 June at 11:10 am. Race 2 will take place on Saturday, 11 June at 9 am and will be streamed live on the Ligier European Series website, as well as on its Facebook page and YouTube channel.
